The Observation Deck

Colleen Wing wrote:It's not the coffee.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I read Suzanne's comment as a slam on the PD not on the LO.

Jim- Relax, Relate, Release- Exhale

However, I do agree with your intial sentiment about the article.

Colleen

You have to understand that some of us fight this war everyday.

David/Suzanne

We both know that I often read things differently from you.

Thanks for the clarification.

Again, as we are writing a story about how the Plain Dealer covered this, along with other stories, I might be too close.

.

With a change in leadership at the PD's editorial helm, it is informative to question Molly's position, and the structure of her complaint within this light.

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/pd070516b.mp3

In the above interview with Susan Goldberg, the new editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Goldberg shares her leadership vision. Goldberg's clarifications may qualify Molly's half-baked muck raking effort in this morning's paper.

According to Goldber: "Here, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is going to be the watch-dog for this community. Nobody is going to do the kind of watch-dog reporting that the PD is going to do. So, no matter what platform you're gonna use to tell that story, your value is watch dog reporting, and you stick with that. You hold that tight and fast."

Ms. Goldberg will be proud, Molly. You're holding "tight and fast" as a "watch dog." remember.... "no matter what platform.....your value is watchdog reporting, and you stick with that"

In a sense, tabloids are the manic, irrational extreme of watchdog reporting. In the extreme, facts are fabricated to construct illusions of apocolpyse, social chaos, fatal charater flaws and general celebrity gossip.

The PD's quality and accoutability to the people of Cleveland is already running into the negative, and has been for years. Will the journalist of the PD, under the direction of the new editor lower the bar further, with Tabloid Irrationality?

Goldberg continues: "There's good things. There's the kids succeeding in school. There's the volunteers making a difference in the community. We need as an industry to better reflect the fullness of poeples lives. I think we need to tell all parts of the story."

In this sense, Molly misses the mark completely. The Gala event is a wholly volunteer effort. Many of the good people of Lakewood who've pitched-in are active throughout the community, from boards of trustee's spanning multiple instutitions and organizations. Many others also dedicate a significant portion of their free time to serve the diverse insitutions constituting Lakewood's community fabric.

This was hard work, an effort not to be underplayed by the complaints of a few disgruntle employees, if there are even multiple agents colluding in descent.

Molly's article does no justice to this "part" of the story, prefering to focus of the "watch-dog" aspect, which she must "stick with" in order to meet the demands of emmergent Tabloid Irrationality.

Further, as an advocate for "platform-agnostic infromation industry" journalism, Goldberg's intention to compete with the world of community electonic sounding boards and basement dwelling bloggers also clarifies the relationship between Molly's fabricated story, the Lakewood Observer, and the Lakewood Public Library.

Here's the best definition of "platform-agnostic information industry" I could find. Goldberg has announced her intention to move the PD will in this direction.

http://writeslikeshetalks.blogspot.com/ ... enter.html

“An interesting concept he discussed was multi-plat-fornication or being platform agnostic …. A fan watches a program on TV, then logs online to get extra footage and insider info, then blogs about it, shares the experience with friends and makes new friends who have a common interest, downloads a photo to a cell phone, and loads additional content into an ipod. On air, online, on-the-go. They strive to push their content everywhere their viewers are. They want to be on every platform possible since their viewers are using all types of technology in a social context.â€Â￾

I suspect that the attack on the Gala, while directed at library management, may be intertwined with that managment's role in advocacy for and participation in the LO project.

The issue at hand is competition with providers of multiple platforms. In this sense, the Lakewood Obsever provides a special challange to the entrenched traditional press. Nearly all of the multiple platforms are integrated into the Lakewood Observer project. The LO Deck is essentially a community blog and discussion board. The printed edition covers the ground of traditional reading, accompanied by a digital pdf of the actual printed version, somthing traditional press has not been able to accomplish, let alone for free and on the same day of realase. Individuals can post photo blogs and.... video posting is just around the corner. To ice the cake, it's all free.

The traditional press will never be able to compete. They will have to buy us out.

As the LO project employs "multi-plat-fornication" to arrouse good vibes, constructive community dialogue and action, the PD employs pre-mature multi-plat-formation to persue Tabliod muck raking journalism, missing "all parts" of the story, most facts, and thus a genuine picture of the Lakewood Community, her dedicated volunteers, the whole insititutional organism of the LPL and the fruits of their collective labor.

Reading this unbalanced “storyâ€Â￾ that lacked any credible source for the premise left me saddened. There could (and should) have been at least a minimal focus on the monumental efforts that were taken to minimize the financial impact on the employees, while at the same time executing the fiduciary responsibilities we owe to the Taxpayers of Lakewood. In point of fact, there is a very limited loss of workable hours. Molly was given the hard facts and figures which show, without question, that the “storyâ€Â￾ she presented was unsupported by even a cursory review of reality. There could (and should) have been some discussion of the thousands of hours put in by a dedicated group of citizens to put on the gala to raise funds for public art to further enhance the Library, without impact on the taxpayers. Certainly Molly had that information. She simply chose not to use it as it did not support her agenda or preconceived conclusions she wished to reach. I don’t recall the Plain Dealer, ever before, suggesting that the Galas which have been held by The Art Museum, Severance Hall, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Science Center, Taste of Cleveland, Grapes on the Gridiron, Clinic or others as fundraisers, should provide free or discounted admission to employees, but apparently, that is not the same standard that set for the Lakewood Public Library. As the Plain Dealer continues to cut its staff, layoff and outsource its work, I suppose we can expect this type of decline in Journalistic quality and integrity.

Jeff

Jeff Endress wrote:There could (and should) have been some discussion of the thousands of hours put in by a dedicated group of citizens to put on the gala to raise funds for public art to further enhance the Library, without impact on the taxpayers. Certainly Molly had that information.

Jeff

Jeff

I know there will be at least 600 mad people but I have to.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs

A sneal peak before "The First To See The Best.



.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Colleen

You have to understand that some of us fight this war everyday.

I am pretty sure I understand EXACTLY what that is like.

Mr James - you wrote

"Take every article on regionalism and swap out the word regionalism with socialism. You will find the article reads exactly the same. "


As a socialist (both US parties are too conservative) and a proponent of regionalism, I am a bit offended. When the disparity between the rich and poor is so great as in this area, maybe socialism is needed. With lack of access to health care, housing foreclosures being at an all time high, unemployment and poverty levels rising - tell me just what has democracy brought to Northeast Ohio ? Maybe it is time for a drastic change in political structure before it is too late. Even look at the local political scene. There is a mayor's race coming up and we have three politicians who will keep the status quo of stagnation, oh and also to be tough on crime. Very creative. If we can't have a socialist then go for the other extreme and bring a business executive in to run Cleveland which has worked for New York and Houston and now will be tried in Dallas. Oh, but again that is too much like a city manager and the people in charge including most of those that post on this blog are not going to try something that works in other locations because this is Lakewood and we will go under with the belief we can do things better

Anyways, I don't think you should give a back hand slap to socialism when you are in Flordia, a state where a significant percentage of the residents receive social security benefits.

David Scott wrote: There is a mayor's race coming up and we have three politicians who will keep the status quo of stagnation, oh and also to be tough on crime. Very creative. If we can't have a socialist then go for the other extreme and bring a business executive in to run Cleveland which has worked for New York and Houston and now will be tried in Dallas.

David

I feel like you are all over the place on this one.

Please take into account the latest "regional style" deal cast by this administration. Share taxes generated when a business moves into another city! So we sign, and Bay, Westlake, Solon, Independence, Mayfield stay out. So we lose.

This is how the regionalization will play out as well. Bay Village, nor I have much interest in paying for roads and police in East Cleveland. Coops for toilet paper, asphalt, salt etc make sense, and are easy to do. Full blown regionalization is the death of Lakewood.

We cannto tie ourselves to Cleveland in anyway. I have been preaching this for 10 years. Cleveland is an anchor and hasn't hit bottom. We must define Lakewood as something other than "a suburb of Cleveland."

.

Mr O'Bryan, I hate to complete your sentences but you forgot that taxes are shared in return for the City of Cleveland maintaining water lines and the cities agreeing to anti-poaching.

You can say what you want, I will never believe that it is better for Northeast Ohio for each city to compete against each other and operate independently. Just look at our municipal tax structure. I know of no other area in the country where each city has an employment tax and a residence tax and that revenues are not shared. Also look at our property taxes, the current system is built with inefficiencies at the local school level and rather then duplicate administrative services over a larger area we setup separate systems. All of this runs counter to proper business methods. Northeast Ohio is full of politicians who protect their turf and don't look for the greater good.

There is also an ignoring of my original premise. Tell me, what has the current political and economic situation done for Northeast Ohio, or for that matter for Lakeweood. The local economy is in shambles and like it or not, Cleveland is the catalyst for the entire region. In your obstruction of regionalism tell me how it benefits the region. And not that "Lakewood is the greatest place on earth and shouldn't bow to no city" garbage - I would like to know some concrete facts (not opinion) on how regionalism hurts Lakewood. Keep in mind that Lakewood is a bishop while Cleveland is the king

Even our "crown jewel" the library is a hindrance. I cannot go to South Euclid or Strongsville and take out a book without a separate library card. And the new addition, I believe that comes from the taxpayer's pockets. What do I gain by it all ? The money for the addition could of better been spent on social services or maybe even reducing my water bill but instead all that construction on Detroit will be paid for by the citizens of Lakewood. Sorry for criticizing a Lakewood institution - I eagerly await for the barrage of criticism.

Finally, on the subject of the library expansion I don't pay attention to local politics because they are predictable and nothing I do or say will change them - but did we vote on this use of taxpayer money or was it just part of a general library levy?

Not that it's a headline story but a tax payer funded project in a city that has a scarce number of jobs to start with, which resulted in, alledgedly, unexpected loss of paid hours... well it sounds like something of note. Sure it's easier to point fingers at conspiracies about regionalism and the LO/Library connection as some underhanded agenda to smear a city or combat a rival paper but maybe it was just another of those stories that raised an eyebrow and made it to print. I'm no journalistic genius but it seemed that comments and positions were represented from both sides. Frankly, I'm a bit puzzled about the apparent lack of communication that seemed to create the situation in the first place.
Speaking of raised eyebrows, is Sammy's now a Lakewood business? I always hear cries of support Lakewood's economy but Sammy's is catering this Lakewood gala? I trust there is a solid explanation behind it and look forward to hearing the rest of the story.

David Scott wrote:
As a socialist (both US parties are too conservative) and a proponent of regionalism, I am a bit offended. When the disparity between the rich and poor is so great as in this area, maybe socialism is needed. With lack of access to health care, housing foreclosures being at an all time high, unemployment and poverty levels rising - tell me just what has democracy brought to Northeast Ohio ?

David, I have no idea why Northeast 0hio is in the shape it's in anymore than Detroit or Buffalo. When I migrated south 29 years ago, Cleveland was winding down as an industrial city. It's nice that you fancy yourself as a Socialist. Good luck with that. Kinda cool to be in a free democracy that allows that form of expression. Last time I checked, people still get to choose where to live and how to make a living. If they fall below the line of making that choice and need some assistance, then we have charities and missions to help them get on their feet. I support many of these institutions but one doesn't have to be a full fledged socialist to understand this.

The Robin Hood complex sounds very noble, but doesn't work. If I can sit back and know that the government or a union will steal money from someone else and give it to me, what motivates me to become great? Why would I knock myself out, when the man is going to take care of me? All he wants is my vote, bought and paid for. In return I get some kind of handout. If I'm in the union, I'm guaranteed a job for screwing in some part, whether or not that will become obsolete in 3 years by Chinese robotics is not on the to-do list. No, I just pay dues and watch the global competition clobber us. Now is a City or state leader going to try to change this? Go up against the unions? Highly unlikely...so your status quo of the old days, cannot keep up with the realities of the new labor forces emerging globally. Will bitching about it or demanding "guaranteed" jobs help? There are no more guaranteed jobs.

Now there is a way, but it takes time, and everybody wants instant gratification. If Lakewood wants independence, it will need self sustaining commerce. I would suggest a large higher education institution specializing in converting a labor force into technology savvy competitors. Combine both vocational and professional courses - and make it a destination campus for the whole region- taught by professionals in the field, to close the gap between real world and academics. I would also not discount teaching trade jobs like plumbing and electrical (median income for plumbers is something like $90k a year).

Maybe it is time for a drastic change in political structure before it is too late. Even look at the local political scene. There is a mayor's race coming up and we have three politicians who will keep the status quo of stagnation, oh and also to be tough on crime. Very creative. If we can't have a socialist then go for the other extreme and bring a business executive in to run Cleveland which has worked for New York and Houston and now will be tried in Dallas. Oh, but again that is too much like a city manager and the people in charge including most of those that post on this blog are not going to try something that works in other locations because this is Lakewood and we will go under with the belief we can do things better

Love the contrast between having a socialist or a business executive, as if they were interchangeable to get things done. Cesar Chavez finally dropped the pretense of being a Socialist and has now pronounced himself and his countrymen Communists. Of course they will all comply or else. Last time I checked, most business executives (not all) have to deal with market forces, labor, P&L, equity, etc., in a less strident- and yes possibly a slightly more conservative approach.

Anyways, I don't think you should give a back hand slap to socialism when you are in Flordia, a state where a significant percentage of the residents receive social security benefits.

People "receive" Social Security because they paid into it (or their spouses or parents did). I get a statement twice a year showing every job I ever worked, that paid SS. It may or may not be there when I retire, but I paid into it. So my only slap to socialism is that I can't think of any country where it's worked as well as a free market democratic republic. Even China is digging this capitalism stuff, but just not talking it about it very loudly. They don't want Americans to wake up and realize that the house that Sam Walton built (Walmart) 25 years ago with the slogan of "Everything we sell is Made in the USA," now has 90+% of it's inventory coming from China, with revenues of $1 Billion- a day. Americans have a choice. Support our own goods which cost more to produce, or look for the made in China label.

Good bad or indifferent, socialists don't get that choice. I'd rather have bad judgment than have my freedom to succeed taken away.

.

Shawn Juris wrote:Not that it's a headline story but a tax payer funded project in a city that has a scarce number of jobs to start with, which resulted in, alledgedly, unexpected loss of paid hours... well it sounds like something of note. Sure it's easier to point fingers at conspiracies about regionalism and the LO/Library connection as some underhanded agenda to smear a city or combat a rival paper but maybe it was just another of those stories that raised an eyebrow and made it to print. I'm no journalistic genius but it seemed that comments and positions were represented from both sides. Frankly, I'm a bit puzzled about the apparent lack of communication that seemed to create the situation in the first place.
Speaking of raised eyebrows, is Sammy's now a Lakewood business? I always hear cries of support Lakewood's economy but Sammy's is catering this Lakewood gala? I trust there is a solid explanation behind it and look forward to hearing the rest of the story.

Shawn

I am sure you understand that EVERY reporter, civic or pro comes to a story with preconceived notions and ideas. Many with agendas, here we have many of both. Like your attitude towards the LO and mine towards the Chamber.

This was a story that started out completely different, than it turned out. Some of it, I believe did hinge on the fact that the Library went on the offensive and went public on the LO Deck with all the information. From comments it would seem that one reporter was upset that the Library "scooped" her story.

But that does not matter in the story. It is a legitimate story, but not a third of the page story. Now with your myopic view of Lakewood, the Observer and the Library, it might seem hard to understand. But when you take a step back and look at the big picture, it becomes painfully clear that this was nothing more than a hit on the Library and the city of Lakewood on a week that should have been positive.

Shawn you are always alive with innuendos, rarely based on any fact.

What is this magical connection between the LO and the Library? Between the schools and the LO? Between city hall and the LO? Between the Jaycees and the LO? The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the LO?How is the Lakewood Observer smearing the city? Combating a rival paper? Or could I be commenting on a story that was wrong out of the box, changed and then became nothing more than a hit?

Just curious, you seem to have a good handle on it?

How many Jaycees got FREE wings during your fundraiser?

Sammy's? Odd stance for a man that is on the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce Board with his business in Westlake to take. But I too complained, as did others. I will leave it to the library to address.

Not sure I will make the Lakewood Chamber's night in Mentor this year. That night I am hosting dinner for some business owners in Westlake that we are trying to convince to move to Lakewood.

FWWIW
.

Shawn:

I want to test with particular facts provided to Ms. Kavanaugh your broad assertion concerning “a tax payer funded project in a city that has a scarce number of jobs to start with, which resulted in, alledgedly, unexpected loss of paid hours... well it sounds like something of note.â€Â￾

Your broad assertion extends from the high degree of distorted language raised in Ms. Kavanaugh’s presentation.

From my bias Ms. Kavanaugh’s article provides a defective perspective on the actual impact and scope of loss due to her inclusion of over-generalizations rather than particular facts concerning the hours in question, the choices available to employees and their decisions concerning opportunities for work or time-off in the face of these duties.

What makes the intention and the construction of the story quite suspect, I believe, is the omission of the particular facts about the actual impact, the scope of loss and possible remedies, which I dutifully provided to Ms. Kavanaugh.

To this point I provided Ms. Kavanaugh with the precise number of hours in the following e-mail sent 6/14/2007 10:00 AM:

Molly:

Understand the 222 hours of unpaid leave are projected; they are certain to go lower. Last night, I observed conditions at Madison Branch. Customer and return volume are higher than the manager anticipated. Opportunities for evening and weekend work at Madison Branch are available for hourly employees.

Finally, I spoke with Jeff and he mentioned that there was some question about the Gala causing this. As you walked in yesterday the man I was speaking with was the shelving rep. There are electrical lighting fixtures that need to be coordinated with the staging and installation of shelving, which come from two different manufacturers. Second floor shelving will be staged first on the the first floor, for movement to the second floor.

Please be certain that the assertion by the anonymous friend - "One of the reasons the library will be closed for so long, and staff will not be paid, is so that the Friends of LPL can hold a Gala event before the shelving is put up." That is simply not true.

In addition the Friends of LPL are not holding the Gala.

Best,

Ken

-------------------------------------------

By way of deep context, the fact of the matter is that two employees mentioned to a supervisor that they did not wish to perform tasks to be assigned with transition to the new space. Accordingly I offered all employees choices of using vacation or unpaid leave if such work and times were not to their choosing. It not fair or reasonable management practice to pay a few people to sit, while the majority work to accomplish something difficult during a once-in-a-life-time experience.

Hence your assertion “a tax payer funded project in a city that has a scarce number of jobs to start with, which resulted in, alledgedly, unexpected loss of paid hours... well it sounds like something of noteâ€Â￾ is spun through the language distortion that stems from Ms. Kavanaugh’s over-generalization and identification.

During the interview with Ms. Kavanaugh, I supplied her with particular facts about the limited extent of the impact on employees. In response to my assertion of these facts, she spoke in the first person and imagined herself in a forced vacation scenario at the PD, thus identifying with the employee who elects to use vacation time at this time of transition.

I cautioned her about bias. In response she said she was not biased and that she received five anonymous letters and five phone calls.

There are typically 10,495 hours paid (worked, sick and vacation) in a month at Lakewood Public Library’s Main Library and Madison Branch. The 220 hours of unpaid leave in question amounts to 2% of that total.

Do you believe that “sounds like something of note?â€Â￾

Finally, there is a considerable amount of transparent discussion and detail in the thread below:

http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4131


Kenneth Warren
Director
Lakewood Public Library

David,
Sorry you missed out on the barrage of criticisms. It really is quite an experience to have someone who touts open discussion and civic (note not civil but civic) discourse attempt to draw in as many personal attacks as possible rather than addressing the topic. I'll try not to draw their fire next time you make a point that runs contrary to accepted opinion. It really is a paradox that I hope others have the pleasure of experiencing.

Ken,
My broad assertations go beyond the article and beyond the library. I am saying that it is something of note, when tax payers pay for a project that while in the broad view is just a one time experience leaves some without pay for a couple weeks. Sure, you have to crack a few eggs to make an omlet and it sounds as if reasonable accomodations were made to cover that gap with alternate duties, still though media looks for a story. If even a few folks are losing a paycheck while Galas are being thrown it has the makings of a class disparity story. Take what you will from my comments but please understand that I recognize that there is probably a reasonable explanation. It seems that both the PD article this thread may intend to create a much more dramatic aura around this issue than there really should be.

Jim,
How many baits are you going to throw out there? You're all over the map on this one. I was hoping to have a reasonable discussion, shame you're once again bent on ruining that.

Shawn Juris wrote:Jim,
How many baits are you going to throw out there? You're all over the map on this one. I was hoping to have a reasonable discussion, shame you're once again bent on ruining that.

Shawn

Baits, me! You are killing me, look at your post and questions.

You brought up Sammy's and Lakewood institutions. Just wondering why you of all people would question that?

Then you talk of a kabal that includes the Library. The connection between the library and the Observer is the same offered to City Hall, Schools, Chamber, Jaycees, Bike Lakewood, MAMA, DADA, Lakewood is ART, LEAF Community and another 15 civic groups, every church and non-profit in the city of Lakewood.

Nothing more, nothing less.

So tell me again how I am baiting you away from the discussion you are so desperate to have? Answer the questions.

An open discussion is one that allows all views. I know of no more open discussion in the city of Lakewood where people are actually willing to take ownership of there ideas.


.