The Gift of Build-Lakewood

[Mark Kindt]

This Is A Ridiculous Use of Public Assets And Funds on a Comparative Basis

Does anybody at Build-Lakewood (or the city for that matter) own a calculator?

Please tell me why I am incorrect.

Comparison of Actual and Projected Revenues at Hospital Site 8-24-2018.jpg (216.18 KiB) Viewed 2860 times

Please send this to your friends

[Mark Kindt]

A True Public Policy Success -- The Defining Gift

You be the judge.

Our public officials have told us that the other proposals for the redevelopment of the former hospital site were even worse than the proposal of the selected developer in terms of costs to the public.

Folks, if this developer's proposal was the least burdensome on the taxpayer -- $32M in direct public subsidies -- then we can clearly see that the entire redevelopment plan was a public policy fiasco from the get-go.

This is the Build-Lakewood public policy agenda in its actual final stages of implementation.

Build-Lakewood was so desperate to achieve its pro-development agenda that it successfully advocated a public policy that sacrificed our city's physical emergency-preparedness infrastructure (a hospital) in order to give it away for free ($1.00) to the developer.

This, my friends, is the true gift from Build-Lakewood.

[Mark Kindt]

A Few More Comments

I will make a few more comments before I conclude this online essay.

The Build-Lakewood public policy agenda carried the day with the majority of our elected municipal office holders and is well on its way to full implementation.

In defense of that agenda, there is a recurring echo of these kinds of statements:

"We didn't have any choice. Nobody offered any alternatives."

This is a bit like the argument that goes, "Dad, nobody gave me a hamster to pet, so I had to pet the cougar."

There were always alternatives; among them:

1. Enforce the long-term lease contract for the hospital through its full remaining term.

2. Retain an independent national investment bank to sell the hospital.

3. Comply with standard public bidding requirements.

4. Negotiate with the one local hospital system that made a meritorious proposal.

5. Negotiate with other healthcare providers that were interested in re-positioning the asset.

The list goes on.

My point being that it was always the goal of the city administration to close Lakewood Hospital, sever its charitable support, and use the real estate for non-healthcare real estate development.

And, that is exactly what we got.

[Mark Kindt]

Coming Soon!

In my next online essay, we will examine how the public policies advocated by Build-Lakewood and its supporters have changed the delivery of healthcare in Lakewood.

Stay tuned.

[Mark Kindt]

Coming Soon II

The public policy positions of Build-Lakewood were successfully adopted and implemented.

On the economic development side, this means direct public subsidies to the real estate developer of approximately $32,000,000.

The adopted public policy positions of Build-Lakewood guaranteed the worst of both worlds; higher costs to the public treasury all combined with diminished services.

So before we take a close look at the healthcare side, please take a moment and use Google to search the phrase "hospitals in Parma". Go to the map and look at all the hospital "pins".

You will immediately see that Parma is now much better prepared for a natural disaster than Lakewood.

[cmager]

Coming Soon II
So before we take a close look at the healthcare side, please take a moment and use Google to search the phrase "hospitals in Parma". Go to the map and look at all the hospital "pins". You will immediately see that Parma is now much better prepared for a natural disaster than Lakewood.

But in a natural disaster, Lakewood can evacuate by water. Solstice steps! /sarc

[Stan Austin]

Across Lake Erie to Canada where they have responsible and economic medical care!

[Mark Kindt]

Yes. It is a Fiasco wrapped-up in a Debacle.

[Stan Austin]

Were I proficient in memes I'm sure I cudda come up with something to display this