Lakewood spending $50,000 for data study targeting improved healthcare

[Dan Alaimo]

Watching the Stormy Daniels saga unfold on the national level, I see parallels to our local government.
Once again a relatively minor indiscretion has snowballed into a big deal that might topple the president, not because of the act, but because of the cover-up.
So too here, what they did at the time engineering the hospital closing might have been legal - or dancing on, or just over, the line of legality - but the steps they've taken to conceal it are not.

[m buckley]

"Which brings us back to Council, and specifically those running on "Honesty, accountability, and transparency." As we have pointed out for nearly a decade Tom Bullock doesn'r mean a damn thing he says, and will often change positions faster than Trump. Which leaves us with a true Democrat Meghan George, and a self proclaimed Progressive Tristan Radar. "

Jim ,
True Democrat/self proclaimed Progressive. You tell me where one has outshined the other.
" Honesty, accountability and transparency." That's right. That's what should matter.
But here's the Big Ugly , here's what really matters... Were you born and bred here, in Lakewood Ohio.
Because all this political inbreeding, all this damage done, goes back to some gym class at Lakewood High School somewhere in the 1970's
That's what drives everything. That's "the greater good", day in and day out, crushing/suffocating, Truth ,Transparency and Accountability.

"Now with Councilman O'Malley it would have been a one to 6 vote, as everyone else seems to be in on the cover up, as they never told the truth, never sided with residents rights to know, and have never indicated anything but a loathing of all those that dare to ask for the papers the courts have ruled public. Now one would hope that has grown to 3 to 4 vote. However, maybe one has drinking the koolaid, that makes one think, much better to go along, than be a real American and public servant. We have seen others taken in by the magic of holding public office. Good god fearing people, that now make lame excuses why the public should "move on."

Jim,
In all probability if Mr. O'Malley had weighed in, it would have been a one to six vote.
And that would have required courage. A principled position taken. A position others have taken.
But that was never in play with Mr. O'Malley.
" Go figure."

[Bill Call]

Cuyahoga County spent $50,000 on a similar plan for the City of Euclid. Euclid spent an additional $16,000 on the plan.

The Euclid plan addressed a full range of issues from housing to transportation and health. The plan mentioned seven previous plans designed to address Euclid’s problems. (How many plans has Lakewood had?)

Most of the plan is just demographics and maps. The SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) was interesting.
One of the opportunities mentioned was medical centers. One goal was to “Partner with Cleveland Clinic, Euclid Hospital, University Hospitals….and other medical facilities to grow Euclid’s Health industry and supporting business”.

The Plain Dealer reporting on the plan had the mandatory mention that the real problem was home rule. If only Euclid schools were merged with Brecksville schools, if only the police department was run from some office in downtown Cleveland, if only the garbage was collected by trucks sent from Cleveland Heights all of our problems would be solved.

euclid-master-plan_adopted-2-5-18.pdf

(38.59 MiB) Downloaded 298 times

[m buckley]

[quote="Jim O'Bryan"

However, the time is right to call for a complete and total release of all public documents. ALL. When a convicted stalker can get public records on his victims faster (less than 24 hours expedited by Law Director) than we can get simple public records like employee computer usage there is a problem, and council can address it. When residents have to take City Hall to court and soon the Ohio State Supreme court to get records the courts have repeatedly declared public, and have ordered the city to produce, we have a serious problem. Council can fix that.

Mr. O'Bryan is absolutely correct on this point.

All previous public document requests must be fully honored on a timely basis, consistent with Ohio law, and current court orders.

I have written at length on this topic and find the level of stone-walling from the city administration unbelievable. There is no reason that citizens should have to be forced to litigate these fundamental rights in the court system. We each owe Mr. Essi and his lawyers a debt of gratitude for their continuing multi-year effort to gain access to public documents.

It is nothing less than a travesty that the city law department would immediately produce records on citizens to an individual that it knows had been terminated from city employment for the harassment of those citizens.

Mr. Butler's action was done at the height of cynicism, arrogance, and at considerable legal risk to both himself personally and to the city.

He should ponder the question of whether or not citizens are being harassed as a result of his actions.

Just one more reason to call for municipal reform.[/quote]

A bump.
Mr. O'Bryan was on this early and often and he paid a price.
Mr. Kindt has been nothing short of devasting in his critque of this administration and their cynicism, arogance and the considerable legal risk they have incurred.
I would add to these points the administration's disdain for process that defines and drives them. To borrow from Mr. Kindt, that arrogance. That willingness to step on truth and transparency to achieve an end. To achieve a Mike Summers' end.

[Mark Kindt]

[quote="Jim O'Bryan"

However, the time is right to call for a complete and total release of all public documents. ALL. When a convicted stalker can get public records on his victims faster (less than 24 hours expedited by Law Director) than we can get simple public records like employee computer usage there is a problem, and council can address it. When residents have to take City Hall to court and soon the Ohio State Supreme court to get records the courts have repeatedly declared public, and have ordered the city to produce, we have a serious problem. Council can fix that.

Mr. O'Bryan is absolutely correct on this point.

All previous public document requests must be fully honored on a timely basis, consistent with Ohio law, and current court orders.

I have written at length on this topic and find the level of stone-walling from the city administration unbelievable. There is no reason that citizens should have to be forced to litigate these fundamental rights in the court system. We each owe Mr. Essi and his lawyers a debt of gratitude for their continuing multi-year effort to gain access to public documents.

It is nothing less than a travesty that the city law department would immediately produce records on citizens to an individual that it knows had been terminated from city employment for the harassment of those citizens.

Mr. Butler's action was done at the height of cynicism, arrogance, and at considerable legal risk to both himself personally and to the city.

He should ponder the question of whether or not citizens are being harassed as a result of his actions.

Just one more reason to call for municipal reform.

A bump.
Mr. O'Bryan was on this early and often and he paid a price.
Mr. Kindt has been nothing short of devasting in his critque of this administration and their cynicism, arogance and the considerable legal risk they have incurred.
I would add to these points the administration's disdain for process that defines and drives them. To borrow from Mr. Kindt, that arrogance. That willingness to step on truth and transparency to achieve an end. To achieve a Mike Summers' end.[/quote]

To address this point further, I am aware that several attorneys as well as several ordinary citizens have been subjected to continuing harassment. There may be others that I am not aware of. Each individual has a potential legal claim against the City of Lakewood.

[Mark Kindt]

[quote="Jim O'Bryan"

However, the time is right to call for a complete and total release of all public documents. ALL. When a convicted stalker can get public records on his victims faster (less than 24 hours expedited by Law Director) than we can get simple public records like employee computer usage there is a problem, and council can address it. When residents have to take City Hall to court and soon the Ohio State Supreme court to get records the courts have repeatedly declared public, and have ordered the city to produce, we have a serious problem. Council can fix that.

Mr. O'Bryan is absolutely correct on this point.

All previous public document requests must be fully honored on a timely basis, consistent with Ohio law, and current court orders.

I have written at length on this topic and find the level of stone-walling from the city administration unbelievable. There is no reason that citizens should have to be forced to litigate these fundamental rights in the court system. We each owe Mr. Essi and his lawyers a debt of gratitude for their continuing multi-year effort to gain access to public documents.

It is nothing less than a travesty that the city law department would immediately produce records on citizens to an individual that it knows had been terminated from city employment for the harassment of those citizens.

Mr. Butler's action was done at the height of cynicism, arrogance, and at considerable legal risk to both himself personally and to the city.

He should ponder the question of whether or not citizens are being harassed as a result of his actions.

Just one more reason to call for municipal reform.

A bump.
Mr. O'Bryan was on this early and often and he paid a price.
Mr. Kindt has been nothing short of devasting in his critque of this administration and their cynicism, arogance and the considerable legal risk they have incurred.
I would add to these points the administration's disdain for process that defines and drives them. To borrow from Mr. Kindt, that arrogance. That willingness to step on truth and transparency to achieve an end. To achieve a Mike Summers' end.

To address this point further, I am aware that several attorneys as well as several ordinary citizens have been subjected to continuing harassment. There may be others that I am not aware of. Each individual has a potential legal claim against the City of Lakewood. To my understanding, complaints made to local law enforcement have been ineffectual, because of a perception that the city administration will not take official action on complaints made to local police. That explains why civil litigation against the City of Lakewood is the only option available to victims of harassment.

[Mark Kindt]

Given all of the thread-drift that has occurred in this thread, I will continue my analysis of the actions of the city administration in a new, but separate series of posts starting in April.