The Observation Deck

Let me be clear. I do not know the names or characteristics of any individual who has applied for the Ward 4 city council seat when it becomes available for a council appointment.

I do have a serious concern that Lakewood's non-partisan Democratic Party form of government lacks political diversity and that this lack of political diversity is a detriment not a benefit.

I make the further point that there was a genuine missed opportunity in the recent appointment earlier this year to fill the vacant seat in Ward 1.

Let me be clear also.

But for the non-partisan ballot exemption in federal employment law, this highly qualified executive from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department would have been prohibited from running at all.

I have spent the past two years coping with a historic pandemic that is still not over and Ms. Rodriguez-Carbone brought unique and highly relevant qualifications to her application given these circumstances.

Elsewhere on this forum I have written about the inability of city council's health and human services committee to even meet during the pandemic (Litten, Rader, Kepple) or to even post timely minutes of their proceedings. This was and is a failure. If they can't or don't want to meet, the committee should be shutdown.

I get that there is an intramural dispute within the local Democratic Party about so-called progressives, but, folks, Covid-19 must transcend those petty differences.

Lakewood has real problems and eventually the local Democratic Party caucus in Lakewood will appoint a qualified person of color in the future to a vacant city council seat consistent with that party's historical commitment to civil rights.

Trust me, it will happen.

The two thousand 10 census reports 87.5 percent of the population identifies as white. And the other categories.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood,_Ohio .

This might not reflect the age distribution among those categories.

The fight for 7 city council seats in a city of fifty thousand people can be very competitive. I do not know what the by-laws are for appointing someone to a vacant seat. 1/7th is the closest fraction to 12.5 percent. So maybe put seven names into a raffle box. Make sure one of them is some kind of black or Puerto Rican. Or an East Asian or south Asian. Then randomly draw one of the names. That seems fair. The seven names can come from candidates that did not win the previous election. I suppose that would have to include whichever republican candidate did not win.

Who is the executive from HHS who is a potential candidate?

Laura Rodriguez-Carbone ran for the city council-at-large seat last year. Previously, she ran for Ward 1. She did not prevail in her electoral bids.

She applied for appointment to the Ward 1 seat vacated my Ms. Neff who was elected judge.

Kyle Baker was appointed to fill that vacant seat. He is an attorney for the Metro Parks.

Formerly, he was on the Planning Commission. He is an intelligent young man. He is more than qualified to serve on city council.

I've spoken with both of them.

I voted for Laura R-C, because she actually provided a detailed program of action in her campaign and her HHS qualification was paramount during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beyond this, unlike the appointment process for Sarah Kepple, I know nothing about the selection process for the Ward 1 appointment.

If you read here regularly, you know that I am critical of the Planning Commission and some of its poor public policy outcomes.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Leo Wetula wrote:Who is the executive from HHS who is a potential candidate?

Toni Gelsimino who is retiring, a legend with a ton of love and support in Lakewood.

This will be tough to replace.

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To avoid confusion, in my post, I am referring to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and I have no information about applicants for appointment to Ward 4.

Yes, I was also referring to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Is some current or potential candidate an executive there? I am a federal employee as well so I was just kind of wondering. I think Mr. Kindt made a comment about someone being an executive at HHS.

Leo Wetula wrote:Yes, I was also referring to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Is some current or potential candidate an executive there? I am a federal employee as well so I was just kind of wondering. I think Mr. Kindt made a comment about someone being an executive at HHS.

As discussed in my posts above, I am writing about Laura Rodriguez-Carbone -- She works for the federal department of Health and Human Services.

She has now run for elective office in Lakewood twice, most recently in 2021.

Almost all of this thread relates to a decision earlier this year by Lakewood City Council to appoint Kyle Baker to the vacant Ward 1 seat.

He is a fine man, but when I spoke with him last fall, my impression was that he was pro-development in the same way that Mike Summers was or is. I have no sympathy for that path.

My contacts with candidates and office-holders has declined, since I am too old to have any sympathy with the kinds of disruption to our community that have been planned and executed over the past decade.

You know? Like the still empty hole at Detroit and Belle where a vibrant and essential public hospital once serve our community.

The only good news is that it can't be demolished a second time.

I have absolutely nothing against Ms. Rodriguez-Carbone. I have never met her, but she seems to have made a positive impression on many people and I wish her well. However, every federal employee is not an executive (I should know).

This whole dialogue is just plain sad.

I do agree with you about Lakewood's penchant for development at any cost (and, I note, bars as a development strategy). Also sad.