A Measure of Civic Leadership

[Mark Kindt]

One measure of civic leadership might look like this:

Civic leaders welcoming new hospitals to their cities:

Fairlawn, Ohio ($100,000,000 investment by Crystal Clinic for a 60-bed specialty orthopedic facility)

Parma, Ohio (New Metro hospital)

Cleveland Heights, Ohio (New Metro hospital)

Beachwood, Ohio (New full-service hospital)

Avon, Ohio (New full-service hospital)

Civic leaders fighting to save hospitals in their cities:

Dayton, Ohio

Massillon, Ohio

Civic leaders fighting to close hospitals in their cities:

Lakewood, Ohio

Civic leaders rejecting new hospitals in their cities:

Lakewood, Ohio

Folks, I don't make this stuff up!

Moody's Investor Service reports that a majority of for-profit hospitals are positioned to benefit from recent changes in the federal tax laws. The new hospital in Fairlawn will employ 900 people. (Source is this week's Crain's.)

[Bridget Conant]

Fairlawn’s population is about 7500 persons. For comparison.

[tom monahan]

During the public debate about the closing of our community hospital. I contacted the National League of Cities to ask how many mayors and councils were actively engaged in shutting down their community hospital and throwing 1500 jobs out their communities.

The National League of Cities has over 19,000 cities, villages and townships in its organization, according to the spokesman.

That's why I brought it up at the Council meeting and was met with silence by the feckless folks who make up our so-called civic leaders.
David Anderson and his allies made no comment at all.

This community has a chance to change the future of this city and provide new leadership in both council and the mayor's slot in the upcoming elections.

[Bridget Conant]

This community has a chance to change the future of this city and provide new leadership in both council and the mayor's slot in the upcoming elections.

I believe that is going to happen.

Although one would have thought that the hospital theft would have brought him down, Summers’ undoing will be the BSL Issue. Charlie will come back to bite him in the ass.

[Mark Kindt]

During the public debate about the closing of our community hospital. I contacted the National League of Cities to ask how many mayors and councils were actively engaged in shutting down their community hospital and throwing 1500 jobs out their communities.

The National League of Cities has over 19,000 cities, villages and townships in its organization, according to the spokesman.

That's why I brought it up at the Council meeting and was met with silence by the feckless folks who make up our so-called civic leaders.
David Anderson and his allies made no comment at all.

This community has a chance to change the future of this city and provide new leadership in both council and the mayor's slot in the upcoming elections.

Mr. Monahan is a citizen with a long history of commitment to public service and is a wise voice in our community. The 2017 city council races provided the beginning of new leadership with the election of Ms. George and Mr. Rader. The next two election cycles are crucial for the future of Lakewood.

In the 2018 elections:

State Senator Mike Skindell has demonstrated the kind of civic leadership that Lakewood needs.

1. State Senator Skindell fought to save Lakewood Hospital and understood what was at stake for our community.

2. State Senator Skindell fought to bring openness and transparency to Lakewood by attempting to force the city administration to comply with Ohio Sunshine Laws.

Council-member Bullock is running against State Senator Skindell for the position of Ohio Representative.

There are a number of civic leadership reasons not to vote in favor of Mr. Bullock for this contested primary seat in the House of the Ohio legislature.

1. Mr. Bullock supported and continues to support the liquidation and closure of Lakewood Hospital.

2. In my personal opinion, Mr. Bullock lacks the temperament to serve in higher office (at this time).

3. The election of Mr. Bullock to the Statehouse is likely to bring former council-member Marx back to City Hall as his appointed replacement.

4. Remember that Ms. Marx also voted to liquidate and close Lakewood Hospital.

The mayor and the 2015 city council failed the electorate by closing our invaluable community asset when it was clear that other systems were prepared to operate Lakewood Hospital as a going-concern.

This failure must not be rewarded.

In the 2019 elections:

New candidates should be encouraged to enter the race for office.

Lakewood is ripe for serious municipal reform.

[Mark Kindt]

From this week's Crain's

Mayor Michael P. Summers is quoted:

"I'm disappointed that this Lakewood Hospital redevelopment project, estimated to be $70 million to $90 million, didn't make it on the economic development radar of the state," said Lakewood Mayor Mike Summers. "I understand how it might have happened, but it's a big project in an inner-ring suburb; those don't happen very often. Everyone is interested in Amazon and big shiny stuff, but this was fundamental, and it's a 21st century transformational opportunity."

I'd say that "what goes around, comes around".

I remind Mr. Summers that an offer from Metro Health System to invest $100,000,000 and operate Lakewood Hospital didn't make it on the radar screen of the City at all. Most of us would like to understand how that might have happened. It was a big project in an inner-ring suburb; that doesn't happen very often. It was fundamental. It was a 21st Century transformational opportunity. It was ignored.

[Mark Kindt]

It would also be interesting to know what efforts our civic leadership and its allies, like Build Lakewood, made to promote the selection of the Lakewood census track (41664) for the State of Ohio's recommendations to the federal government for selection as an opportunity zone under the new tax law.

Was all this just jaw-boning by Build Lakewood to get the hospital liquidated and closed?

When it came to obtaining a real federal economic development benefit for all investment in Lakewood did our leadership just sit on their hands?

I'd like to gain some understanding on why the Lakewood census track was excluded from the State recommendation.

This failure may wind-up costing Lakewood millions of dollars in future private investment (regardless of the proposed redevelopment of the former hospital real estate).

Euclid made it on the list and its residents have a higher median income than Lakewood residents.

Private investment in Lakewood will not benefit from these tax law changes; other locations in Cuyahoga County will benefit. Not us.