The Observation Deck

Fomenting Fear

Starting on January 15, 2015, Mayor Summers and those aligned with him announced the closure of a 100+ year old institution--our largest employer saying it was "not financially sustainable" and would "run out of money by 2018" and "we would have an empty building worth nothing if we did not act NOW" .

This message was parroted at numerous public forums and Council meetings.

Twice in the past two months the Chairman of Lakewood Hospital Association, Tom Gable and others have come to Council saying the hospital is melting down. At one Council meeting on May 18th LHA Vice Chairwoman Ellen Brzytwa touted her list credentials (which were irrelevant to the matter at had) as she was nearly apoplectic that Council was not acting precipitously as she wished. The sky was falling--why can't Council and the public see it?

Ms. Madigan is 100% on board with these cohorts on LHA and last week in the Sun Post she claimed "Right now, the politics of fear is what I am trying to counter."

Accusations of "Personal Attacks" and "Mean Spirited" Actors vs the Real Failure of Leadership

That Tom Gable, Ellen Brzytwa, Summers, Madigan, Bullock and the LHA Board as a whole have completely failed in leadership is beyond debate--1. they have stood by and let hospital services be diminished in violation of the agreements they are duty bound to supervise and enforce; -- 2. they have accepted without challenge the CCF reasons for declining patent volumes "changes in healthcare", "market forces" vs CCF manipulation and self interest. The hospital is in a free fall and they sit on their hands.

That Madigan's leadership of Council is failed is plain for all to see. Hiding the ball, half-truths, indefensible factual claims rule the day.

In the Sun Post she claimed "some of the discussion about the Lakewood Hospital proposal has been mean spirited, but she wants to focus on the positive."

At Monday's Council meeting I called for a positive change in our two Council ex-officio appointments to LHA, i.e. replacing Madigan and Bullock with fresh representatives.

Why should we listen to the call of the current leaders who led us to the cliff tell us to "jump" off the their cliff on a leap of faith?

When I and others point to undeniable facts and call for a change in leadership to move in a positive direction instead of the proven failed direction, the facts and issues are ignored, and Madigan and Bullock shift the focus to me and others as being "mean spirited" and engaging "personal attacks."

These claims turn facts, logic and reason on their heads. NYPD Blue "Denial ain't no river in Egypt."

Rather than focus on the their "personal" hurt feelings and the negative "personal" ramifications to their careers if they admit failure and give up some control, they should face facts and act to do something positive for Lakewood.

Change is not possible without accountability. Accountability is not possible without good leadership. These principles are like air and water. Like love and truth.

There is no denying them. It is time for true change.

"I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's Hell."
-- Harry S Truman

It is far easier to accuse us of being mean spirited then answer the questions, or let anyone
in on their 3+ year secret plan.

It is amazing just how their fear mongering has droned out facts.

Last night, "What if there is nothing there?"

A legit question, but a sane person would then look at the management that ran the once
profitable hospital into the ground, and at least say, NEW MANAGMENT.

But the real FACT is, there might be nothing there because of the City's actions.

.

Fact: The Clinic will never leave Lakewood. The Clinic needs Lakewood.
Fact: Lakewood does not need the Clinic--any suggestion we do is based on ignorance and disinformation--simple FEAR!
Fact: The hospital, the assets and the office buildings have not been marketed for sale or lease in any professional or objective way free of the Clinic control and influence.

Fact: To sell such a bundle of properties would take years of sustained efforts---not a couple of RFPs by a tainted Board and an out of town rep--we have 11 years to do that.

Opinion: We can never get a worse deal or price than the one being offered unless Summers is re-elected.

It seems to me that the administration and much of council are the ones driving the "politics of fear" regarding the hospital. They want us to believe it's "their way or the highway folks"! This is not the result of "market forces" or "changing healthcare landscapes". It's the result of decisions made by those trusted to do the exact opposite of what they have been doing, which is keeping our hospital healthy.

"Personal attacks"? Who else are we to direct our questions and displeasure to if not the people responsible? Save Lakewood Hospital has bent over backwards to avoid such attacks.

"Mean spirited"? Seems to me that destroying a community hospital, thereby pulling the rug out from under the citizens and replacing it with a glorified doctor's office is way more "mean spirited" than any discourse I've heard or seen yet.

How Madigan can spin all this as "positive" is really incredible!

Example of "mean spirited": pulling the microphone cord on a citizen who is speaking at City Council

Marguerite Harkness wrote:Example of "mean spirited": pulling the microphone cord on a citizen who is speaking at City Council

Marguerite

They fly fast and loose with the truth.

This was used in everyone of their "battles."

I always loved it with the WestEnd where every FACT was a lie, and the opposition was "mean spirited."

One side wanted 1,500 to "disappear and die" for cheesecake, the other side wanted to save their homes.

Hmmmmmmm, mean spirited or sane and desperate?

This will soon be followed by, "we are just trying to do good things, look at our history."
And you will see 10 years of them giving each other awards for things they didn't do.

It has been an amazing production.

To bad, it is always powered by greed and peer pressure, never transparency and critical thought.

.

Cameron Karslake- " How can Madigan spin all of this as positive is really incredible". Cameron, she can't. She's bankrupt. Even The Lakewood Democratic Club turned their back on her. Brian Essi is right to question her credibility/legitimacy in serving out her term. She not only withheld information from the public, she apparently kept other members on City Council in the dark. When it comes to the politics of exclusion Ms. Madigan is an equal opportunity practitioner . She is the uncommunicative, Director of Communications for Cuyahoga county. I feel an executive session coming on.

M-so true! This cast of characters is so antithetical to public service I wish I had paid more attention over the last 20 yrs as to how this city goes about it's business.

Cameron:

It's never too late to get back into the swim. The old politics of fear that the folks at city hall keep tossing around against anyone who opposes their thought (or thoughtless) process is working against them. I hear it every day. More than 3,000 people have said that they can't understand why a mayor and city council want to give away our largest employer for a mere pittance. This city is in an uproar caused by them and the best defense that they have is to blame the people who want to save a valuable asset.

They say we want to keep something that is old and rundown and that we are emotional about. If you have a better idea, bring it forward, they say.

They can't admit that all of the damage was done on their watch because they are inept and deliberately accepted a non-responsive RFP proposal from the Clinic to tear down our hospital. That RFP should have been tossed out with the trash as soon as they saw it was not a valid response.

Metro made two more than generous proposals to save the hospital and were deliberately ignored by Mike Summers.

We want to save the hospital and save the city from these folks who make a living on the politics of fear. If you save the hospital, you save the city by keeping a valuable asset. They want a recreation center and higher taxes to support it.

Three members of the current school board think that's a good idea too.chool board will be looking for more money soon and we will remember that three of them think it's a good idea to give away our biggest asset.

It's going to be a fun year for politics in this old town. Jump in with us and let's get a new and fresh team in at city hall and the school board.

tom monahan wrote:Cameron:

...

Three members of the current school board think that's a good idea too.chool board will be looking for more money soon and we will remember that three of them think it's a good idea to give away our biggest asset.

It's going to be a fun year for politics in this old town. Jump in with us and let's get a new and fresh team in at city hall and the school board.

Wow, looking at the Deck, there are so many things going on I realize I missed this entire thread. Which is hilarious. How can an attack be more personal than trying to get rid of a community's hospital behind their backs?

I didn't realize that we had school board members that thought destroying the hospital was a good idea. It IS an election year. Getting rid of a hospital is a very backwards-thinking move for those who are supposed to be looking after the welfare of our children.

It's time to make sure we get each school board member's position on this this.

Tom, do you know which school members support destroying the hospital? Thanks.


Betsy Voinovich

Beebe, Einhouse and Shaughnessy all signed a letter to Council expressing their support of the for the LOI.

I guess this would come under the politics of Fear and INTIMIDATION.

Is Lakewood Greece? Not in the sense that our City is bankrupt but in the sense that regional organizations believe that independent communities like Lakewood get in the way.

The City has its share of problems but overall is doing well. The residents of Lakewood see a vibrant City with an independent Library, independent sewer system, independent water system, independent school system, independent newspaper, it's own hospital and more.

Most people in Lakewood see that as a good thing. However, the people in positions of power in the "regional" institutions and government see a nail that must be hammered down.

How will they take their revenge? Make no mistake about it, like Greece, Lakewood will be punished. The people have challenged the game plan and pulled back the curtain.

What form will the retribution take?

Will we have a Mayor and Council that can push back?

Thanks Tom, I am already on board. Better late than never.

Cameron,
Quite a few of the very productive citizens on Save Lakewood Hospital, came in saying "I'm late to the Table, but I'm here now." We are glad to have your participation.

It is not too late. We keep discovering more and more "secrets."

Another intimidation tactic has come to light. I have heard that residents of The Westerly have been told (not sure if in writing) by Curt Brosky, that they are not to participate in any efforts to Save Lakewood Hospital. Residents are afraid they will lose the right to live in The Westerly if they speak up or participate in any way.

Any Westerly resident can call Save Lakewood Hospital at 216-221-9202 to give us specific information and we will preserve your anonymity if you are worried about that.