The Observation Deck

Suzanne Metelko wrote:the Mayor's personal assistant on the Board of Education

All I can get from this is a reference to the sort of dual government body overlap that Ed Favre has in Lakewood.

Suzanne Metelko wrote:Steve,

Oh, how 527 of you. Show me, or tell me when or where I have ever said that Ed was a problem.

I never said that YOU ever said that Ed was a specific problem, but we have discussed the overlap position as a potential problem. I think that we both agree that Ed and the Favre family have served Lakewood well.

Let's not expand the potential for problems.

Vote AGAINST Issue 11.

I just to make sure I understand this. By passing issue 11 it only allows current school workers to run right? It doesn't mean they will win. Shouldn't we let ANYONE put their name on the ballot and then let the voters choose?

dl and Stan,
Thank you very much for your detailed and very helpful explanations of the city boards and charter review commission. I appreciate it!

Ryan (Demro), I believe you wrote:

"And does anyone know where the Mayor stands on this issue? I guess I will wait to hear from Stan or Gary. Anybody seen the Mayor around here lately"

If you are referring to me, please understand this:

Whatever the Mayor does or does not do, I have no control over. I support him yes, but I am not on his payroll.

This is an issue of access...for everyone. I don't support a corresponding amendment limiting access of city employees.

I believe that limiting access arbitrarily is discrimination. Just want to be very clear about my position on this issue. Either we want people to partcipate in the process freely or we don't.

Suzanne Metelko wrote:This is an issue of access...for everyone.

Suzanne,

Does this mean that you would also like to see Ohio law changed to allow school employees to serve on the Board of Education of the district they work in? They could then be in the employer and employee role simultaneously, and negotiate their own contracts.

I know that comment is not entirely related to Issue 11, but I think it is important that we, as a city/state/country, can rationally make certain restrictions on access to public office.

These restrictions are not specific to Lakewood. As I recall, an 18 year old, or foreign born, cannot be elected President of the United States.

A Lakewood school employee can participate in government in other ways. There are numerous boards, commissions, and political parties to participate in. If they live outside of Lakewood, they can serve on the city council or BOE in their own community.

No eligible voter, that is a teacher/janitor/bus driver/lunch lady, is restricted from voting for a candidate or on an issue.

Steve

Gary,

I was not implying that you were on the payroll; however, you and Stan often claim to have "spoken with the Mayor" or to know what the Mayor's position is on a particular issue. So could you please ask for an answer before Tuesday?

I find it unusual that the Mayor has all the sudden stopped posting on the Observer.

-Ryan

Ryan Patrick Demro wrote: I find it unusual that the Mayor has all the sudden stopped posting on the Observer.

-Ryan

Who says he stopped posting? He isn't a regular poster.

On May 5, 2007 Demro finds it unusual that the Mayor isn't posting on the Deck.

Ironically, in 2006 he made a snarky comment on the Deck accusing the mayor spending too much time on the Buzz and the LO Deck.

As I've said before, I don't blame any candidate for not posting here.

However, I have noticed that Demro is very selective in his posts....he comes here to promote his issues and/or campaign events, yet repeatedly ignores any potentiall difficult questions.

For example, Ken Warren has asked him to elaborate on his vision of regionalization.
Bill Call has asked what services should be cut.
The issue of water privatization is also sitting out there.

sounds like we need an online chat

I mean a real online chat--not one where you post a message, wait 15 minutes for it to pass through "screening," and then maybe get a response.

This could easily be done for free through phpbb chat. Look at the bottom of the page, and you will see that this forum is a phpbb bbs. It could also be done for free on irc or other ways.

However, I doubt this will ever happen.

Doug

DougHuntingdon wrote:sounds like we need an online chat

Try http://www.gabbly.com/

ok when's the chat start, and who is showing up?

Mike Deneen wrote:However, I have noticed that Demro is very selective in his posts....he comes here to promote his issues and/or campaign events, yet repeatedly ignores any potentiall difficult questions.

In all fairness, replace the name Demro with Mayor George and it's an identical description. Seems to be the case with most of the city government that participates here huh? To be honest, it's rather disappointing.

I agree with you Bryan.....both have used the Deck as a campaign tool. In fact, I believe the 2006 dustup occurred when both were using the forum to promote their respective gubernatorial candidates.

Let me reiterate that in this "gotcha" world of YouTube politics, I do not blame any candidate for avoiding this forum, nor do I criticize anyone for not answering specific questions.

However, if a candidate is unwilling to answer specific questions, I think it is unfair to for that candidate to point fingers at others.

Mike:

At the LO Deck, we feel all too often that, like the gods, the politicians have left us.

As you know oracles are a method of divination or prophecy through which the gods are consulted.

I am working with Jim O’Bryan to devise Lakewood Observer Political Oracles. This experiment will allow us to answer questions and speak through the mouths of the politicians that have left us.

To advance such a creative adjustment to the cone of silence that has sealed political lips and buried the peanut gallery under a shroud of disappointment will be difficult, for sure, but doable nonetheless.

An immense sacrifice from members of the LO Deck will be necessary, of course, because trance possession of political capital and the most likely course of action will hinge on abstaining from alcohol, meat, tobacco and sex.

Anyway, LO Political Oracles will pose broad general questions about all the candidates and invite members of the peanut gallery below to answer on the basis of what they can assume about any candidate based on observable facts and subjective convictions.

Candidates are, of course, invited, to speak to the questions, the answers and subjective convictions.

We hope that the interaction, intermingling and mutual modifications made possible by the LO Political Oracles will yield a higher standard of political efficacy and predictive capability concerning the direction of the city.

As questions are posed and observable facts and subjective convictions are supplied on the LO Deck, the content for LO newspaper coverage of the campaign will be generated.

Here are a few sample questions:

Surfing the Apocalypse

1. What are the economic, political and social waves in Lakewood’s changing life-stream that the candidate can ride successfully into office?

2. Can a mayoral campaign be carried out successfully without reference to the LO Political Oracles?

Service

1. Who does the candidate serve?

Leadership and Power

1. Who does the candidate lean on?

2. Who leans on the candidate?

3. Which candidate is most likely to make people do things differently?

Aspiration, Belief and Vision

1. What does the candidate wish to hear about the condition of the city?

2. Which candidate is presenting the most objective information about conditions in Lakewood?

3. Which candidate believes most firmly the past can supply a pattern for the present?

Psychology and Influence

1. What are the subjective wishes a candidate might desire to impose as objective fact?

2. Which candidate will benefit most from an increasing climate of fear and tension?

3. Which candidate looses the most from the hysteria and paranoia evoked from worst case thinking about the future of the city?

I hope this gives you some measure of the cloud formations through which the peanut gallery might speak.

Kenneth Warren