The Observation Deck

Senator Skindell - If elected mayor, will you commit to replacing all of the Summers- Siley clique embedded at city hall? If you made that pledge, it would be a lot easier to believe that we are looking at something new in Lakewood politics.

Thank you for the question to me regarding my thoughts on staffing composition at City Hall and changes I would make. Let me first say that there is only a small number of individuals employed at City Hall who sit at the Mayor's pleasure. With respect to those individuals, I will build a talented team of individuals who will fully support my goals of restoring trust, ending the backroom deals, and saving Lakewood Hospital. They will have to be professional individuals who will fully and openly engage the public prior to approving or rejecting any programmatic or development plans or proposals. I want to develop a neighborhood economic development planning process as opposed to one that is City Hall centric. As Mayor, I would not view Lakewood as my private business, but rather I view Lakewood as the people's community. I want employees in city hall who are responsive and will listen to residents, homeowners, businesses and anyone passing through, and I want management who will be engaging the employees and the entire community. I want a broader and more diverse citizenry serving on our boards and commissions, and not just the same small group of individuals. People who know me know I do not make my decisions through a committee of 1 or 2, but rather my decision making process involves an infinite number of committee members. As Mayor, it will be all of Lakewood.

Mr. Skindell,

Thank you for responding to questions in this forum.

I searched the archives of the "deck" and found no posts from Mayor Summers.

This is refreshing.

Thank you!

Rhonda Loje

Senator Skindell, Thank you for your response. In that brief paragraph you laid out a vision for Lakewood that is inspiring. A vision that among other things holds out the promise of restoring transparency and inclusiveness at City Hall and just as importantly the promise of opening doors and ensuring that city government reflects our increasingly diverse population. - I'm all in.

Rhonda loje wrote:This is refreshing.

It is.

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Bravo to Senator Skindell for breaking the ice on his first Deck post.....and for prompting Steve Davis' return to the Deck.

Steve, I like your efficient choice of words!