It Pains Me To Post This - Lakewood Closes Hoops At Madison Park

[Jim O'Bryan]

Once again the City of Lakewood has over reacted, and stumbled into closing basketball courts. The last time it was to appease a friend of the Mayor Summers that did not like "black voices" having fun in the park he moved next to. There were no complaints in previous years, and there have been none since street hockey has been moved into the area. This is why I added black voices. When the friend of the Mayor was asked about it the city thought he might get violent towards the kids.

This time it was because of an overreaction from the ill-informed kangaroo court known as social media. Lakewood has experience three violent crimes over the past couple months. NONE OF THEM really originating here but ended here. Crime ending in Lakewood is a good sign. The last one a crime of passion but a kid with zero value of life. But instantly all of the people that have been practicing physician-scientists and immunologists have turned to practicing Sherlock Holmeses and J Edgar Hoovers. The point of channeling all of their own self importance this week is crime out of control in Lakewood, DO SOMETHING.

Since the shooting I have been asked to join 3 NEW SAFETY FORUMS FOR LAKEWOOD! Which buy itself is a joke. Criminals and crime thrive in diffusion of facts and conversations. Lakewood at last count has over 45 pages on social media. Do the police post on each of them an alert, or drop it on their site and hope someone reposts it?

While we need to address and tighten up crime, not one single group has the power or the ability to do anything but complain. None of them will stop car jackings in other cities that end up here. None of the groups will stop crimes of passion. None of the groups will even be able to convey to criminals Lakewood is tough on crime. Because instead of reading 45 Lakewood boards they are breaking into your home as you stare at the computer.

Now this is an election year so we will have all sorts of people trashing the Mayor, and services, and the police, making sure you know they could do better. It is all spin and hype. Listen closely, what are their plans for the city. Those up for re-election what have you done to STOP CRIME, not what you have posted about, or been vocal on.

This city has got to get a hold of itself. I have seen cities destroy themselves with hype, and social media bullshit.

Cities just like Lakewood.

FWIW

[Richard Baker]

I’m surprise by your comment, a racism card is easily played and rarely proven. What facts do you have to support your opinion that Mayor Summers closed the basketball court because he had a racist friend that lived by the park?
All that aside what does then have to do with the present and Mayor George’s decision to close the basketball court?

Where is the City Council, they have the authority to have Mayor George reopen the court? Leaving us the assumption that the Lakewood police can’t patrol the park with sufficient frequency to discourage thugs from coming to Lakewood due to their patrolling the numerous areas where violence is occurring.

It appears that the mayor and city council are little more than figure heads bidding to the wishes of their over abundant staff. When there is no leadership and experience, the inmates will ruin the asylum at City Hall.
What is the percentage of the nominated department heads positions and city employees who reside in the City of Lakewood? Those without a vested interest in the quality of life in the city, will take the easy route. In this case recommending closing a park basketball courts, rather than finding a solution to making it safe for the residents to enjoy.

[Richard Baker]

I’m surprise by your comment, a racism card is easily played and rarely proven. What facts do you have to support your opinion that Mayor Summers closed the basketball court because he had a racist friend that lived by the park?
All that aside what does then have to do with the present and Mayor George’s decision to close the basketball court?

Where is the City Council, they have the authority to have Mayor George reopen the court? Leaving us the assumption that the Lakewood police can’t patrol the park with sufficient frequency to discourage thugs from coming to Lakewood due to their patrolling the numerous areas where violence is occurring.

It appears that the mayor and city council are little more than figure heads bidding to the wishes of their over abundant staff. When there is no leadership and experience, the inmates will ruin the asylum at City Hall.
What is the percentage of the nominated department heads positions and city employees who reside in the City of Lakewood? Those without a vested interest in the quality of life in the city, will take the easy route. In this case recommending closing a park basketball courts, rather than finding a solution to making it safe for the residents to enjoy.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I’m surprise by your comment, a racism card is easily played and rarely proven. What facts do you have to support your opinion that Mayor Summers closed the basketball court because he had a racist friend that lived by the park?
All that aside what does then have to do with the present and Mayor George’s decision to close the basketball court?

Richard

I have no other way to explain it. I wish it wasn't so.

The man complained of noise, though he bough a house that backed up to tennis courts then basketball courts. He complained of the yelling and loud music.

Now it is used as street hockey, with cars pulled up to the area, doors left open and music blaring. Skating, sticks, pucks, and swearing and screaming.

I really only see one difference.

It would be interesting to see how many Lakewood Department heads and employees live in Lakewood.

While we can no longer demand it, we could offer incentives if they did live here.

.

[Mark Kindt]

Completely Off Topic

I think that the City of Lakewood and its broader class of civic leaders face three problems.

Two of these problems are structural and the other is a broad "ethos" issue.

The structural problems are as follow:

1. At a fundamental level, Lakewood is governed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and that agency sets the entire floor for planning, taxation, debt, and governance decade-by-decade.

It is always the elephant-in-the-room. It is an "elephant" that will never go away.

2. Lakewood has a non-partisan ballot that fundamentally created a uni-party form of municipal government where legitimate and authentic alternative political viewpoints are automatically excluded from participation and debate. The upcoming 2021 council elections will exemplify this.

3. Finally, the City and its broader class of civic leaders are committed to an "ethos" of "economic development" at any cost regardless of quantifiable adverse outcomes to all of its constituents.

Problems one and two will soon be illustrated by the second attempt to turn the vacant hospital real estate into "something" at costs to the community that have already proven themselves off the map.

Keep in mind that the new Mayor has only been in office slightly more than a year and all of the problems above pre-date her inauguration as Mayor by a decade.

That decade represents the worst governmental leadership that I have ever seen in my 40 years as an attorney or in my time as a public servant.

[Mark Kindt]

Completely Off Topic

I think that the City of Lakewood and its broader class of civic leaders face three problems.

Two of these problems are structural and the other is a broad "ethos" issue.

The structural problems are as follow:

1. At a fundamental level, Lakewood is governed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and that agency sets the entire floor for planning, taxation, debt, and governance decade-by-decade.

It is always the elephant-in-the-room. It is an "elephant" that will never go away.

2. Lakewood has a non-partisan ballot that fundamentally created a uni-party form of municipal government where legitimate and authentic alternative political viewpoints are automatically excluded from participation and debate. The upcoming 2021 council elections will exemplify this. Should the sitting First Ward councilwoman be elected Judge, a uni-party process will designate a uni-party replacement like the last time.

3. Finally, the City and its broader class of civic leaders are committed to an "ethos" of "economic development" at any cost regardless of quantifiable adverse outcomes to all of its constituents.

Problems two and three will soon be illustrated by the second attempt to turn the vacant hospital real estate into "something" at costs to the community that have already proven themselves off the map.

Keep in mind that the new Mayor has only been in office slightly more than a year and all of the problems above pre-date her inauguration as Mayor by a decade.

That decade represents the worst governmental leadership that I have ever seen in my 40 years as an attorney or in my time as a public servant.

Other local lawyers and former public officials would agree about the last decade.

[Stan Austin]

Mr. Kindt---your analysis is correct. Stan Austin

[ryan costa]

when a single party is very dominant it eventually develops more distinct factions. They are usually informal, aside from temporary campaigns for the primaries. When they officially form separate parties, their former mutual opponent usually wins if the usual margin had been less than ten percent.

[ryan costa]

when a single party is very dominant it eventually develops more distinct factions. They are usually informal, aside from temporary campaigns for the primaries. When they officially form separate parties, their former mutual opponent usually wins if the usual margin had been less than ten percent.

[Mark Kindt]

I'm going to keep being blunt.

Over the past decade the uniparty has delivered a set of policies that are fundamentally detrimental to the citizens of Lakewood and its broader community.

Nothing would please me more than to attribute optimal public policy outcomes to endorsed Democrats in Lakewood city government. It pains me that I cannot.

The failure of local Republicans to organize themselves and fund candidates for municipal office is an equal embarrassment, if not worse. They left the game entirely.

I'd like to think that my points here are irrelevant, but not when I've read the city administration's own professional studies and their actual public documents.

--Not when any lawyer or former public officials could write 2,000 posts here.

So, the public park where pee-wee baseball is held is called Edwards Park and across Edwards is the new outdoor booze garden where nightly outdoor drinking is held among the fire-pits.

How many more booze gardens should Lakewood have?