The Observation Deck

This past Wednesday, August 7th, the Cuyahoga County Board of Election's filing deadline passed for this year's Fall election, leaving only two candidates registered to run. Current Lakewood Board of Education president and longtime Board member Ed Favre, and longtime Board Member Betsy Shaughnessy.

This will make the fifth time they have run unopposed, when they have run together, in their Board careers, the other elections were 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2009.

I asked Ed Favre what he made of this.

“On one hand I’m flattered, on the other hand I’m humbled. I certainly hope it’s not because people think being a board member is such a bad job. I hope it’s because people are satisfied with the job we’re doing."

He is proud of the work the Board and Administration have been doing but recognizes that there is more to be done.

"There are tremendous challenges and great work to be done," he said, "all of which can be very positive for Lakewood.”

Running unopposed gives the District the benefit of smooth sailing in the Fall, instead of the disruption and time and energy diverted to working on an election.

“This enables us to put all of our focus on the bond issue and the completion of the school facilities project,” he said.

Betsy Voinovich

We are once again in total harmony with nature.

Scott Meeson wrote:We are once again in total harmony with nature.

Scott

Are we?

While this is alright.

Is it?

What causes no one to step up election after election? While not so troubling with the
Lakewood School Board, no one for mayor, Council people that never should have made
it to council, with a jihad against residents running un-opposed, though everyone in that
ward outraged and asking WTF?

Should we get rid of wards, and have 3 Council or 5 Council-At-Large for more money?

Do we drop two School Board members and raise the price?

How do we get back on track with democracy in Lakewood?

Like I said, this is not the best case to underline the problem, but down the road? We are
looking at the pretty much orchestrated Council-At-Large race, and ponder...

FWIW

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Scott Meeson wrote:We are once again in total harmony with nature.

Scott

Are we?

While this is alright.

Is it?

What causes no one to step up election after election? While not so troubling with the
Lakewood School Board, no one for mayor, Council people that never should have made
it to council, with a jihad against residents running un-opposed, though everyone in that
ward outraged and asking WTF?

Should we get rid of wards, and have 3 Council or 5 Council-At-Large for more money?

Do we drop two School Board members and raise the price?

How do we get back on track with democracy in Lakewood?

Like I said, this is not the best case to underline the problem, but down the road? We are
looking at the pretty much orchestrated Council-At-Large race, and ponder...

FWIW

.

Well, it seems like the jihad against residents being perpetrated by the School Board ended with them agreeing to keep Grant school open, and to include it in the Phase 3 plan to be rebuilt.

The decision before that had residents (parents) having to leave the most populated area of Lakewood to walk their small children to other elementary schools through very busy streets and railroad crossings that in most cases were nowhere near their neighborhood-- all in order to clear the Grant school neighborhood for what-- Development? Was it the case that everyone who mattered (not the residents of central Lakewood) wished for an even bigger Marc's plaza...? Grant school had to go for the betterment of Lakewood? Along with the two most historically valuable and valid buildings in Lakewood, the first school building for this entire area, and the first school in Lakewood. Who needs that stuff anyway.

Anyway, those were the bad old days. That decision was made by the very people running this Fall unopposed. The point is that if those very same people seem to have seen the light, and have now made good decisions, why not keep them?

Voters want to see good decisions being made. They want to feel as if they are represented. If they feel that they are, then the fact that the same people have been there for more than a quarter of a century might be a good thing, right? Those people must really like doing that job, and for so little money. Scott-- your video is really funny, especially the title but if these are our Board members FOREVER and they are doing a good job-- or a good job of looking like they're doing a good job, for the cynics out there-- what's the problem?

As for the City Council, we DO have some new choices this Fall, and when the campaign heats up, maybe we will see that there are candidates to choose who recognize that there has been a jihad against residents, in terms of favoring business development over residential concerns and well-being, every single time. Some of our current representatives seem to crave as many dollar stores and drug stores as we can stuff into the city, even though many of them are empty 95 percent of the time. Better than vacant lots. Are they? Do they make our city more attractive and viable? Who else will want to come to Dollar Avenue-- I mean Detroit Avenue. And some do-- we can keep naming them. The Root, Lion and Blue, for example who have owners with vision because they are living the Lakewood livability/walkability dream. They live really near where they work and understand that whole thing. There's some expression about not messing up the area near where you and your children eat.

Does anyone have a better idea than the current jihad? Does anyone have the skills to get better ideas implemented?

We'll see.

Betsy Voinovich

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Scott Meeson wrote:We are once again in total harmony with nature.

Scott
What causes no one to step up election after election?

.

Jim,

Complete and utter tranquility with the positive momentum of Lakewood.

Scott

here is another example of "positve momentum":

Betsy Voinovich