The Observation Deck

Some Lakewoodites making beautiful Christmas music togather in Sinagra Park
12.12.2011. But why all of the video cameras?

Read the story in tomorrow's Lakewood Observer.

The Park Formerly Known as Sinagra Park.

Peter Grossetti wrote:The Park Formerly Known as Sinagra Park.

Peter

It will always be Sinagra Park for real Lakewoodites. While Tony has feel afoul of the law, and
will do whatever time is served. He was a damn fine mayor for Lakewood with some issues, who doesn't have some. Plus Lucy Sinagra saved the Beck Center the first time it needed saving, was the founder of the Lakewood Arts Festival and has done a ton for this city, as have Chris and his sisters, cousins, etc.

I find it utterly distasteful how they pried the sign off in the dark of night(I have photos) and
now treat it like it never happened.

Anthony was a great supporter of Michael Summers current mayor, and was his lead campaign
consultant when he was going for councilman.

We cannot let a two year mayor of Lakewood rewrite the history while belittling our only
four term mayor. I am a hardcore liberal Democrat, and I love that Republican, and his
family.

City Center, that name is nearly as pitiful as DowntowN.


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Jim O'Bryan wrote:It will always be Sinagra Park for real Lakewoodites.

***

I find it utterly distasteful how they pried the sign off in the dark of night(I have photos) and now treat it like it never happened.

***

We cannot let a two year mayor of Lakewood rewrite the history while belittling our only four term mayor. I am a hardcore liberal Democrat, and I love that Republican, and his family.

Jim,

Was there ever formal action from City Hall to remove the sign and "change" the name? Or does that fall within the mayoral "free range" exception?

Jim O'Bryan wrote:It will always be Sinagra Park for real Lakewoodites.

***

Anthony was a great supporter of Michael Summers current mayor, and was his lead campaign consultant when he was going for councilman.

We cannot let a two year mayor of Lakewood rewrite the history while belittling our only four term mayor.

Maybe in his second year as mayor, Mike will restore history?

Matt

Jim,

From your post of July 28th, 2006:

Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:34 pm
Posts: 7067
Location: Lakewood

Mayor Thomas J. George and members of Lakewood City Council will officially dedicate the park in front of the Lakewood City Center to longtime Lakewood Mayor and Councilman Anthony C. Sinagra on Friday, August 4, 2006 at 4:30 p.m. Sinagra Park is located on Detroit Avenue near Warren Road.

Tony Sinagra served as the Mayor of the City of Lakewood from 1978-1990. He also served as a member of Lakewood City Council from 1973-1977 and was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the City of Lakewood from 1968-1971. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Sinagra served a member of the Ohio Senate, representing Senate District 23. He has served as president of the Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association, President of the Board of Trustees of Lakewood Hospital, Chairman of the West Shore Council of Governments, member of the Board of Trustees of the Regional Transit Authority and the Citizens League of Greater Cleveland. Mr. Sinagra has over thirty years in government service and the practice of law. He is a counselor and an advocate on issues of public policy, public-private partnerships, economic development, health care and taxation. Mr. Sinagra has received numerous honors for his work including an Outstanding Leadership award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Outstanding Alumnus from the Cleveland Marshall School of Law and Outstanding Trustee Award from the Greater Cleveland Hospital Association. As Mayor of Lakewood and President of the Lakewood Hospital Board of Trustees, Mr. Sinagra spearheaded the restructuring of the hospital from a restricted city property to a major non-profit health care center. Anthony C. Sinagra is a graduate of Cleveland-St. Ignatius High School, John Carroll University and Cleveland Marshall Law School of Cleveland State University. Tony and his wife, Lucy, have three children: Laura Sinagra, Chris Sinagra and Gina Cole.

The Sinagra Park Dedication will include remarks by Mayor Thomas J. George, Judge Jeff Hastings, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Judge Robert Lawther, Kathleen Lawther, Robert Frost, Jack Gustin, Charles Geiger and Pam Gorski. Fred DeGrandis, CEO of Lakewood, Fairview and Lutheran Hospitals, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. The dedication will also include a tribute from Tony's children.

"The City of Lakewood is honored to dedicate this park in recognition of Tony Sinagra's dedication and service to the citizens of Lakewood," stated Mayor Thomas J. George.

_____________________________________________________________________



Don't you think the naming of that park was based upon the assumptions of knowing the
values,beliefs,character, and integrity of Anthony Sinagra?

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1251793844126180.xml&coll=2

Scott Meeson

Scott Meeson wrote:Don't you think the naming of that park was based upon the assumptions of knowing the
values,beliefs,character, and integrity of Anthony Sinagra?

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1251793844126180.xml&coll=2

Scott Meeson

Scott

First Anthony Sinagra has always been a straight shooter with me. Over the years he has been a
good adviser to me when I asked, and Lucy, Chris and the rest are simply a marvelous family and
a good strong Lakewood political family. I see no reason to turn my back on him or his family just
because it has become stylish to do so.

Do we really name parks, all parks after "good" values, beliefs, character? Really?

If that had been called Anthony Sinagra Park, ohhhhhh the horror, and there was some really
big issue, which I will point out their really wasn't, maybe I could understand painting over
Anthony. But Lucy? Really? Lucy is such a vile vicious terrible person, we must eradicate
her from everything in Lakewood as if she was Lenin? Really? Do we take them out of the history
books and Lakewood Lore? Really?


The hideous group of scoundrels.


If you take Tony out of this photo, there is still a lot of very real and positive history.


While it says Anthony Sinagra on the top, look below it clearly calls out the great work
of Lucy, and Tony's parents.

These were good days for all of Lakewood. And let's not forget, at this very dedication everyone
there was in full recognition that Tony also had small issues as mayor. But the next two law
directors were there, next two mayors, LakewoodAlive board members, high ranking politicos,
and on and on and on. So let's not fool ourselves on this faux outrage.

But removing this was nearly as important as moving flagpoles based on their supposed sexual
lifestyles! Really, in a cash strapped city, with more problems than I am willing to go into here,
we are going to take a break from the drudgery to rip off a sign so it can never be used again?
4 Hours they worked on taking it down. Union wages. Really?

Finally I took the photo of the Sinagras with Mike Summers. That was a very happy day for all.
Mike was getting ready to run for council, and Tony was helping him. The longtime Democratic
turned Republican four time mayor, helping the recently lifelong Republican, now Democrat get
elected, because a person that always loved Lakewood thought it was needed.

Yeah Mike should bring back Sinagra Park. City Center Park is nearly as atrocious as many of the
other names DowntowN. And even if they don't it will always be Sinagra Park to me.

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Jim, I appreciate the personal connection. No problems there.

But it's not like Mr. Sinagra was innocent here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2010/ ... nagra.html

As a "new" Lakewood resident, circa 1999, this is the kind of cr*p I don't want in our town. Whether I agree, disagree or have no interest in his politics, he clearly was out of bounds.

I love Lakewood and completely disagree with where Mr. Summers is taking our city.

That said, it's not like we can close our eyes and pretend what Mr. Sinagara did didn't happen.

JMHO.

Matthew Lee wrote:Jim, I appreciate the personal connection. No problems there.

But it's not like Mr. Sinagra was innocent here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2010/ ... nagra.html

As a "new" Lakewood resident, circa 1999, this is the kind of cr*p I don't want in our town. Whether I agree, disagree or have no interest in his politics, he clearly was out of bounds.

I love Lakewood and completely disagree with where Mr. Summers is taking our city.

That said, it's not like we can close our eyes and pretend what Mr. Sinagara did didn't happen.

JMHO.

Matthew

I am not condoning what Tony did. And he would be the first one to say it was wrong, This has destroyed the
man mentally and physically, and he is accepting what ever the courts assign. I am a firm believe that if you
do the crime you better be ready to do the time, and I am sure Tony, his parents, and family would say the
same thing.

The only thing I question, and only because I was corrected is how necessary was it? To go through the name
change. You know maybe it was a better learning tool for kids to ask who Sinagra was and their parents could
explain right from wrong. and 2) Lucy did so much good for the city, would it have been so bad to remove Tony
from the sign and leave Lucy and the parents?

Again only because I was reminded it is now glamorous "City Center Park" a name right out of the developers
handbook of crappy names for parks. After over a year, people still refer to it as Sinagra Park, or that crappy
little area in front of Marc's. The only people calling it "City Center Park" are those on the dole in some way.

This thread was about some great people doing some great things artistically in Sinagra Park. Damn I said
it again and do not feel dirty or raped in anyway.

Last night Scott Meeson tracked me down. And asked me reallly? I care about it this much" And I said only
when asked and when that sign went up, every name on it, every official that I have photos either hugging
Tony or shaking hands with him knew he had been run out of town as mayor for illegal reasons. They did not
have to be there. When all of that was approved through a Mayoral Resolution could have refused. Ed Favre
for one, was not there and never agreed with the park.

As you are new to Lakewood maybe a trip back to those days would open your eyes. The city was very safe,
even though Cleveland was not. The city was very, very clean, even though other communities were filthy.
The city had a great reputation for being the safest in America(Look Magazine). The city had a plan and solid
direction and the residents knew what it was. Lakewood was one of the tightest communities in Northern Ohio.

Now I realize that for the new generation that seem less concerned with plans or protecting residents over big
box stores invading neighborhoods that might not mean something, but it does for me. I can say Tony Sinagra
was the best mayor we ever had, and I can say that knowing full well about the tires, the backhoe, and his
ability outside of political office in buying career politicians for $3,000 dollars and a bottle of cheap Chianti.

But that is only my view. And through it all I see little Lucy Sinagra trying to keep Lakewood Arts going in the
right direction, trying to keep the Beck, and Lakewood Park going and nice, and now trying to keep the family
in some for of family. Punish Tony, sure, but Lucy and the family?

Matthew as I told one young brash councilman that was so upset over a gay flagpole. Son we have bigger things
to worry about than the sexuality of a flag pole. I for one was more worried about the $10,000 it costs to remove
it as opposed to simply ignoring it.
This city is BROKE, the schools are BROKE, and we really have time or the money to carry out personal
vendettas towards two ex-mayors, just to show them who is in charge?

FWIW


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Matthew Lee wrote:...this is the kind of cr*p I don't want in our town.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...crappy names for parks.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...that crappy little area in front of Marc's.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:I find it utterly distasteful...

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...ohhhhhh the horror...

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...feel dirty or raped...

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...vile vicious terrible...

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...were filthy.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...as atrocious as...

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...faux outrage.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:...nearly as pitiful...

The subject line for this thread should read, "Holiday Music in the Park Inspires Crap, Hyperbole, and Nontroversy."

(See urbandictionary.com for definitions of nontroversy. Here is a link to 4 definitions. Pick your favorite: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p ... ontroversy)

This is one of the crappiest threads of 2011 (Sorry, Jim. I'm calling this one as I see it.). There were some other remarkably crappy threads this year. We might as well have fun and celebrate them. It's not too late for anyone to jump in with nominations to the list of "The Crappiest Threads of 2011". The top (bottom?) ten threads will be read aloud, in their entirety, from the bandstand at the Burning Monkey Festival.

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All I wanted to do was give some thanks to a couple people trying to make the city better.





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