Where’s the inclusion?

[Jim Kenny]

As I write this I’m prepared for the worse.

My wife and I have been Lakewood residents for more than two decades. Both of us were raised in Avon Lake, where many of our friends and my family still reside. All these years later, they’re still not tired of asking us: Why don’t you live in Avon Lake?

I remind them that we don’t live a lot of places, including their home city. I then suggest if they want to know why we live in Lakewood, I’ll gladly give a number of reasons. Among these I’ve consistently included passionate citizens who are inclusive to the ideas of others. I point to the engagement processes we as a community relied on when rebuilding our schools. I note the saved historic façade of Garfield School and the return of Grant Elementary as evidence. I would also point to the Observer and its open-source approach to sharing news and perspective. I’ll confess here, to the faithful who participate in the Observation Deck, that I’m now reconsidering this claim.

Admittedly, I haven’t participated in the Observation Deck until I wrote a recent column for the Observer (I’m from Lakewood. I Speak for Me). Having done so and knowing my opinion and understanding of the facts surrounding the discussed closure of Lakewood’s inpatient hospital for one that is better aligned with 21st century delivery of medicine and emergency care would likely be at odds with some of the other contributors; thus, I believed it was incumbent upon me to share my thinking, my understanding on the hospital issue with anyone who posted follow up questions on the forum. Why not, as the Observer is “the present and future source for facts and diversity of opinion,” as repeatedly cited by its most-ardent contributors.

Unfortunately, because my recent posted and published opinions are unpopular on the Observation Forum, many of these same contributors have openly condemned and mocked me. They are people I’ve never even met and yet they have well-formed opinions of me. I can’t imagine I would have received the same venom and vitriol if I had written something that agreed with them.

I’m discouraged. I don’t feel included. And if I was a passive Forum participant who also held a contrary opinion I would be highly reluctant to join any discussion thread. The irony is you’re good people, so I can’t believe the product of your hard work and contributions to this community is to scare off others who aren’t like you. I can tell you, however, that what’s happening.

Please, I hope you can convince me that I’m wrong.

[Jim O'Bryan]

As I write this I’m prepared for the worse.

My wife and I have been Lakewood residents for more than two decades. Both of us were raised in Avon Lake, where many of our friends and my family still reside. All these years later, they’re still not tired of asking us: Why don’t you live in Avon Lake?

I remind them that we don’t live a lot of places, including their home city. I then suggest if they want to know why we live in Lakewood, I’ll gladly give a number of reasons. Among these I’ve consistently included passionate citizens who are inclusive to the ideas of others. I point to the engagement processes we as a community relied on when rebuilding our schools. I note the saved historic façade of Garfield School and the return of Grant Elementary as evidence. I would also point to the Observer and its open-source approach to sharing news and perspective. I’ll confess here, to the faithful who participate in the Observation Deck, that I’m now reconsidering this claim.

Admittedly, I haven’t participated in the Observation Deck until I wrote a recent column for the Observer (I’m from Lakewood. I Speak for Me). Having done so and knowing my opinion and understanding of the facts surrounding the discussed closure of Lakewood’s inpatient hospital for one that is better aligned with 21st century delivery of medicine and emergency care would likely be at odds with some of the other contributors; thus, I believed it was incumbent upon me to share my thinking, my understanding on the hospital issue with anyone who posted follow up questions on the forum. Why not, as the Observer is “the present and future source for facts and diversity of opinion,” as repeatedly cited by its most-ardent contributors.

Unfortunately, because my recent posted and published opinions are unpopular on the Observation Forum, many of these same contributors have openly condemned and mocked me. They are people I’ve never even met and yet they have well-formed opinions of me. I can’t imagine I would have received the same venom and vitriol if I had written something that agreed with them.

I’m discouraged. I don’t feel included. And if I was a passive Forum participant who also held a contrary opinion I would be highly reluctant to join any discussion thread. The irony is you’re good people, so I can’t believe the product of your hard work and contributions to this community is to scare off others who aren’t like you. I can tell you, however, that what’s happening.

Please, I hope you can convince I’m wrong.

Jim

I have no problems publishing letters and articles that do not agree with me, or the group.

The Observer, and the Observation Deck is not a mindset, it is a FREE place to exchange
news, views, opinions and thoughts. It has ZERO bias, we really do not get together and
scheme to push anything across.

A very interesting example is Bill Call, Matt Markling, Brian Essi and Myself. We rarely talk
we nearly never hang out, and we are not even believing the same things about this deal.
However, we agree it is a hideous deal for Lakewood.

I am with you, I see medicine changing, especially by 2026. However I do not see it as a
reason to give into a couple special interest groups.

My issue with this is government, and more suits are coming. We are finding open talk of
some of these players in emails back in early 2013 talking of rec centers, and hospital land.
That is more of a special interest than a true look at Lakewood Health care. Lakewood
City's Law Director describes it as a real estate deal, not a future of healthcare deal.

I cannot speak for the rest, but I will defend your right to post here, and write for the Observer.

It is about community, discussion, and enlightenment, not agendas.

.

[Amy Martin]

I still want to know why the new facility if being touted as the "future of health care in Lakewood" while the old, hospital model is being used for a new facility in Avon . .. aren't the health care needs in Avon changing like they are in Lakewood?? This whole theory holds NO WATER. If the future of Healthcare if building outpatient clinics, then build one of those in Avon as well. Don't try to bullshit us. Remember The Emperor's New Clothes?

[marklingm]

I cannot speak for the rest, but I will defend your right to post here, and write for the Observer.

It is about community, discussion, and enlightenment, not agendas.

Jim Kenny,

I also live in Lakewood, so I'll speak for me, too.

I don't agree with most of your article (http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2015/06/09/i-live-in-lakewood-so-i-speak-for-me).

But I agree with Jim O'Bryan.

I will also zealously defend your right to post here, and write for The Lakewood Observer!

Don't let anyone marginalize you.

And please don't let other marginalize us.

Thank you, Jim Kenny, for your contribution to Lakewood!

Matt

[Scott Meeson]

As I write this I’m prepared for the worse.

My wife and I have been Lakewood residents for more than two decades. Both of us were raised in Avon Lake, where many of our friends and my family still reside. All these years later, they’re still not tired of asking us: Why don’t you live in Avon Lake?

I remind them that we don’t live a lot of places, including their home city. I then suggest if they want to know why we live in Lakewood, I’ll gladly give a number of reasons. Among these I’ve consistently included passionate citizens who are inclusive to the ideas of others. I point to the engagement processes we as a community relied on when rebuilding our schools. I note the saved historic façade of Garfield School and the return of Grant Elementary as evidence. I would also point to the Observer and its open-source approach to sharing news and perspective. I’ll confess here, to the faithful who participate in the Observation Deck, that I’m now reconsidering this claim.

Admittedly, I haven’t participated in the Observation Deck until I wrote a recent column for the Observer (I’m from Lakewood. I Speak for Me). Having done so and knowing my opinion and understanding of the facts surrounding the discussed closure of Lakewood’s inpatient hospital for one that is better aligned with 21st century delivery of medicine and emergency care would likely be at odds with some of the other contributors; thus, I believed it was incumbent upon me to share my thinking, my understanding on the hospital issue with anyone who posted follow up questions on the forum. Why not, as the Observer is “the present and future source for facts and diversity of opinion,” as repeatedly cited by its most-ardent contributors.

Unfortunately, because my recent posted and published opinions are unpopular on the Observation Forum, many of these same contributors have openly condemned and mocked me. They are people I’ve never even met and yet they have well-formed opinions of me. I can’t imagine I would have received the same venom and vitriol if I had written something that agreed with them.

I’m discouraged. I don’t feel included. And if I was a passive Forum participant who also held a contrary opinion I would be highly reluctant to join any discussion thread. The irony is you’re good people, so I can’t believe the product of your hard work and contributions to this community is to scare off others who aren’t like you. I can tell you, however, that what’s happening.

Please, I hope you can convince me that I’m wrong.

Jim,

LIFE IS SHORT!

CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL!!

Scott

[Gary Rice]

Mr. Kenny,

Over this past decade, I've written well over a hundred columns for the Lakewood Observer. Some people have agreed with my musings and some, emphatically, have not. I've also taken some grief from time to time for being the "peacemaking banjo player" on the 'Deck when others may have felt that controversial discussions needed to continue.

Losing Dad a few months ago distracted me to the point that I've not contributed much here lately. I agree very little with some of these posters and they know it, but I've not had a lot of strength lately to fight the good fight. On the other hand, as Mr. Markling expressed, we need to respect everyone's right to be included here. As a retired special education teacher, my whole adult life had been about making sure that everyone, and particularly, special needs individuals, have a seat at the table, so I am a strong advocate for the free expression of ideas.

I'm not sure that I would agree with all of your well-written column either, but I'm still glad you wrote it. Whether or not I agree with you is so much less important than your right to express yourself.

Please keep writing, and I'll likely keep (unintentionally ) irritating people from time to time with that peace-making banjo of mine. These days, we sure could use more of it. We could use more of you too.

Back to the banjo...

[Brian Essi]

Jim Kenny and I met for coffee so he knows where I stand and I know where he stands. While we agreed on many things we disagree on the solutions. He is a gentleman and wants to find common ground. Summers and Madigan are not looking for inclusion or common ground--they want to run the folks over. I wish Jim all the best in getting them to be inclusive and compromise with his approach.

I also hope he continues to post.

[Stan Austin]

Jim It's sort of like walking down the hallways of Harding at change of class You're part of us but let's rock &roll

[m buckley]

Jim, I'm not sure who spewed vitriol at you regarding your thoughts on Lakewood Hospital. I agree that in this forum we should stick to the issues. With regard to the issues, I take exception to your comment, " I trust Mayor Summers. I believe he has acted like the patriarch we elected. And like a parent, he is considerate and responsible to those he asks to follow him". I find that statement to be sexist and, at it's core, undemocratic and archaic. I am not aware of anyone who went to the polls last election in search of a Lakewood Patriarch. "Big Daddy" Summers is not an image that conjures up transparency or an inclusive seat at the political table that Lakewood deserves. But unfortunately it is an image that suits Mike Summers. I live on Grace Ave and consequently have first hand experience with "Big Daddy" Summers and Ms. Madigan, and their tenuous relationship with the truth.

Jim, I don't know you. I am sure that under a less divisive administration it would be far more likely that we would meet shooting hoops or cracking a beer in a neighbor's backyard, instead of engaged in this discussion on The Observation Deck. Unfortunately we have Mr. Summers and Ms. Madigan to thank for that. Lakewood is a great town. I wish you well. I hope you continue to express your views on this forum.

[Jim Kenny]

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I’ve found it refreshing.

The Observer’s community standards are known and appreciated by me. As I’ve indicated, these are just one of many reasons why I’ve celebrated our community to those outside our borders.

And knowing these standards and the great number of eyeballs often exposed to a discussion thread, I’ve been curious why I infrequently see a contradicting opinion. When I developed one, I was convinced this was the forum to affirm it. I’m grateful to Jim O’Bryan for publishing my column and encouraging me to explore its premise with others.

In the future, I encourage anyone else who shares these standards to speak up when these are being violated. I ask this not for me, but for the countless other differing opinions that I suspect remain on the sideline yet can enrich us all.

Lastly, m buckley, it was clear to me that you took offense to my benign and literal use of the word patriarch. Please forgive me, as your interpretation was not my intent. If you would have inquired, I would have gladly defined it in an asexual context, much in the way my wife identifies herself as a patron of her go-to coffee shop. I live on Elbur Ave., so I hope chance affords me a meeting with you over a beer or on the courts, as I appreciate those with passions, opinions, a good left hook shot and craft beer.

Thanks again.

[ryan costa]

keep it civilized!

[Alex Belisle]

I'm new here and I'm definitely for inclusiveness, especially on the City Council.

[Tim Liston]

Jim Kenny, you are right. Generally speaking, there is a narrative around here with respect to the various issues at hand. My last post, I started it by saying that I had blindfold and cigarette in hand. Then I went on to say that, as a taxpayer, when Lakewood schools try to save a buck, especially on something not the three R’s, I’m all in. Even though every other poster wants everything the way it was. In this case, the wide variety of music programs.

The hospital situation is the same way. I sort of liken inpatient, acute care to selling cars. Gone are the days when small dealerships (Fairchild, Lossman) thrived. Now it’s all giant “big box” dealerships at highway exits or auto miles. Remember the jingle “Spitzer Lakewood they will make good deals for you on Detroit Avenue?” To try to thwart that process with a “Save Lossman Buick” campaign would have been beyond fruitless. Likewise, it does not surprise me one bit that the consolidation in inpatient acute care is probably unstoppable. I’m sure that providing such services is equally benefited by economies of scale. Which doesn’t make it right, the health care duopoly in NEO has been a disaster IMO. But it is what it is, Lakewood can’t stop it, probably not even Ohio can stop it. To end the duopoly would require the federal government to enforce Sherman and Robinson-Patman and if they felt the need it would have been done years ago. If we had, say, only two hotel chains something would have already been done. But health care has bought off our "representatives."

But the thing is, when I posted against the “spend spend spend on music education” two things surprised me, (1) nobody hammered me, and (2) nobody came out in support. Especially due to (1) before, I would encourage you to dissent. You do get your thoughts out there, and even if there is no affirmation, people who read your post do get an alternate view. And I think that is important, where so much of our media, especially the MSM (which all media outlets think everyone else but them is) have biases.

Carry on!

[Marguerite Harkness]

Re: Future of health care and "economies of scale". There ARE no "economies of scale" with Cleveland Clinic operating Lakewood. There are only "diseconomies of scale."
Clinic is sucking over $24 million ANNUALLY out of Lakewood Hospital (which is their "cash cow"). This is about 20% of Lakewood's Net Patient Revenue ($125-$135 million/year), and about 15% of the Clinic's TOTAL Administrative Expense. This is ON TOP OF Lakewood's real expenses, salaries, benefits, pharmacy, supplies, facilities, depreciation.
Without this real cash drain, Lakewood would run a profit of over $10 million a year.
This has been going on, and increasing in magnitude - for years - without any explanation of how this Admin Services charge has been computed. And without LHA board questioning it.
Since 2008 the Clinic has drawn over $140 million OUT of its cash cow, which is what it cost to build AVON.

[Michael Deneen]

From a demographic perspective, the Deck does not represent an accurate portrait of the entire Lakewood community. For example, I'm not aware of any posters (other than Nadal Eadah, who posts rarely) that are a member of a racial minority.

I would also estimate that the average age of the Deck community is older than Lakewood at large.

It's also true that a relatively small number of people actually post here.

However, over the past ten years I think the Deck has been a pretty accurate barometer of Lakewood political opinion.
Back in 2007 we saw many members of the Deck turning against Tom George.
In 2011 there wasn't a lot of political talk on the Deck, and it was reflected in very quiet campaign.
In 2014 the Deck gave a collective yawn to FitzGerald's gubernatorial campaign, even before the drivers' license fiasco.
Over the years Deck members have generally supported school levies, and that bears out in the election results.

One exception was the 2014 Cuyahoga Stadium Sin Tax.....the Deck didn't like it, but it passed easily.
Another outlier is the Deck's fandom of basketball. The outdoor hoop issue is widely supported on the Deck, but faces significant resistance among the broader citizenry.