The Observation Deck

Two words came to mind after receiving the below file (file name is mine) which contains the Grant Award pertaining to the EfficientGovNow (regionalization of our fire department) funding.

Naïve - 1. extremely simple and trusting: having or showing an excessively simple and trusting view of the world and human nature, often as a result of youth and inexperience 2. not shrewd or sophisticated: showing a lack of sophistication and subtlety or of critical judgment and analysis a politically naive statement . (Microsoft Works, Dictionary)

Trust - 1. reliance: confidence in and reliance on good qualities, especially fairness, truth, honor, or ability 2. position of obligation: the position of somebody who is expected by others to behave responsibly or honorably breached the public trust . (Microsoft Works, Dictionary)


I rarely interject personal statements when I share information here. I feel it detracts from the debate of facts. However, I will share that yesterday, I realized the insignificant roll residents play in the shaping and functioning of the place we proudly (sic) call home. I realized that my pursuit for the truth of the facts of Lakewood’s master plan, was naïve. I realized that the lives and needs of 250,000 people do not have the same value as the wants of a handful of “visionaries and “stakeholders”. I realized that I will be given the opportunity to object as loudly and as passionately as I want to, after my voice will have no weight or merit in the finial decision.

What I have yet to realize and internalize is just how to accept that this is what Lakewood now is. That this is just the beginning, a small glance of what is already in place to transpire over the next 5 years. Our Sustainability Manager/Coordinator will call the shots, reshape our public institutions and spend our tax dollars however he sees fit. And our voices will have even less reach and impact upon his County focused ears.

This is what defines representing the publics trust by our elected officials

Kevin Butler wrote:

Shelley Hurd wrote:[W]ill we see the full plan pertaining to the regional fire department and other "regional" plans on the City web site tomorrow?

There's no "full plan" (or partial plan) to consolidate fire services. We won a grant to study the pros and cons with other west shore municipalities. This was well documented. The grant-funded study is underway in all those communities. Please don't mistake this for a decision on anyone's part to regionalize fire.

I don't know of any other regional plans, as you call them.

Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:10 am

I'm not mincing words. The fire study is just a study. I've heard of no other plans regarding consolidation of boundaries or services, or whatever we might call "regionalism." I've seen nothing that would suggest any group has undue influence over your local elected officials when it comes to these issues. I don't know how else to say it.

At some point, Jim, you're going to have to choose either to believe me or not to.

Kevin, are you to have residents believe that when you wrote the above statements City Council had no idea pertaining to the purpose of the Grant Funding?

"EGN Winners
Contractual Terms

1. Westshore Regional Fire District Project

Purpose: To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized Fire and EMS systems among seven communities within five years." ….
(grantaward-WCG-implementation.pdf, Attachment 5, Subaward Agreement, page 8 )

Until you post differently, only one of three assumptions can be made pertaining to City Councils knowledge involving the impending regionalization of Lakewood’s fire department.

1 - Council had no clue what the contractual terms of the award are.
2- Council knew and you chose, as Council President, to play politics and mis represented the intent of the award.
3 - Lakewood (WCG) took grant money with no intent to honor the contractual terms of the award
(If someone can think of a forth option, please interject and share it with the rest of us residents)


Being doubtful that Lakewood (WCG) would knowingly scam a grant maker, number three can easily be discounted.

That so many folks on this board have such a high opinion of your concern for residents, your character, your honesty, and your integrity, number two is not a comfortable choice.

So, that just leaves number one. City Council had no clue what the contractual terms of the award are.

We residents can hope that you take the time to download the award. Give it a thorough going over, with your lawyer hat on. And champion the cause to inform all residents of not just the regionalization of our fire department, but also other outsourcing, elimination and regionalization plans.

Many, many, many residents who post here are assuredly grateful that Council now knows first hand the frustration and inherit wrongness of being left out of the debate on decisions which effect our schools, our services, our tax dollars…our community. Having Council now on the side of residents will assure that moving forward, Lakewood residents will indeed, once again, have a say, have their opinions and hard research impact the debate, not just listened to with a smile and a nod, by those who already signed off on decisions. With Council now, once again, on the side of residents, our schools, our services and our City will be taken from the hands of “stakeholders” and returned to the care of her residents.

Kevin, Council must act quickly. The stages of this plan have the appearance of mere formality. Public meetings to merely say they gave residents a chance to be heard are a sham. We have seen this tactic played out again and again and again over the last two years.

Kevin, can residents now count on Council to assist in returning to us the RIGHT to be in on the debates (before being committed to by contractual agreements by our elected officials) which effect our schools, our services, our tax dollars and our Community?

Shelly,

Let's slow down here. You're making a lot of assertions and from what I can see, they may be a little premature.

Here's what I've been able to dig up so far, feel free to correct me if I'm missing a point:

1) The grant has a goal of implementation of a combined fire service by 4/2011. I didn't see anything in the grant award that mandated that this be acheived, only that the goal would be pursued by the WSCOG.

2) The LFD is specifically addressed in the city charter (Article IV, Section 1). The same section specifically gives Council the ability to add new departments, but does not give them they power to dissolve them.

3) Article XIII, Section 9 states that amendements to the charter be approved by 2/3rds of Council and submitted to the public for a vote.

Full city charter here: http://onelakewood.com/CityCouncil/CityCharter.aspx

Seems to me implementation of the combined fire department is not a requirement of the grand and that none of this can occur without a vote of the people.

You may want to reconsider your comments regarding Mr. Butler.

Bob Mehosky wrote:Shelly,

Let's slow down here. You're making a lot of assertions and from what I can see, they may be a little premature.

Beleive me Bob, if anything, this all maybe too late.

3) Article XIII, Section 9 states that amendements to the charter be approved by 2/3rds of Council and submitted to the public for a vote.

Full city charter here: http://onelakewood.com/CityCouncil/CityCharter.aspx

Seems to me that none of this can occur without a vote of the people.

Are you sure? What powers to enact this type of thing is already granted to WCG? And if that is the fact and truth…why hasn’t/didn’t Kevin just say so?

Why the games? Maybe one of the lurky lou City Hall types could chime in and state this as fact or fiction. Do residents get to cast a vote on regionalization? Or will the WCG have the final word? … My guess is we wont get a definitive answer if an answer at all.

You may want to reconsider your comments regarding Mr. Butler.

I have always extended to Kevin the kindness and the respect and consideration his position as a Council member dictates, to privately respond to issues before posting publicly any concerns. On this particular matter I did so repeatedly. That he chose not to provide a copy of the award nor any definitive and clear explanation pertaining to the purpose for the EffiecnetGovNow award- other then to direct me to

http://www.onelakewood.com/blog/2009/08/thanks-to-your-votes.html

And Kevin stated ...

“Lakewood, together with [other] Westsho[r]e communities won a grant of $100,000 to research assembling the Westshore Regional Fire District Project.”
“The pros and cons are being studied. Any “plan” proposed by the company hired to do the study would have to be approved by the communities involved. We haven’t given any such approval. All we did was authorize the study. “
“I don’t feel the need to clarify, but if you reprint my statements, please make sure they’re what I’ve stated, not what you’ve stated. Council and the mayor have repeatedly said that our participation in this study precedes any decision we make on whether its outcome is good for Lakewood. “

… left me with no other options then to pursue the truth of the facts in various other places.


Also, not being a lawyer myself, when I see the award as stating its Purpose:…

“Purpose: To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized fire and EMS systems”….

…. I trust that “To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized fire and EMS systems” is exactly what it means, what we have (WCG) agreed to and what we are contractually committed to implement.

I also trust the comments from the two other EffeicantGovNow grant recipitans who stated to me :

“Funding will be used to implement the project. “
“Our funds go towards implementation.”
“First round grant awards had to address the implementation of a specific project. It did not fund feasibility studies.”

These folks have no cause or reason to lie. They have nothing invested in preventing the right of Lakewood residents to be fully informed. Nor have they been deceptive or vague in their answers. Answers by the way, which they provided quickly and clearly with out any games or room for misinterpretation. “It did not fund feasibility studies.”

Therefore, based on this and other information I have, I will continue to have questions and well-founded concerns. As should every resident. In the end, regionalization, be it a success or a failure, we alone are the ones left holding the bag. And who, via our silence, opened up all of our services and institutions to become regionalized.

If I am wrong, I will admit it fully and apologize for my lack of smarts, my lack of trust and my audacity to ask questions and insist upon straight, clear answers.


If I am right, all of the public statements by our elected officials of “taking the responsibility for their decisions” will not return to Lakewood our autonomy and we will be irreversibly entwined in regionalization.

Lets see if we get any straight answers on the facts from our elected officials before you and I get off topic by debating opinions.

Shelly,

Again, what straight answers?

The council can't do a thing that doesn't comply with the city charter. Everything else you brought up is irrelevant. If what I said above is correct, there can't be any sort of backroom deal because the fire department can't be abolished without a vote of the people.

It all starts and ends with the charter Shelly. If you want answers, you'd be better served if you started by reading that and then asking questions.

my question to EffecientGovNow:
1- Can the 100,000 grant funding won by Westshore be used, "to research assembling the Westshore Regional Fire District Project" and for the use of studying "the pros and cons" of a Regional Fire District ?

EffecientGovNow AnswerThe Proposal Review Committee made the determination that Westshore’s request was based on the implementation of the project, not on studying its feasibility. The Westshore Council has retained a consultant who is exploring the means by which the new fire district will function and developing a strategic plan therein, which is different than exploring whether such a district is possible to create

Kevin, care to comment?

Shelley Hurd wrote:my question to EffecientGovNow:
1- Can the 100,000 grant funding won by Westshore be used, "to research assembling the Westshore Regional Fire District Project" and for the use of studying "the pros and cons" of a Regional Fire District ?

EffecientGovNow AnswerThe Proposal Review Committee made the determination that Westshore’s request was based on the implementation of the project, not on studying its feasibility. The Westshore Council has retained a consultant who is exploring the means by which the new fire district will function and developing a strategic plan therein, which is different than exploring whether such a district is possible to create

Ed FitzGerald
Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:44 pm

Ed FitzGerald wrote:
Right now, all of the Westshore suburbs agree that we should study this. If we win this grant, it will help pay for the study. "....

While you were on a roll, you decided to misstate the grant terms by stating it was $100,000 to be divided among 25 cities, instead of $300,000 divided between three winning proposals.

Jim, sometimes you do great things for Lakewood.

Not today.

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, care to comment?

Shelley Hurd wrote:

Shelley Hurd wrote:my question to EffecientGovNow:
1- Can the 100,000 grant funding won by Westshore be used, "to research assembling the Westshore Regional Fire District Project" and for the use of studying "the pros and cons" of a Regional Fire District ?

EffecientGovNow AnswerThe Proposal Review Committee made the determination that Westshore’s request was based on the implementation of the project, not on studying its feasibility. The Westshore Council has retained a consultant who is exploring the means by which the new fire district will function and developing a strategic plan therein, which is different than exploring whether such a district is possible to create

Ed FitzGerald
Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:44 pm

Ed FitzGerald wrote:
Right now, all of the Westshore suburbs agree that we should study this. If we win this grant, it will help pay for the study. "....

While you were on a roll, you decided to misstate the grant terms by stating it was $100,000 to be divided among 25 cities, instead of $300,000 divided between three winning proposals.

Jim, sometimes you do great things for Lakewood.

Not today.

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, care to comment?

http://www.onelakewood.com/pdf/CouncilMinutes/Minutes2009_0909.pdf
LAKEWOOD CITY COUNCIL
HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS
12650 DETROIT AVENUE
SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
7:30 P.M.
13. ORDINANCE NO. 64-09 - AN ORDINANCE to take effect immediately
provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members elected to
Council otherwise, it shall take effect and be in force after the earliest period
allowed by law, authorizing the Mayor to enter into a n agreement with the
Westshore Council of Governments and Emergency Services Consulting
International to provide consulting services to develop a cooperative agreement for
the consolidation of fire services. (Pg. 42)Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Antonio, to suspend the rules requiring this
Ordinance to be read on three separate days and placing Ordinance No. 64-09 on final
reading.

Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Antonio, to suspend the rules requiring this
Ordinance to be read on three separate days and placing Ordinance No. 64-09 on final
reading.
Yeas: Antonio, Bullock, Butler, Dever, Madigan, Powers, Summers
Nays: None
Motion adopted. Rules suspended
Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Antonio, to adopt Ordinance No. 64-09.
Yeas: Antonio, Bullock, Butler, Dever, Madigan, Powers, Summers
Nays: None
Motion adopted. Ordinance No. 64-09 adopted.

14. Communication from Law Director Hurley regarding Editing and Inclusion of
Certain Ordinances and Resolutions Into the Codified Ordinances. (Pg.61)
Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Madigan, to receive and file the communication.
Motion adopted. All members voting yea.
….

15. ORDINANCE NO. 65-09 - AN ORDINANCE to take effect immediately
provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members elected to
Council otherwise, it shall take effect and be in force after the earliest period
allowed by law, to approve the editing and inclusion of certain ordinances and
resolutions as parts of the various component codes of the Codified Ordinances
and to provide for the publication of such new matter. (Pg. 62)

Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Antonio, to suspend the rules requiring this
Ordinance to be read on three separate days and placing Ordinance No. 65-09 on final
reading.
Yeas: Antonio, Bullock, Butler, Dever, Madigan, Powers, Summers
Nays: None
Motion adopted. Rules suspended.
Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Madigan, to adopt Ordinance No. 65-09.
Yeas: Antonio, Bullock, Butler, Dever, Madigan, Powers, Summers
Nays: None
Motion adopted. Ordinance No. 65-09 adopted.

Motion by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Dever to amend Ordinance No. 68-09 by
replacing the words “chapter” in the preamble and in Section 1 with the word “section”,
capitalize the word, “department” in the second to the last line on page 72 and lowercase
the word “ordinance” in that same sentence, change the first “section 3” to “Section 2.

Any member of Council or perhaps Mayor Ed Fitzgerald....care to comment?

And while we are at it. Do votes cast for a "study" count as a vote FOR regionalization to you people? Or to the grant makers?