The Observation Deck

Yes, all that remains is to clean up the mess this administration has made this situation.

I'd like to see a comprehensive checklist of the documents that have been requested, perhaps by category. Then check off the ones that have been received, check off future documents as they are received. Let's see percentages of compliance.

My point in this thread is that, in trying provide closure they have instead opened up criticism from those who have spent little time the hospital, like me. We look at the pictures and wonder about their claims about the facility's decrepitude, and add those to the already long list of deceptions..

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Dan Alaimo wrote: So let me see if I've got this straight:
* The hospital was serviceable but needed significant repairs.
* Money was available for those repairs.
* The hospital needed a viable, reputable health system to run it.
* Two such health systems were willing to run it.
* The money and the hospital have now gone (or will soon go) pffffft.
Is that about right?

So let me see if I've got this straight:
* The hospital was serviceable but needed significant repairs.
Dan, this is correct according to some. I have no reason to doubt them, but without seeing the documents, the amount and cost of repairs could be fictitious. The repairs by everyone's account had to do with the original building not the new additions. So one could also believe the hospital could have soldiered on while the repairs are made.

* Money was available for those repairs.
Yes, and LHF had been raising money 1) knowing of the repairs needed, and 2) making multi-million dollar improvements to a hospital they knew was slated for destruction.

* The hospital needed a viable, reputable health system to run it.
No, it had one willing to run it through 2026 and honor their contract. What it needed was 1) Officials to hold LHA feet to the fire to enforce the promises made. 2) A management company that could manage it, LHA was only interested in shutting it down. 3) Our elected officials on the board of LHA needed to act like our fiduciary agents first and foremost, which according to everything we have uncovered and documents we have looked at was their primary responsibility, and something they never did.

* Two such health systems were willing to run it.
Actually I believe 3 came forward. 1) Was the Clinic, that refused to answer the initial RFP as they had a contract in place. 2) Was a Metro deal where they requested the assets of the hospital including Clague Road would be turned over to them. As we have witnessed they are very much into expanding, and taking care of inner ring suburbs. 3) Was a health care group like Premier, this was deemed the least attractive of all proposals, though they would have run it as a hospital.

* The money and the hospital have now gone (or will soon go) pffffft.
Is that about right?

Well I guess we got a couple dollars for everything. The lion share is in private foundations that we cannot get, or even oversee. And that multi-use hair, nails, and skin strip mall, named after ex-Mayor FitzGerald. That about sums it up.
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No way can CCF and their officers, agents, and lawyers (some based in Lakewood) be absolved. CCF is complicit. To wit...

* CCF decanted the hospital starting circa 2010.
* CCF charged $25M annual management fees not found anywhere else in their system, and cannot be justified on the merits.
* CCF was inside every room, every communication, every meeting in the scheme to privatize and profitize this public asset.
* CCF readily "accepted" or took for pennies on the dollar Lakewood's public assets. They had a plan. Hell, they took the art off the walls. Honorable people and organizations don't do this, and if asked, say no to corruption.
* CCF had motivation and a scheme to take Lakewood's public assets to their private facilities in Fairview, Westlake, and Avon.
* CCF and their agents sit on the vaunted tres cool insider Three Arches Foundation, where the scraps of the $$ reside, planning their future fundraisers and management fees.

We can argue about all of this until the cows come home.

Some of my general takeaways are:

1. Our local government produces poor outcomes for both its resident and non-resident taxpayers.

2. Because our local government produces poor outcomes, its cost relative to other similar-sized communities is higher than it probably should be.

3. The poor outcomes have resulted in reduced revenues, loss of community assets, significant job losses, and other adverse economic impacts to Lakewood.

4. The poor outcomes are generally accompanied with process failures associated with a negligent disregard for policies, ethics, laws, and common standards of public service.

5. The poor outcomes are often associated with conflicts-of-interest or insider participation.

My conclusions are not just limited to the loss of the hospital. Enough lawyers and other professionals have spent enough time looking at all of this, including both current and former public officials.

There's a kind of general shabbiness reflected in both the conduct and the documents that is pretty apparent to any thoughtful citizen.

We do have to take a moment to thank all of the folks at the Lakewood Observer for their conscientious and continuing efforts to fight for openness, accountability, honesty, and transparency.

That may be a long haul!

Dan Alaimo wrote:Yes, all that remains is to clean up the mess this administration has made this situation.

I'd like to see a comprehensive checklist of the documents that have been requested, perhaps by category. Then check off the ones that have been received, check off future documents as they are received. Let's see percentages of compliance.

My point in this thread is that, in trying provide closure they have instead opened up criticism from those who have spent little time the hospital, like me. We look at the pictures and wonder about their claims about the facility's decrepitude, and add those to the already long list of deceptions..

Dan

I was speaking with a "let's just move on person" last night for awhile. Of course this was a person involved on what flows out of this nightmare, so of course they want to move on. They were shocked that people are still upset, especially with what he saw as a good faith effort by John and Megan to put the issue behind us with one more look. It never occurred to them that it was one more look at what we lost. $200 million + dollars. It never occurred to them that many saw it as one of the poachers displaying their trophy and rubbing it in the faces of others. In their meetings, everyone wants to move on. On the streets it festers. With every lie being made bigger, every misstatement being proved false again and again, it festers.

The community has a right to their real history, and the truth. That lies in the documents, every court has said that. Yet 4 years later the City refuses to produce them, to the point gleefully saying, many do not even exist anymore. Underlying the destruction of public documents to cover something up. What, who knows, but it has to be worse than what has come out, and that is proof time and time again the elected officials and our fiduciary agents NEVER worked for what was best for Lakewood and residents. Instead they sold the farm to get funds raised to keep the hospital going into private hands of friends and associates. Let;s not forget this started with "The hospital is not closing" when it was proven not only it was, but City Hall was pushing for the closing, to "CCF has us over a barrel" which was disproved with City Hall demanding CCF answer a RFP produced by them. To "$220 million in new development" Which is now less than $50 million paid for by the residents, not outside money.

cmager wrote: No way can CCF and their officers, agents, and lawyers (some based in Lakewood) be absolved. CCF is complicit. To wit...

CMager

I get how mad people are at CCF. But their narrative is wrong as is yours. Everything CCF did to Lakewood, they did at the at the urging of Lakewood's elected officials, and our fiduciary agents on LHA. At no point did one raise a red flag and say NO. Instead they schemed with them. Not once did they try to slow down the process. Actually they tried to speed it up, until they needed to slow down announcement purely for political reasons. At no point did they tell Lakewoodites what was happening. Actually instead they lied, covered up, intimidated those that asked questions and published out right lies again and again to hide the facts. To this day they alone are fighting the residents right to know what happened. CCF isn't.

Losing the hospital was merely a symptom of the real illness. Dishonest agents and elected officials at City Hall. Residents of Lakewood can cure this, in the next couple elections. Last time I checked we do not vote on management at CCF, but we do on Council, BOE, and the Mayor. Simply remove all that did this, covered it up and now have been co-opted into the cover-up. At some point freshness, clean players will surface.

Mark Kindt wrote: There's a kind of general shabbiness reflected in both the conduct and the documents that is pretty apparent to any thoughtful citizen.

We do have to take a moment to thank all of the folks at the Lakewood Observer for their conscientious and continuing efforts to fight for openness, accountability, honesty, and transparency.

That may be a long haul!

Indeed it already is. For some of more than ten years. For others like yourself 4 years. For many more months or weeks. The cover-up, the lies, the deception, and intimidation only works if we allow it to.

We must not let City Hall continue their criminal enterprise. We must continue the fight for documents, as it underlines just how bad they must be. We must continue to remove everyone from public office that did this, assisted those that did, and now turn a blind eye to Honesty, Transparency and Accountability. If we continue to lose that at the ballot box, the residents have then truly lost Lakewood, to a Bullshit Machine, and that cannot be allowed to happen.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:We must not let City Hall continue their criminal enterprise. We must continue the fight for documents, as it underlines just how bad they must be. We must continue to remove everyone from public office that did this, assisted those that did, and now turn a blind eye to Honesty, Transparency and Accountability. If we continue to lose that at the ballot box, the residents have then truly lost Lakewood, to a Bullshit Machine, and that cannot be allowed to happen.

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If Sam O'Leary and company want people to move on they should release all the documents and call for a proper accounting of what was lost.

The Hospital tour is just a big celebratory FU to the people of Lakewood.

The Hospital tour is just a big celebratory FU to the people of Lakewood.

This is why I'm shocked that Meaghan George put her stamp of approval on this farce

Amy Martin wrote:

The Hospital tour is just a big celebratory FU to the people of Lakewood.

This is why I'm shocked that Meaghan George put her stamp of approval on this farce

Amy


To be honest, so was I. That is why I made sure to run into her and ask. Intentions were the best, but let's just say not thought out, or fully understood.

However it became immediately apparent why John Litten wanted to share credit for his idea with the most popular member and largest vote getter on council. The second he was questioned over this idea, how shallow it was, and why one of the secret engineers of "the best thing to ever happen to Lakewood," that seemed to be very absent from both his run for re-election and his door to door knocking, The very second he was questioned he offered Councilman George up as a sacrificial lamb to hide behind and shiver. The very instant his complicity in this nightmare, debacle, scheme, whatever word you chose, was offered his answer was not why he did it, but that Councilwoman George did it with a link to her page. They have destroyed their names, their accountability, their honesty, their transparency and now must depend on others.

Unfortunately as the new members of council allow it to happen, they too are drawn deeper and deeper into being complicit in now what has become the cover-up.

If City Council truly wanted to heal the wounds, and honor the city, all they need to do is simply release all the documents. They do not need to make a statement, they do not need to supply residents with a 8' x8' room to review the documents. Simply release them all and put them online. It is Lakewood's history, the courts have repeatedly said, "They are public documents." Let them out and instantly the understanding begins, along with the healing. And perhaps their credibility returns with their accountability.

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Jim - I'm confused by your last post. Are you saying that Councilwoman George is complicit in the whole Hospital fiasco? We voted for her and Tristan Rader because we believe they were going to be/lead the change that we wanted to see at City Hall. Now we're finding out that her campaign was a sham, a farce. At least in Tristan we got an independent thinker on Council. To have another "rubber stamper" at City Hall will not lead to progress and I, for one am PISSED

Amy Martin wrote:Jim - I'm confused by your last post. Are you saying that Councilwoman George is complicit in the whole Hospital fiasco? We voted for her and Tristan Rader because we believe they were going to be/lead the change that we wanted to see at City Hall. Now we're finding out that her campaign was a sham, a farce. At least in Tristan we got an independent thinker on Council. To have another "rubber stamper" at City Hall will not lead to progress and I, for one am PISSED

Amy

I am not saying Councilwoman George is complicit. Far from it. Her and Tristan Rader are two people that seem to be at least questioning decisions currently being made and why by Council and City Hall. I would also day at this time Councilman O'Malley seems to be mostly on the right side, ie the people's side of issue.

However everyday that goes by, without all the documents being released, is one day farther down the road we do not know the truth. Stan Austin and Dan have asked, what are we missing, who knows. Everyday City Hall gets to purge records that many of us do not know exist, and we get farther and farther from the truth, and the facts we all have a right to know.

I would ask, no wait, I have asked that all of those that ran on Accountability, Transparency and Honesty make a stand for what they ran on and stand up and Council TOGETHER and DEMAND the bullshit has gone on long enough. DEMAND everything gets turned over to the public. DEMAND the end to lawsuits for documents. DEMAND all documents get put online for all to see. There is no longer any reason to hide the facts, and the reason they are just underlines how bad the real facts must be.

We voted for Honesty, we voted for Accountability, and we voted for Transparency and it won hands down. Even more votes than Charlie got.

If no one is willing to demand all the paperwork be made public, than how can we not think they are not part of the cover-up?

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Amy Martin wrote:Jim - I'm confused by your last post. Are you saying that Councilwoman George is complicit in the whole Hospital fiasco? We voted for her and Tristan Rader because we believe they were going to be/lead the change that we wanted to see at City Hall. Now we're finding out that her campaign was a sham, a farce. At least in Tristan we got an independent thinker on Council. To have another "rubber stamper" at City Hall will not lead to progress and I, for one am PISSED

It would be a shame for her to forfeit her future for lack of action. I suppose a one-term Councilwoman is a possibility.

cmager wrote:

Amy Martin wrote:Jim - I'm confused by your last post. Are you saying that Councilwoman George is complicit in the whole Hospital fiasco? We voted for her and Tristan Rader because we believe they were going to be/lead the change that we wanted to see at City Hall. Now we're finding out that her campaign was a sham, a farce. At least in Tristan we got an independent thinker on Council. To have another "rubber stamper" at City Hall will not lead to progress and I, for one am PISSED

It would be a shame for her to forfeit her future for lack of action. I suppose a one-term Councilwoman is a possibility.

CMager

Hard to put the weight of the City on one person;s shoulders. Tom Bullock , Dan O'Malley, Tristan Rader, and Meghan all ran on Honesty, Transparency and Accountability.

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Aye! Here's The Rub!

The city administration made a strategic decision in 2015/2016 not to comply with the Ohio public records access laws.

By the time the court compels the city law department to produce additional documents that were withheld from the public, Lakewood Hospital will nothing but a pile of rubble or an empty lot.

While additional documents may shed some more light on other improper process issues, I, for one, do not see how this will restore anyone's confidence in our local municipal government.

In fact, in my estimation, I do not see any possibility of reform on the horizon at all. I see a coming parade of more of the same.

The civic leadership has had its victory. Those opposed to that victory have had their day in court, the editorial pages, and on the street.

Lakewood is on a charted path to a kind of mediocre gentrification--a mediocre gentrification marketed as a "cool" brand by developers and public relations types.

The conduct of the city administration has been vindicated by the courts and the voters.

Many leading citizens who object and oppose what has happened in recent years kept their opposition and objection silently to themselves.

That silence is also vindication for the conduct of the city administration.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

cmager wrote:

Amy Martin wrote:Jim - I'm confused by your last post. Are you saying that Councilwoman George is complicit in the whole Hospital fiasco? We voted for her and Tristan Rader because we believe they were going to be/lead the change that we wanted to see at City Hall. Now we're finding out that her campaign was a sham, a farce. At least in Tristan we got an independent thinker on Council. To have another "rubber stamper" at City Hall will not lead to progress and I, for one am PISSED

It would be a shame for her to forfeit her future for lack of action. I suppose a one-term Councilwoman is a possibility.

CMager, hard to put the weight of the City on one person's shoulders. Tom Bullock , Dan O'Malley, Tristan Rader, and Meghan all ran on Honesty, Transparency and Accountability.

What is it about whataboutism in politics? Ms. George has a voice, she's in a position of power. She should use it or, as they say, lose it.

cmager wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

cmager wrote:

Amy Martin wrote:Jim - I'm confused by your last post. Are you saying that Councilwoman George is complicit in the whole Hospital fiasco? We voted for her and Tristan Rader because we believe they were going to be/lead the change that we wanted to see at City Hall. Now we're finding out that her campaign was a sham, a farce. At least in Tristan we got an independent thinker on Council. To have another "rubber stamper" at City Hall will not lead to progress and I, for one am PISSED

It would be a shame for her to forfeit her future for lack of action. I suppose a one-term Councilwoman is a possibility.

CMager, hard to put the weight of the City on one person's shoulders. Tom Bullock , Dan O'Malley, Tristan Rader, and Meghan all ran on Honesty, Transparency and Accountability.

What is it about whataboutism in politics? Ms. George has a voice, she's in a position of power. She should use it or, as they say, lose it.

CMager

Guess it is hard to hear her from where you sit.

She is one of the few if not only fighting for changes on "Executive Sessions" and present accountability. She and Tristan Rader alone said no thanks to "One Lakewood." And recently she voted against the purchase of Trinity Church, in an effort to clean the bill, take on some of the headaches and probably sell it for $1.00 to another developer.

Baby steps. As I said to a friend, they cannot be removed and replaced in one shot. Also as you are witnessing, you have to chose between the best you have available, and finally you have to stay involved to see who is at least doing a job trying to fulfill their promises, and make Lakewood better for all.

She is doing well, very well at that.

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The one thing they are counting on is that, with the passing of time and the clearing of rubble, people will forget, move on, move elsewhere, grow weary, cave to their harassment...

Remember that.