The Observation Deck

I guess it's too late for the November election.

I'm not sure how too proceed but I'll look into it.

The proposed new name will be: The City of Downtown Cleveland!

Just think about it. When an application for funds is forwarded to our County government or the State of Ohio the first thing they will see is that the money is being requested by Downtown Cleveland. No idea will be too dumb, no expense will be deemed unseemly. The money will pour in.

I strongly disagree with your overall view that Lakewood competes with Downtown.

As an inner-ring suburb, Lakewood directly benefits from downtown development.
One of the primary reasons that people choose Lakewood is because of our easy access to downtown.
Unlike other inner ring suburbs, we have two easy access highways plus a very nearby Rapid station.

If the new housing down there makes it more attractive to downtown businesses and visitors, that's a good thing for us.

Besides, those young people moving in downtown are all potential Lakewood homeowners. Once they have kids, they will leave the city due to the horrific schools....Lakewood offers an excellent option for them.

I'm with you, Michael. If anything, the problem is with Lakewood trying to compete with downtown Cleveland by investing so much in the business side and not the residential side. As JOB has said a million times, we need to focus on clean, safe, open parks and good schools, focused on those living here. We should always be the first choice for young couples who will eventually leave downtown Cleveland to start a family.

Michael Deneen wrote:Besides, those young people moving in downtown are all potential Lakewood homeowners. Once they have kids, they will leave the city due to the horrific schools....Lakewood offers an excellent option for them.

"You may not be interested in war but war is interested in you."
Leon Trotsky didn't actually say that but it's a nice quote.

"You may not be interested in the competition but the competition is interested in you."
Bill Call did actually say that.

Every taxpayer subsidized downtown apartment is in competition with non subsidized apartments all across Cuyahoga County. Since Lakewood appeals to the same market it suffers more from the subsidies.

If all of those billions of dollars spent to subsidize downtown development were bringing new people and business to Cleveland it might be of some small help to Lakewood. However, since we embarked on the good ship

The Orgy of Subsidies

the City has lost jobs and people. The latest census update shows Cuyahoga County on course to lose 10% of its population within the decade.

You are correct in stating that all of those new downtown residents will head for the exits after a few years. Who will replace them? Will a region with a declining population AND aging population provide enough young people to fill those apartments? Of course not.

Since our political leadership is addicted to the subsidy culture their solution will be to offer more subsidies. Those additional subsidies will increase the cost of living for the rest of us and put even more economic pressure on cities like Lakewood.

Since I like a good conspiracy theory:

Since the leadership knows that the subsidy policy isn't attracting new business and new people

and they know that their policy simple bribes people to move from one side of town to the other

is it possible that the hidden side of their development policy is to deliberately starve some areas so that the

Downtown Disneyland development model will survive?