Showdown at Lakewood City Council Meeting

[cameron karslake]

New observer here...but I, too, was at that meeting and was it an eye opener. Margaruitte was very cordial and calm until she was pushed and she still kept a level head. For Juris to walk out was pretty telling how he feels about citizens speaking truth to power. I have only been to 3 of these meetings and that one a head shaker for sure. Time to get more involved! Seems some of these "officials" have lost sight of who they work for. From all I've heard from Summers during these meetings, you'd think he worked for the Clinic instead of the citizenry of Lakewood.

honor the lease
maintain hospital assets in Lakewood
do not submit to the Clinic's demand for a monopoly within Lakewood

I drove past the hospital the other day and it looked pretty good, a solid institution. How old is the "new" emergency room, 10yrs? To think it would be torn down next year for a much lesser replacement, run by those who ran the hospital into the ground (on purpose!), seems ludicrous to me. It would be a complete waste of a important public asset for the gain of a private company, not good!

You are correct though Jim, this has only just begun.

[todd vainisi]

I should start attending these too. Really, we all should. Just to clear any false air - I definitely think the hospital deal stinks and I also think that Mrs Harkness was doing just fine getting her point across (even after they turned off the mic) without a bunch of shouts and accusations and "you peoples" from the galley. I don't see how anyone can think that it will sway the councilmen they are shouting at.