http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/issue_pdfs/Observer_Vol_11_Issue_01.pdf
Welcome back! We kick off our this year with diving into what has been called by past mayors "the most pressing issue to happen in Lakewood for decades." One would think it certainly has a massive impact on the City of Lakewood. It would be tragic to any city to lose their largest employer, especially when the employer is as important to a community as Lakewood Hospital is for Lakewood. This is akin to GM closing plants in Detroit. A total of over 500 mostly high paying jobs could be lost forever. While Lakewood Hospital only has 3 full-time doctors, they have nearly 100 part-time doctors, and 495 nurses. all making “health care money.” Strictly speaking as a business, there is gold in those workers in the form of income taxes.
If we add in that we are losing one of our largest philanthropy groups in Lakewood, the tragedy grows. The Cleveland Clinic has not just been a willing participant they have often been the fuel in the fire for DowntowN improvements, through groups like LakewoodAlive. They have been the largest form of funding for North Coast Health Ministry. Over $6 million a year pumped into the economy directly from the pockets of the Clinic. Then there is the support for the hospital, restaurants, clothing stores, homes and apartments, the fallout could be crippling. In the middle of a 30-year contract, why is this even coming up?
Over a decade ago the Lakewood Observer was started when we found out, through many various projects, that often the rumors on the street were more accurate than the silence from City Hall or far worse, the spin coming from City Hall. It was so bad at times that civic leaders would be using multiple accounts and names online to spin with no truth, and no accountability. What we found out early is that a vetted forum, with real names, offered a chance to sort all of what was said. Information coming in could easily be validated or thrown to the curb. If you look back at the earlier days of the Observer you will see that the more civic leaders became in tune with the project, the quicker the response time, often troubling, and disruptive, but generally the most truthful, and I would say the most relevant.
“A basic tenet of a healthy democracy is open dialogue and transparency.” - Peter Fenn
It is that belief upon which the Observer Media Project was formed and has dedicated itself to since the beginning. Not that we are right, but that we have a right to hear the truth from City Hall and our elected officials, and we deserve a place to talk about what we are told and formulate our own ideas. We are not worried about breaking the news as much as we are dedicated to understanding and discussing the news and how it affects the city we all love and live or work in.
Anything that takes away or tries to limit the discussion-- marginalization, spin, faux names with even wilder tales, are a cancer to the community, and take away from the basic tenet of a healthy democracy. Don't listen to the hype or the spin, stop by the Deck for a quick read, pick up the paper, and please join the project, the conversation and volunteer for the project. You might be amazed at just how open and loving this project is to the City of Lakewood. It costs nothing, we do not assulat you with email blasts, questions, asking for money, or ask you to do anything you do not want to or that you don't believe in. We are your friends and neighbors, who have decided that, for ten minutes a day, to talk about Lakewood is a very, very good thing.
Have the best New Year!