Lakewood Caves Again

[David Brainard]

By now, this process should be all too familiar to the citizens of Lakewood.

Public protest, meetings. and total failure.

McDonalds will do precisely what they wanted to do all along.

Has everyone forgotten what happened to the Lakewood Circulator? Joe Calabrese, the GM of RTA, wanted to kill it and regardless of the opposition, killed it.
Now we have a different mayor; yet the results are the same.
Specious arguments by the McDonalds executives carry the day.

Lakewood doesn't need McDonalds, McDonalds needs Lakewood. If the Sloan Ave. location isn't good enough; then it should be, 'good-bye McDonalds'.

Why is it when Lakewood has the power, it folds?

-30-

[Jim O'Bryan]

By now, this process should be all too familiar to the citizens of Lakewood.

Public protest, meetings. and total failure.

McDonalds will do precisely what they wanted to do all along.

Has everyone forgotten what happened to the Lakewood Circulator? Joe Calabrese, the GM of RTA, wanted to kill it and regardless of the opposition, killed it.
Now we have a different mayor; yet the results are the same.
Specious arguments by the McDonalds executives carry the day.

Lakewood doesn't need McDonalds, McDonalds needs Lakewood. If the Sloan Ave. location isn't good enough; then it should be, 'good-bye McDonalds'.

Why is it when Lakewood has the power, it folds?

-30-

David

I believe it is two fold.

1) Low self esteem which leads Lakewood to its battered wife syndrome.

2) Nothing is really as it seems, or as it is presented. Franklin School, Grant School,
trash collection, cuts, and on and on and on...

Which came first, "McDonald's demanding to move, and doing an extensive study to
realize that the Detroit Theater is the perfect place in the perfect city" or the drawings
of condos that lead down Sloan getting rid of the body shop that nasty little mall but
keeping the cool Nature's Bin?

Like living in a magic act where you better watch both hands, every assistant, and even
the background and every spectator chosen at random to step on the stage.

But on November 8th Lakewoodites head back o the polls to once again say their vows to
love, honor and obey until death do us part...


FWIW



.

[Meg Ostrowski]

Lakewood doesn't need McDonalds, McDonalds needs Lakewood.

The city may not realize it but the residents around the Detroit Theater don't need Lakewood, Lakewood needs them. They have maintained and in many cases improved that neighborhood through hard work and investment.

Low self esteem which leads Lakewood to its battered wife syndrome...

But on November 8th Lakewoodites head back to the polls to once again say their vows to
love, honor and obey until death do us part.

If you stand up for yourself enough and nothing changes, it may be time to leave.

[Jim O'Bryan]

If you stand up for yourself enough and nothing changes, it may be time to leave.

What a terrible message.

To many walk away and say nothing.

There is little I can say that might change your mind.

Many others have felt the same way.

Last weekend I spent time with a friend who felt that way at one time,
and it now looks like he will be coming back.

Stay, educate, and work for a better Lakewood.

All they have is smoke, mirrors, and peer pressure.

.

[Roy Pitchford]

Jim, on this I find myself inclined to agree with Meg. More powerful than the ability to vote once per year is the ability to vote with your feet. If people are fed up with the way Lakewood is being run, they are free to leave and go someplace where run in a manner more to their liking. Eventually, one of two things should happen:
1. the only people left in Lakewood will be those who like it how it is.
2. Lakewood will find it must change to adapt to the lost population.

If I may sidetrack slightly, just for a moment...
This is part of why I do not like the direction the country is going and has been going for quite some time. The Federal government, in its expansion, has makes it more and more difficult for a person to move from one state to another specifically for the purposes of 'voting with their feet'. The Constitution spelled out very few tasks for the Federal government specifically so the States or the municipalities could choose to do or not do something. A person can't "escape" (for lack of a better word) an income tax by moving to Texas or Vermont.

[Meg Ostrowski]

If you stand up for yourself enough and nothing changes, it may be time to leave.

What a terrible message.

Too many walk away and say nothing.

There is little I can say that might change your mind.

Many others have felt the same way.

Jim, I was just following through on your battered wife analogy. You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm committed to improving the situation in Lakewood. Afterall, there's no place like home.

[Meg Ostrowski]

Jim, on this I find myself inclined to agree with Meg. More powerful than the ability to vote once per year is the ability to vote with your feet. If people are fed up with the way Lakewood is being run, they are free to leave and go someplace where run in a manner more to their liking. Eventually, one of two things should happen:1. the only people left in Lakewood will be those who like it how it is.

Roy, I am reassured that someone got my point. I was on Woodward today and the family that I spoke with, like many other young families, is contemplating whether or not to commit to Lakewood long term. The city's lack of attention to their concerns with the McDonald's/Detroit Theater deal is not helping.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

I have a feeling that many people have already left because of their disappointment (that might be the wrong word to use) with the city. There has already been a pretty steep drop in the number of residents in Lakewood in the past 10-15 years. I know that when FitzGerald was elected, my neighbors said we don't like it and moved away. That is in no way a snipe at Ed, but they were fed up with their candidate not winning and the same old continuing and they moved to Bay Village with their two sons.

I hope it doesn't come down to a mass fleeing. Lakewood is a beautiful city with a lot to offer. It baffles me that decisions like McDonalds and the RTA still happen, but when the West End project was proposed, people stood up and now we don't have an empty mall in the city.

[Grace O'Malley]

You never had a chance because its not McDonald's you are fighting, its your own city.

The PTB want to redevelop Sloan and make it a nice "frou-frou" barrier area to further protect Clifton Park. Look for a condo like development where McD's and the body shop are.

[Meg Ostrowski]

The PTB want to redevelop Sloan and make it a nice "frou-frou" barrier area to further protect Clifton Park. Look for a condo like development where McD's and the body shop are.

If this is true, I hope they stop filling the moat with their discards.

[Michael Loje]

Grace, as a long term Clifton Park resident, just wondering where you got your information on Sloane? Last I heard, a nonprofit would take over McD's old building, and my source on that is pretty good. MY idea was to leave McD's on Sloane, and level the shopping center, and move in two or three more fast food joints. That would have kept them off Detroit, and I and all the other fast food addicts would know where to find them. (Such a concentration exists in Willowick in Lake county.) But I was told the shopping center owner was happy with his lease with the dollar store.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Grace, as a long term Clifton Park resident, just wondering where you got your information on Sloane? Last I heard, a nonprofit would take over McD's old building, and my source on that is pretty good. MY idea was to leave McD's on Sloane, and level the shopping center, and move in two or three more fast food joints. That would have kept them off Detroit, and I and all the other fast food addicts would know where to find them. (Such a concentration exists in Willowick in Lake county.) But I was told the shopping center owner was happy with his lease with the dollar store.

Mike

So why not put the non-profit in the Detroit Theater?

It would seem and easier and less costly transition.

Which non-profit?

More fast food on Sloane? We just passed the 300th place you can get prepared food.

I never thought I would say this but I am ready for Shawn's pants store.

.

[Michael Loje]

Jim, if you notice, the McDonalds building is about one-sixth the size of the theater. The non-profit needs a building about the size of the McDs. And I'm guessing McDs will donate their building to the non profit. And why fast food on Sloane? To keep it off Detroit!

[Jim O'Bryan]

The Independence McDonald's built decades ago.

When I spoke with Independence Councilman Anthony Tagliotti about the McDonalds, and
and how they got them to build that instead of typical McDonalds, his answer was simple.
"We stood our ground, and refused to lower the city's standards for McDonalds or anyone.
We decided to make them understand, the fastest growing city in the County would not bend.

I hope the "Best Suburb" has the same steadfast approach to the new McDonalds we are
getting. And if City Hall believes what they say we should be getting something really special.


.

[Valerie Molinski]

When I spoke with Independence Councilman Anthony Tagliotti about the McDonalds, and
and how they got them to build that instead of typical McDonalds, his answer was simple.
"We stood our ground, and refused to lower the city's standards for McDonalds or anyone.
We decided to make them understand, the fastest growing city in the County would not bend.

I hope the "Best Suburb" has the same steadfast approach to the new McDonalds we are
getting. And if City Hall believes what they say we should be getting something really special.

.

If you look at the final renderings, Lakewood, is still getting A McDonald's, but they are not getting a 'typical' one either. Whether you think it is special or not, I guess, is a matter of taste.