The Observation Deck

One last postscript on the Fitz disaster.

I knew he'd have a terrible night, but I didn't expect this...he lost the Lakewood vote by ten points.
I'm not shocked that he lost here, but I didn't think it would be double digits.
Even more amazingly, he lost his own precinct by more than 2-1.

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/in ... rt_m-rpt-1

You beat me to this, Michael Deneen!

What can you say that's positive? The people that knew him best didn't support him. I really cannot see him continuing a political career - the people he needs have run the other way. But somehow, I doubt he realizes much of the reason for his loss can be attributed to himself. Thats his biggest character flaw.

Grace O'Malley wrote:You beat me to this, Michael Deneen!

What can you say that's positive? The people that knew him best didn't support him. I really cannot see him continuing a political career - the people he needs have run the other way. But somehow, I doubt he realizes much of the reason for his loss can be attributed to himself. Thats his biggest character flaw.

Of course he doesn't realize why he lost, listening to his speech last night and that of his running mate they are convinced it had to do with campaign spending. He lost because at the end of the day his character or lack thereof spoke a lot about him. Many said the lack of a driver's license wasn't a big deal but it was. It showed that he felt he was above the law, that the rules didn't apply to him, especially since a drivers license is such a small thing. Also it was weird. If I knew an adult neighbor who drove around but didn't have a drivers license I would think it was weird.

Monday night we watched Ed FitzGerald hand picked council members get voted down
on chickens. Could we see the entire FitzGerald, St. Lukes, Lakewood Catholic Academy,
Lakewood Soccer power structure stumbling and failing?

FitzGerald's hand picked council members, mayor, department heads, and cuts. Hmmmmm
starting to understand the whole issue so much more clearly. No attnetion to detail. They
talk of him coming back. Because he saved each household $2.00 a year on trash collection?

And after last night Republican steam roller, maybe Lakewood's Rs will increase by 10%
or 20% to the high 40s.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:Could we see the entire FitzGerald, St. Lukes, Lakewood Catholic Academy,
Lakewood Soccer power structure stumbling and failing?

Each local office holder will sink or swim depending on their own record.

That said, the winds of change are blowing.
I expect 2015 to be a very active year in Lakewood politics...no sleepy election this time.

Ed Fitzgerald was a big disappointment as County Executive.

He should have challenged the Democratic Party establishment instead of endorsing it.

He should have challenged the crony capitalist economic model that is doing so much damage to Cuyahoga County. Instead he rubber stamped that policy.

He should have done SOMETHING for the City of Lakewood. It was probably our last chance.

The election of Armond Budish signals the end of the so called "reform" movement. He will settle in to a comfortable sinecure and stand by why the decline continues.
Don't look for him to challenge any of the County institutions that are doing so much damage.

The movement out of Cuyahoga County is accelerating. The coming closure of Lakewood Hospital is going to have a serious affect on the Lakewood economy and no one cares. Oh well.

The next election in Lakewood will probably be the most important in City history. I'm hoping for a candidate that is willing to challenge the Democratic Party power structure but I'm not very optimistic.

Michael Deneen wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Could we see the entire FitzGerald, St. Lukes, Lakewood Catholic Academy,
Lakewood Soccer power structure stumbling and failing?

Each local office holder will sink or swim depending on their own record.

Mike

It always amazes me just how blind you are to real cause and effect in Lakewood.

Meanwhile in the next thread, Call is talking about the Democratic Power structure.

Since the Ed FitzGerald administration arrived on City Hall there has been an agenda
handed down from office holder to office holder, that was either appointed or backed by
Ed, and cronies. This is not strange, this is how power works. Those who acquire own it,
trade it, use and abuse it.

To ignore the real power structures in this town is to live in LALALA land.

Right now the fight for chickens... The "power structure" threatens elected officials.

Right now, the fight for Rec Department... The power structure wants control

Right now, business instead of families... The power structure wants lower taxes and less Lakewoodites.

These are very real issues, and played out in damn near anything.

The next election is being planned as Mike has his meetings and plans if he or who will be
the next mayor is. This is how it has worked for a long time here and elsewhere. One could
just say, "The same everywhere" But the is to sell short, the essence of the scene.

Our next mayor is why Dru works out at the Gym to be presentable in his new
"Hipster" yawn, bored look.

At the great chicken war the other night...


Total hipster, look.


See, Joe Beno, slightly older and more secure of himself, at least appears to be working,
when in the presence of the public and his direct employers.


But the hipster Dru, shows complete disdain for both the residents talking...


... and city officials as he completes another level in Candy Crush...


...Or tweets about how good something he did is.

He has the hipster thing down.

FWIW

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:
Meanwhile in the next thread, Call is talking about the Democratic Power structure.

Right now, business instead of families... The power structure wants lower taxes and less Lakewoodites.

Any interesting analysis from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/opini ... .html?_r=0

The most interesting part:

"But they are turning not to politics as their lever but to social enterprise, to nonprofits, to advocacy, to business. They see that Wendy Kopp, who founded Teach for America in her dorm room at Princeton University, has had more impact on the education system than any current senator, and many have given up on political paths to change."

Kristof is bemoaning the fact that people are working to improve their lives and their communities outside of government. What he sees as a negative I see as a positive. I think it is a good sign that people work outside of government to improve their lives and their communities. Kristof sees it as a negative. That's the true divide in American politics.

Anyway..

What do you mean when you say focus on housing? Do more public employee pension millionaires create a better Lakewood?

I say challenge the Democratic power structure because that is the power structure we have. That power structure is subsidizing downtown development and ex-urb development, refusing to challenge County institutions and hollowing out local communities. A good start would be to finally say no to tax increases and to demand excellence from our County institutions.

Don't hold your breath.

For the love of god....

Seriously?

Your off the wall theories are one thing, their your opinions, enjoy them, but the knock it off with the personal attacks and liablist claims.

Kind of interesting to look at the numbers for FitzGerald, I thought the numbers sounded familiar to me so I went back and looked his last three city wide races.

2005 At Large Race - 5,707

2007 Mayor - 6,345

2010 County Executive - 7,614

2014 Governor - 5,629

Christopher Bindel wrote:For the love of god....

Seriously?

Your off the wall theories are one thing, their your opinions, enjoy them, but the knock it off with the personal attacks and liablist claims.

I missed the Libelous claims and personal attacks.

* The "power structure is freaking over chickens" I have the text messages to prove,
"XXXXX is going down..." to paraphrase. From 4 different sources.

* The Rec Deaprtment is under siege, from those that want a new rec center and free
sports fields. I bet there are drawings at city hall already.

* And for the past 12 years there has been a switch from worrying about residents to
courting businesses. If you doubt that, you are naive. There are exactly 7 groups to
represent businesses in and to city hall. You yourself are part of one. There are No groups
representing the residents to City Hall with the exception of possibly LEAF, and LCSC
group, both who are also dependent on the city and local businesses.

And Mr. Siley has been open to some about getting in shape for "bigger things." *

Let's be honest Chris, here I have no room to talk. I should be working out too. We all should.

I do not really take that as an attack, I have many hipster friends. I like beards and them
as people. If a person says Hipster it usual refers to a relaxed look that takes hours to
perfect, slightly scruffy, but not too much. Also some product in the hair, but not metro-
sexual levels. Cotton shirt with pattern, short hair with beard as long or longer. How is
that a personal attack, unless you don't like hipsters?

It does amaze me that you have never noticed that My Siley spends most of a council
session looking and texting from his smart phone. I mean I get it, those meetings are hell.
But if you look at everyone else in the room Mayor, Law Director, Finance Director, Fire
Chief, Police Chief, Shawn Juris, Mary Louise Madigan, Sam O'Leary, Cindy Marx, David
Anderson and even Tom Bullock arriving fashionably late, at least makes an effort to look
interested in their job. Even Joe Beno got rid of the magazines and does his paperwork ie
work during the meeting. He might be signing the same piece of paper 1,000 times, but
he appears to be involved. Watch the videos, it is kind of like well, cool, in a detached way.

Or were you upset that I said for when it comes to agendas, "Councilman Juris is the most
effective member of council?"

* items, not saying good or bad, not saying they are illegal, not saying one person controls
everything, just saying these are the powers at work in this city, to ignore them is foolish,
and not understand council.

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I maintain, I believe your opinions are exaggerated, but I wasn’t commenting on those, so I don’t know why you felt the need to reiterate them.

I do not have a problem with hipsters, however it is not a term I have heard used positively too often, so forgive me if for thinking you were using it in a negative sarcastic way, which would be consistent with the rest of your post. And I don’t know too many hipsters that where full suits.

In regards to Director Siley’s demeanor during the meeting, that was a painful and long meeting for everyone in attendance. To take a few unflattering photos and make it look like he is board and use them to infer that he is some sort of slacker is at best irresponsible and at worst libelous.

I like how you say “It does amaze me that you have never noticed that My Siley spends most of a council session looking and texting from his smart phone” like you spend a lot of time in Council meetings and have noticed this. I have been attending Council meetings for 7 years and I have seen you there maybe a dozen times. So I am curious how you would know this. Its obviously not first hand. I’m sure it comes from the numerous secret sources you have, even though most meetings are only attended by me and the guy from the Post.

Regardless, I did noticed, and I have also noticed that all the other people you mention often look just as board as Siley did at other meetings. They are required to attend these meeting whether or not they have something on the agenda, and in cases like this 3 hour circus we had, how could one not look a little contemptuous. Joe and the Police Chief specifically are notorious for having out magazines, but you wouldn’t know that because your hardly ever there. Not to call them out specifically because pretty much every person in that room has been guilty of it at some point or another. This doesn’t prevent them from doing their job. You forget, they have already been at the office all day. This is additional time they have to spend away from their family.

And how the hell do you know what he is doing on his phone? In the day we live in you can do as much business on a phone as you can do with a computer or a stack of papers in front of you, which according to your statements would have been fine by you. But, because he was on a phone he is suddenly a slacker. I am on a few boards for the city and I regularly use my phone to access pertinent information during meetings. Now I’m not trying to say that Siely was doing work on his phone, my point is you have NO idea what he was doing. And you are simply making assumptions for cheap stabs to emphasize your point.

I don’t belong to any groups that ‘represent’ businesses. If you are referring to Pillars you obviously have no idea what Pillars is what is, and what is happening with Pillars right now. Pillars is a young professionals group in Lakewood that is currently redefining itself. I suggest you check out our Mission, Vision, and Values on our Facebook page and really educate you’re self on the group before you start making claims.

https://www.facebook.com/PillarsOfLakewood/info

Chris

Dru always looks good. But you have to admit, he is sporting a hipster look. One would
believe with a tad of critical thinking, a guy that is a hipsters dream come true, creating an
endless supply of craft beer, and the toning, and the talk, and an election, and, and and it
bears mention. As far as a negative way, it probably is that I am a sixty year old chubby h
hippie, that makes it seem that way, but I just found it an easy hook for a description that
"nailed" a hipster description.

With regards to the meeting. They are all dreadful. I cannot thank you enough for covering
them. War pay. However this was a pretty exciting meeting once you knew the players and
the staging. Joe Gibbons last! Spectacular, can't get much more credible then Joe Gibbons.
But Mr. Siley, unlike you or me gets paid to be there. I am paying Mr. Siley. As far as
portraying them as anything but the truth about attention, they were taken over 10
minutes. I said, watch the video from City Hall, skip my photos! Is that biased?

I have never portrayed Mr Siley as lazy, if anything he is an overachiever and works too
hard. My complaints with Dru have nothing to do with him no working. Planning, agendas,
friendships, political, shortsightedness on what Lakewood is or could be, it's a long list,
LAZY, I wish he was.

"How do I know what was on his phone?"

How about, he lifts the phone on angles that can be seen, or I know who he was texting because I know them, or...

You as a resident and the resident's reporter you should be asking... Why is he on his
smart phone for an hour at a meeting he is getting six figures to be at?!?!?!?!?!?

If that is not total hipster, I am missing something.
(gary rice told me to drop those in now and then)

Chris you know me too well to know I don't go off half cocked. I had 6 people at the
meeting texting me from the meeting while I was at the damn meeting. There were only
60 people there! Then 20 more outside the meeting texting getting torches and pitchforks
ready for THE ONLY MEMBER OF COUNCIL TO GO IN UNBIASED ANDSTUDY THE WHOLE
THING. Typical Lakewood hang the smart ones, run them out of town, no room for those
pesky thinkers in da Wood. Kiss ass stand in line be good and some day you will move
up one spot to continue to kiss ass and stand in line, and some day...

Which brings us back to the conversation of Ed FitzGerald and his hand pick machine.

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Frankly I don’t see the hipster in Dru, but I don’t care enough about ones style to debate over that.

In regards to the video you refer to, it would be helpful if you were to share a link if you actually want me to watch it, as I can’t seem to find whatever video you are talking about.

Yes, Dru does get paid to be there, but that does not change the fact that he is not the only one to ever get caught not paying painful attention. As I stated in my previous post, they all have done it. And if you think he is the exact opposite of lazy then why bother pointing it out at all? Is it simply because you want to make him look bad because you don’t like things that he is so busy doing, as you pointed out?

AS a resident and a resident reporter I don’t care what he is doing on his phone for an hour at a meeting (and the meeting was 3 hours long by the way). He did not have any items on the agenda, no questions were asked of him, and I have never seen Dru anything but prepared whenever he has something to present or even when he is asked a random question on the fly. So as long as he can effectively do his job, I don’t care. If you care so much, I would hate you to see what I am doing during these meeting. I hate to tell you but I am not giving my undivided attention. That’s what I have a recorder for.

As for your opinions of Dru’s work and intentions, and your whole theory of cronyism in City hall I respectfully disagree and don’t have the time to get in a long winded debate that wont achieve anything but aggravating us both.

You know what the frustrating part about this is, we’re on the same side of the chicken issue, and I have had my fair share of intense debate with people over it.

Did I notice MY name being mentioned here?

While it might not be time quite yet for another one of my iconic peacemaking campfire banjo sing-a-longs, there is another aspect to all of this for all of you beardless ones....

November has been designated the month for men to grow beards in recognition of mens health issues and many, many guys are doing that.

Hipsterism therefore, would seem to have nothing whatsoever to do with this.

Our government leaders may well be simply showing an admirable concern for humankind with their beards.

That, or maybe they're trying to emulate porcupines?

Unfortunately, I have not grown mine out this year.....Tried last year, but beards and my complexion don't mix very well.

I suppose that I could grow out my ear and nose hairs. They are rather thick, although that's probably more information than you need to know here....

Hmmm.....I guess I'd better stick to the banjo...