The Observation Deck

An Observer article about a recent Council meeting included an exchange between Councilman Anderson and Public Works Director Joe Beno. Anderson asked Beno if the Madison resurfacing project included any "development". The short answer was no.

That "no" speaks volumes about the problems faced by Lakewood's institutions. While there seems to be development dollars available for Westlake, Detroit Shoreway, Rocky River and Kamm's Corner any request for development dollars for Lakewood is answered with a firm "NO".

If the City is inelligible for development dollars how do we compete with surrounding areas that are elligible for those dollars? The short answer is that we can't. Then what? Don't ask, it only upsets people.

Are we just everyone elses cash cow?

To be clear, Bill, I did not want to assume what the word “improvements” really meant in Director Beno’s September 6 communication to Council. I knew it likely involved repaving but it could possibly have included curbs, lights, etc. So, I asked. The Director’s answer was that this is simply a repaving project.

I do not recall the word “development” being used by Director Beno or me.

Yours in service,
David W. Anderson

David Anderson wrote:To be clear, Bill, I did not want to assume what the word “improvements” really meant in Director Beno’s September 6 communication to Council. I knew it likely involved repaving but it could possibly have included curbs, lights, etc. So, I asked. The Director’s answer was that this is simply a repaving project.

I do not recall the word “development” being used by Director Beno or me.

Yours in service,
David W. Anderson

You are correct. The word development was not used.

When I hear the word "improvement" in relation to a street project I think of things like the recent street improvements at Kamm's that were part of a larger effort at redevelopment. No offense meant. It looks like all we will get for our $2.5 million is a fresh coat of asphalt. Again no offense meant, I know the City doesn't have any money and I know we aren't getting any big development dollars from anyone else.

So what does that have to do with school funding? Health care costs are going up 11% this year and as much as 15% next year. It is very likely they will go up even more in subsequent years. Wages continue to go up and State funding continues to go down. Any future changes to the State funding formula will probably see Lakewood get even less State funding.

So where will the money come from, how will the budget be balanced?

Cut wages and benefits? Increase class size? Reduce education resources? Close more schools even though the schools we have will soon be overcrowded? How about a tax levy every three years? None of those solutions appeal to me.

A better solution is to increase the tax base by increasing economic activity and increasing the number of taxpayers in the City. There is no way that is going to happen unless Lakewood can get some development dollars to compete in a region where development is a zero sum game.

The repaving of Madison offered an opportunity to do more; unless we find a way to do more we are in for some very tough times. Again, no offense meant, no one at City Hall has a magic wand.

Bill Call wrote:Health care costs are going up 11% this year and as much as 15% next year. It is very likely they will go up even more in subsequent years. Wages continue to go up and State funding continues to go down. Any future changes to the State funding formula will probably see Lakewood get even less State funding.

So where will the money come from, how will the budget be balanced?

Cut wages and benefits? Increase class size? Reduce education resources? Close more schools even though the schools we have will soon be overcrowded? How about a tax levy every three years? None of those solutions appeal to me.

A better solution is to increase the tax base by increasing economic activity and increasing the number of taxpayers in the City. There is no way that is going to happen unless Lakewood can get some development dollars to compete in a region where development is a zero sum game.

The repaving of Madison offered an opportunity to do more; unless we find a way to do more we are in for some very tough times. Again, no offense meant, no one at City Hall has a magic wand.

Economic development doesn’t happen overnight. How would you (Bill Call and others running for school board) balance the budget over the next 5 years?

Lakewood has been voted best this and best that over the last few years, we now have excellent schools, we are two thirds of the way through modernizing all of our schools, we have great parks, two municipal pools, a skate park, dog park, restaurants out the wazoo and many other inviting activities. What more could a family want or need? What’s keeping more medium to high wage families out of Lakewood? Should the City’s Planning and Development department create a plan to attract and retain more of this bracket to our fair City?

I would submit that if you attract and retain medium to high wage families (80-120k annual income) to Lakewood, economic activity will increase as a result. It won’t happen the other way around.

Charlie Page wrote:I would submit that if you attract and retain medium to high wage families (80-120k annual income) to Lakewood, economic activity will increase as a result. It won’t happen the other way around.

Excellent point.

I've been advised to quit posting because I'm a candidate for school board. Since I think open discussion is important I guess I'll ignore that advice.

Why do people leave Lakewood (or Cuyahoga County)?

1. Race
2. The bigger newer house
3. The status of a different address
4. Fear
5. Economic opportunity
6. People just prefer the exurbs.
7. Low taxes = better standard of living
8. When you spend billions of dollars to bribe people into leaving town eventually they leave town.

Lakewood schools are unlikely to keep their excellent rating, restaurants come and go, as go the neighborhood so goes the park and bad tenants drive out good tenants. Why pay Cuyahoga County taxes if you get all the benefits and none of the costs by living in Lorain and Medina County?

Lakewood Schools have lost 25% of their students over the last 10 years. Fewer students meant fewer employees which meant lower costs which meant raises could continue and benefits could remain unchanged, carefully crafted buyouts encouraged higher priced employees to retire and the budget was balanced.

That system works well for awhile and everyone is a hero but:

When student population starts to stabilize or increase your costs are no longer declining.
When most older employees have retired you have a younger workforce that is expecting annual step raises and annual cost of living raises.

When you reach that point expenses increase at an increasing rate and all the easy roads are closed. Then what?

In another thread, I brought up attracting and retaining more medium to higher income families to Lakewood. Shortly after that post, I heard through the grapevine that people think "I only want medium to high income families living in Lakewood". That couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is I don’t care who lives in Lakewood as long as they are not contributing to a declining standard of living. The declining standard of living has nothing to do with income and everything to do with maintaining your house and yard, not littering, being a respectful neighbor and citizen. The truth is we need more taxpayers in Lakewood. Lakewood has never had difficulty in attracting and retaining lower income families primarily because Lakewood is a good value.

Lakewood’s economic development theory has long consisted of the premise "bring people to Lakewood to shop". People from River, Bay and Fairview. I say bring these people here to LIVE! Develop a plan to market Lakewood to medium and higher income families and execute on that plan.

Bill Call wrote:I've been advised to quit posting because I'm a candidate for school board. Since I think open discussion is important I guess I'll ignore that advice.

We have enough people not answering questions. I appreciate your willingness to take on questions where any answer is somebody’s wrong answer.

Bill Call wrote:When you reach that point expenses increase at an increasing rate and all the easy roads are closed. Then what?

That’s what I was hoping you would answer when I asked the following question

Charlie Page wrote:How would you (Bill Call and others running for school board) balance the budget over the next 5 years?

Charlie Page wrote: The reality is I don’t care who lives in Lakewood as long as they are not contributing to a declining standard of living. The declining standard of living has nothing to do with income and everything to do with maintaining your house and yard, not littering, being a respectful neighbor and citizen.

I get that type of answer now and then. The truth is I prefer a City that is open to a lot of different kinds of people. I suppose I have more in common with the kind of person who lives in Bay Village but I don't really want to live with them.

Charlie Page wrote:How would you (Bill Call and others running for school board) balance the budget over the next 5 years?

The short answer I gave to the Sun Post and the Lakewood Teachers Association was:

Cut wages and benefits
Use technology to increase efficiency and offer flexibility to parents and students
Lengthen the school day to offer flexibility to parents and students
Raise property taxes

Needless to say I didn't get the recomendation of the LTA or the endorsement of the Sun Post!

Other options dealing with operational efficiency that I didn't dwell on too much were:

Convert 2 elementary schools to Board run charter schools.

Build one large new elementary school to replace both Grant and Lincoln.

Exchange existing unused school buildings for City land or City resources so the land can be used for new development.

Partnerships between the Lakewood Schools and Beck Center, YMCA and Library.

Partnership with Lakewood high and military recruiters to encourage military service before college.

The last two years of high school as the first two years of college in partnership with Akron University

Partner with Lakewood Hospital and nursing homes (is there a difference ) to train Lakewood students in the medical field. Tri-C's new Medical Campus is located on the borders of Lorain County so it wouldn't be of much use to us. Which leads me to:

Raise a little hell with the County and County institutions. They are all engaged in policies that damage the County in general and Lakewood in particular.