Summers Asks For Rec Center, New Park at Hospital Site

[Paul Porter]

This is my first post on "The Deck," and it's one that I'm extremely disappointed to write.

I read the article about the protest and meeting last night on cleveland.com -- http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... um=twitter

I am sorely disappointed to hear about the conduct of SLH supporters on this board and their behavior throughout this debate over the future of Lakewood Hospital. I have posted numerous messages on the Observer's facebook feed about this, but I've stayed off this forum because people have been truly mean-spirited and now downright threatening in many of their posts.

I am proud to support Build Lakewood, and I am not a city government employee - just a thoughtful citizen who realizes that the future of medical care in Lakewood may not need to include a full-service hospital. I get my medical care through Metrohealth, and regularly travel to West Park to see my primary care physician. I appreciate the idea of an emergency room being available when needed, and I also realize that further care is available only a few miles away at Fairview Hospital, or at Lutheran Hospital for those on the northeastern end of Lakewood.

It is telling that people on the SLH side of this debate have resorted to personal attacks and threats. I stated previously my opinion that people on both sides of this issue have a great deal of concern for Lakewood and its future. I still want to believe this is the case, but I have seen entirely too much namecalling and accusations of wrongdoing and criminal activity being thrown around by SLH supporters. It's one thing to respectfully disagree with someone who has a different viewpoint. It is another thing entirely to personally attack your opponents and accuse them of nefarious activity.

An SLH supporter was quoted in the article as saying "This community is tearing itself apart over this." I agree, but I feel that the SLH side is mainly responsible for this deep divide, primarly by making this a very personal attack. I have not heard such personal, hurtful remarks being levied at SLH supporters by Build Lakewood supporters, and I have tried to be thoughtful and respectful when expressing my belief that SLH is relying on emotions and insinuations in many of their posts and opinion pieces, even though they insist they are reporting "facts."

I believe that these practices reflect poorly on SLH, and I hope other Lakewood voters see this.

I really can't think a majority of voters would vote for an amendment that gives direct control over hospital management decisions to voters. We have a representative democracy form of government in our nation, state, county and city because voters realize that they should not have a direct vote in every decision made during the process of governing, and giving such authority to this city's voters will make the idea of running a hospital in Lakewood a nightmare, whether it's the Clinic or someone else. That's not a talking point - that's simply the opinion of a political science major with a Master of Public Administration with a rudimentary familiarity of the electoral process and our form of government, the representative democracy, wherein we elect representatives to make governing decisions. If SLH supporters get their wish of the amendment passing, I'm genuinely concerned about what the future of healthcare in our city will look like.

Please, try to be a bit more civil, folks. This is getting to be really disappointing, and I'd like to think you're better than this.

Paul

[Jim O'Bryan]

This is my first post on "The Deck," and it's one that I'm extremely disappointed to write.

Paul

Paul

Thanks, most first post aren't as negative as yours, but all are welcomed here. (Paul and I have know each other for years)

Here are some simple facts, that will not bother your mind with numbers, legalese, fact finding expeditions.

Mayor Summers holds ll the keys and all the facts in this. The other side was forced to sue, and most of the documents are not released yet. Yet election time is growing closer and closer, the clock is ticking. Mayor Summers could end this tomorrow by opening the files, there is no need for secrecy any longer. It is the frustration that comes to the surface on the side of SLH people.

As for the Build Lakewood Hospital I am still trying to figure out what you are for. If it is for losing $50 million and putting $34 million in a private foundation, I am not good with that.

Let me assure you, there is bad behavior on all sides.

Paul, as a side note, I always get a kick out of people that jump into the Deck and talk about have bad it is and how negative it is.

I just find it amusing.

Thanks for jumping in, thanks for talking from the other side, no matter what, I for one appreciate it.

.

[Paul Porter]

Jim,

Thanks for your reply. I hadn't looked at my post as 'negative,' in that I tried to be fair and respectful while expressing my distaste for the conduct of others. I see how that comes across as negative, but I was expressly trying to avoid personal attacks.

As to your question of what does Build Lakewood stand for, my perspective is progress. I don't speak for BL, and I've not attended any formal gatherings of theirs, but I do have a very visible sign in my yard right on Warren. I recognize that our hospital facility can be described (at best) as outdated, and needs millions in repairs and upgrades to remain as a hospital. I'm a landlord, so I understand deciding between investing in existing property or changing your property use in response to 'market forces.' In this case, there's expanding demand for a hospital west of Cuyahoga County. Blame exurban sprawl for that - the clinic didn't choose to develop most of Lorain County, but they are responding to the demand of those who've developed it.

Meanwhile, the city of Cleveland is losing residents while our city's population is somewhat static. I don't know exact figures, but we're not growing like the exurbs. None of the other inner-ring suburbs are, either.

Faced with that reality, I think we'd be hard-pressed to find another operator for our city-owned hospital, especially if the charter amendment allowing our citizens to become a de facto hospital oversight board passes. Seriously, no Lakewood voters should have a direct vote on what departments remain at the hospital. That's such an extreme form of micromanagement that it would be toxic to any potential operator.

Faced with these realities, I believe investing in our existing hospital would be foolish. Healthcare has changed, particularly from the perspective of this millennial. I know change is hard. The hospital where I was born in central Ohio stopped delivering babies a few years ago, and I felt somewhat sad, but there was a newer, more modern facility 20 miles away in Marion that made investment in the smaller, older facility foolish.

I like keeping ER services available. I like having PCPs and other practitioners available. I am desperate for a wellness center like the ones in Rocky River or Fairview Park. I'm not for plowing piles of cash into a facility that needs tons of work, or for forcing an unwilling partner to ride out their lease while we wish for another operator. I've learned it's best to let tenants leave and to pursue a mutual agreement when one party wants out (and I've done that as a tenant, too).

More of the same? No, I'd rather look to the future of Lakewood. Here's hoping it's bright, and that our city can move past this - respectfully and cordially - regardless of the outcome.

I do have to say that as someone who is interested in running for office in the future, I'm proud that our elected officials have avoided personal attacks and haven't responded to the personal attacks against them with vitriol. They're better persons than me - I would have a hard time being respectful when faced with some of the disappointing tactics I've seen of late.

[Bridget Conant]

Paul

I guess you never saw the proposal Metro made. See it here:
http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media/docs_1435798465.pdf

I would have jumped on that offer. But hey, if you think "progress" is a medical clinic, how can I argue?

[Brian Essi]

The tenant is not willing to leave.

Hard to fid another partner when you don't want on, are not looking and don't hire a professional broker-dealer investment banker to do so. This is not a simple rental.

Interesting how people still believe what they read on a .com news outlet that only writes one side of the story.

Hard to address to address so many false premises at one time.

How do you define personal attacks?

Would BL folks chanting that "liar, liar, liar" be a personal attack?

Would BL folks making criminal complaints for political speech be a personal attack?

Would hate mail saying "You are a sick and troubled person" be a personal attack?

Would a BL man physically pushing an SLH woman out away so that he could get his sign in a press camera be a personal attack?

[Paul Porter]

Bridget:

I read the Metro proposal, and also read that they withdrew the proposal. Do you have unequivocal proof that they have promised they will operate the hospital as SLH wants and that they are ready to step in now to do so? I believe the last communication from Metro is that they were withdrawing their proposal. But sure, a personal attack about my definition of progress works, too...

I made clear when explaining my position to note that I do not see the future of Lakewood's healthcare market including a full-service hospital, and I stand by that. Gone are the days when every town or city needs a hospital of their own, and where anecdotal evidence or personal opinions determine the future of million-dollar propositions. You've seen hospital bed studies. You've no doubt read the reports about what the hospital availability situation in our area is, and what we can reasonably support -- a scaled-down hospital, at best.

Primarily due to exurban sprawl, as noted above, the west side of Cleveland and it's closer suburbs have an excess amount of hospital beds available at any given time. That's not the case in the very far suburbs (or exurbs), so I can see why the Clinic is trying to meet demand 20 miles to our west.

Lakewood Hospital would cost a fortune to upgrade and maintain, and I do not want my city using my tax dollars to prolong its existence. I would rather see change in line with market forces, backed up by data about patient patterns and habits from across the country.

Hospitals used to have much more use before technology made outpatient procedures the 'wave of the future.' ERs have their value. As do operating rooms and specialty services. However, I'm not willing to say that every city needs those services, particularly when so many hospitals are available in close proximity to our city.

Mr. Essi, I hesitate to address you, since your name was prominent in that article about the behavior of some SLH supporters, but in the spirit of cordiality, I will do so. Sorry if you have experienced negative treatment by BL supporters - I can assure you it wasn't me. No one should be pushing, and verbal attacks have no place.

That being said, because of the personal nature of some of your actions, including promoting the idea that our officials have committed crimes or deliberately lied to the public, you have exposed yourself to a high degree of scrutiny, which I welcome. Political speech should not include being protected when making claims like that, and anyone you accuse of such misdoings should have the right to challenge you, legally or otherwise.

The thing I am really disappointed about from SLH isn't that you're saying you disagree with folks -- you're alleging conspiracies and calling people criminals, liars, and crooks. That's not how constructive dialogue should work.

And I'll also state that these behaviors have a chilling effect on the next generation of leaders interested in running for office. It is fascinating to me that (based only on my observation alone), I'm seeing a large generational divide on this issue, with young people more likely to support BL than SLH. Perhaps that's because my generation hasn't looked at the hospital as a primary source of medical care the way other generations have. Whatever the case, know that your definition of 'political speech' can cause people to question the wisdom of running for office if it'll be demanded that there be no privacy or discretion in governance, that every single battle must be waged in public (because Sunshine Laws mean Abosolutely No Privacy Or Discretion Ever, that folks should be careful of what they say always for fear of being misconstrued, and that strategic planning for the future is verboten, particularly when it comes to longstanding institutions. Toxic is the word I'll use to describe the environment SLH has created in this debate, and I'm not sure you can fix that. One that bell is rung, you can't exactly unring it and unite our city.

I knew this would be a big issue, but I never knew it would be made so personal, and that's scary to this outside observer. I've been particularly turned off by the SLH boosters proposing to track the folks who have BL signs up, and the business boycott suggestions. I'm not proposing anything like that for SLH supporters, and that gives me a great deal of insight into the minds and hearts of some SLH supporters. That being said, feel free to write down my name and remember these sentiments, because if I ever do run for office, these are fair game. The future of our city, for me and my family, is too
Important to ignore, even if I'm likely to face personal attacks from some folks.

[Brian Essi]

As I said at City Council, I can handle all of the arrows coming my way and I take full responsibility for my actions.

There is avoidance on BL's part to take responsibility for their actions--the suggestion of personal responsibility is twisted into a criminal "threat." Indeed, they deny that responsibility, deny that elected officials are intimately involved, deny that LHA trustees are intimately involved and deny that City employees are intimately involved. BL supporters are not troubled by a government sponsored and promoted violation of First Amendment rights.

My accusations are fact based. I might add that they are based upon facts that were previously concealed and had to be forced from the dark corners of our elected officials files.

What I see from BL supports is anger at the suggestion of facts and avoidance of the facts---that is why they are resorting to the tactics they now employ against me "Personally" (as above) all the while crying foul that it is they who have been attacked.

Shooting the messenger is OLD SCHOOL, but we are witnessing is the BL legacy for the younger generation right before our eyes.

BL's campaign of misinformation is in full swing.

[Bridget Conant]

For the record:

Metro DID NOT WITHDRAW THEIR OFFER.

The city IGNORED their offer.

This is one of MANY lies and obfuscation of the facts.

[Lori Allen _]

The saddest part of all this mess is that our city has now become us against them. All the citizens of Lakewood just want open, honest and transparent government. I believe that Mr. Summers must take the blame on this. He is supposed to be running our city. All he has to do is come forward with the requested documentation and speak to his residents. It breaks my heart to see what he has become. When he was my ward councilman he would return calls, help you with your problems and was pleasant to have a conversation with. What happened? I feel that sometimes greed and power can effect our ability to make the right decisions. Mr. Mayor, please make the right decision this time.

[Brian Essi]

Summers, Madigan and Bullock represent their own interests, not the people.

[todd heckeler]

For the record:

Metro DID NOT WITHDRAW THEIR OFFER.

The city IGNORED their offer.

I see this going around a lot but wondering who said they ignored their offer? Did someone from Metro say this?

[Bridget Conant]

Here Todd, I guess someone has to look it up for you:

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index.ssf/2015/04/metrohealth_statement_seems_to.html

I'm sure they've spun it for you, though, and you've lapped it up.

[todd heckeler]

Here Todd, I guess someone has to look it up for you:

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index.ssf/2015/04/metrohealth_statement_seems_to.html

I'm sure they've spun it for you, though, and you've lapped it up.

Thanks, why the extra comments? Take care.

[Corey Rossen]

Here Todd, I guess someone has to look it up for you:

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index.ssf/2015/04/metrohealth_statement_seems_to.html

I'm sure they've spun it for you, though, and you've lapped it up.

Thanks, why the extra comments? Take care.

Didn't you know that is the tone when you don't say what they want you to say on the Deck?

Corey

[Michael Deneen]

Build Lakewood continuously claims that noone reads the Deck, but they've certainly been out in force today to sell their "victim" routine.

The "victims" are the employees of Lakewood Hospital that are losing their jobs. Also the elderly and underprivileged that are being so cynically marginalized by the corporate appeasers at BL.