The Observation Deck

This question was posted on Facebook and the citizens of Lakewood deserve an answer:

Here's my question to the group: Lakewood City Council has the final say in what happens with Lakewood Hospital correct? At least that's my understanding. If that is correct, why doesn't Lakewood City Council tell the Cleveland Clinic to just pay off the remaining 10 years of the lease, and then get the hell out of Lakewood? After all, they do have a lease which is signed through 2026! Generally with most leases, usually you can get out of the lease early as long as you pay off the remaining payments that are still left on the lease. Why should this be treated any differently? I could be totally off base here, but I'm just curious about other peoples thoughts on this train of thought. Maybe with the Clinic out of the way, at that point Metro or even University Hospital might reconsider getting involved with Lakewood Hospital again. Just a thought!!

Tom Bullock wrote:Thanks for your note and sharing your views. (I'm not a frequent Facebook user, and would need to limit official City Council responses to an official channel, such as this email account.)

To speak to the points in the question:

The Clinic doesn't hold a lease--a common misperception. The Lakewood Hospital Association (LHA) has the lease with the City; and the Clinic has signed a 30-year Definitive Agreement with LHA to run day-to-day operations. We're in year 19 of that lease, with 11 remaining.

It's LHA that's incurring the financial losses, not the Clinic.

Overtures have been made multiple times over the last five years (both informally and formally) to University Hospitals, the Sisters of Charity, and MetroHealth to invite them to make a sustainable proposal to partner with Lakewood Hospital and operate it as an inpatient facility over the long term. They have declined multiple times, with the partial exception of MetroHealth, which made a preliminary proposal in a response to an RFP process conducted by LHA. They later withdrew their proposal. More recently, multiple Lakewood City Councilmembers have reached out to MetroHealth to solicit their interest in Lakewood Hospital. After a period of confusing and unclear public statements, MetroHealth clarified in writing that it does not want to run Lakewood Hospital as an inpatient facility. Interestingly, they left the door open to having an outpatient facility in Lakewood, similar to what the Clinic has stated it's interested in in future years.

Would it really be in the interests of our community to tell the Clinic, or any major health care provider, to "get the hell out of Lakewood"? Lakewood City Council has heard multiple times from many residents and health care experts that have spoken to us at public meetings that a crucial priority is to maintain or increase health care access for patients in Lakewood Hospital's service area. I don't personally think, despite frustration with the current situation, that what is suggested would be prudent or constructive for the residents of Lakewood.

Where things stand now:

City Council continues to work diligently, in good faith and with all deliberate speed to understand and assess the proposed plan, whose signatories have indicated continued interest in drafting a detailed agreement to execute it, and to evaluate whether alternatives to it exist and are feasible. These efforts have included over 20 meetings by City Council with representatives of LHA, LHF, the Cleveland Clinic, LHA's consultant Subsidium, human service organizations, and other community organizations and members of the public, as well as analysis of the Definitive Agreement and Lease relating to Lakewood Hospital by outside legal counsel (Thompson Hine LLP).

To aid in our independent review, Council recently engaged a national consulting firm, Huron Business Advisory, to examine the analysis prepared for Lakewood Hospital Association that led to the proposal being considered by Council. Huron's review will include a look at the hospital's financial sustainability and the city's options to attract health care providers. A report will be made available to Council and the public upon completion (expected by next Monday, August 17).

Huron Business Advisory is one of the nation's largest healthcare consulting firms, with more than 1,200 employees providing strategic, financial and transaction advisory services specifically tailored to the healthcare industry. Huron's review for the city is being led by John M. Bodine, a managing director with more than 20 years of experience in this field.

In short, we don't yet have a decision, but continue to evaluate the evidence.

Sincerely,
Tom

_________________________
Tom Bullock
Lakewood City Council at Large
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Tom Bullock wrote:Why I Trust Mike Summers To Lead Lakewood For Another Four Years

I don’t always directly weigh in on elections affecting our community, but in this year’s mayor’s race, the choice is clear: Mayor Mike Summers is the best choice to lead Lakewood for another term, and I strongly support him for reelection. As a councilperson who works daily with Mayor Summers, I wanted to share why I trust him to lead our community for another four years.

Lakewood is on the right track, and city government is well managed. Mike Summers is a public servant with character, intelligence, and a work ethic second to none. His thirty-two years’ management experience makes him the most-qualified elected official in the city for the job.

I’ll say from the start that I respect the service of Lakewood’s state senator, who is also a candidate for mayor. I respect his right to view the issues differently, although I disagree with some of his statements, and I believe some of his positions are based on misunderstanding. We all have a right to make up our own minds on both issues and candidates, and I hope we will do so in a courteous manner free from personal attacks. The citizens of Lakewood deserve a civil, thoughtful community discussion about the election for mayor this year—and every year.

So here are my reasons for supporting Mayor Summer for reelection:

Lakewood is experiencing some of its best days in modern memory. Exciting new businesses are opening in Lakewood almost monthly— more than $100 million dollars of investment have been infused into the Lakewood economy since Mayor Summers took office in 2011, a city record. Thousands of families are improving their beautiful century homes with more than $10 million dollars in improvements every year for the last two years. Lakewood has become the number one community of choice for young families in all of Cuyahoga County.

Under Summers’ guidance, Lakewood has significantly improved our streets, parking, sewers, and parks—including the transformational Solstice Steps at Lakewood Park.

Lakewood is in the strongest financial shape we’ve been in for years, as measured by our robust financial reserves—our community’s savings account. This is no small accomplishment, given state budget cuts to the Local Government Fund and tax revenue losses during the Great Recession.

Mayor Summers is strong on safety. He has partnered with City Council to maintain our Police and Fire Departments at full force levels, keeping the number of patrol officers at the highest levels they’ve been in our city’s history. Under Mayor Summers, Lakewood has added police cameras, provided emergency responders with the best training, and modernized emergency radios (among the first in the state to do so).

To be sure, our entrepreneurs and homeowners are leading the way on reinvestment. But Mike Summers’ leadership at City Hall is a big part of this success: his Administration has attracted new investment such as the McKinley Place cluster home development, improved home inspection quality and consistency, stabilized distressed properties, and beautified our public spaces.

With Mike Summers at the helm, I know City Hall will continue to improve. Through his diligence, attention to detail, and respect for employees, City Hall has, for the first time, implemented the LEAN process for continuous improvement (a management best practice used by employers worldwide). Mayor Summers brings a relentless attention to detail (rare among elected officials) that has already improved city procedures, budgeting, and staffing policies. These are important to continue for another four years so that efficiency, effectiveness, and customer service become deeply rooted at City Hall.

Let me tell you one issue this mayoral election is NOT about: it’s not about Lakewood Hospital. The hospital is a City Council issue for this year and not a mayoral issue for next year. As we know, it’s Lakewood City Council, together with public input from Lakewood citizens, that will make a decision about Lakewood Hospital, perhaps as early as this year. For a candidate to run on promises about Lakewood Hospital is confusing and misleading—since there is no guarantee those promises can be kept.

It’s possible to support Mayor Summers, as I do, and still to ask tough questions about the proposal. As a community we can prefer keeping Lakewood Hospital as an inpatient facility, and reserve the right to consider alternatives. City Council has the hospital issue before it, and we will continue working on it in good faith and with all deliberate speed. We do not yet know what the outcome will be—only that City Council will make the decision with input from the public.

Finally, as a fellow elected official who works day-to-day with Mayor Summers, I can vouch for his job performance. Mayor Summers personally is thoughtful, fairly hears all ideas, researches carefully, works hard, and respects input from employees and residents. When it comes to new initiatives, he is neither afraid to try them nor blindly optimistic, but screens and evaluates each on its merits. On issues where he and I disagree, I can count on him to keep an open mind and to give my ideas a fair hearing. Sometimes I persuade him, and sometimes he persuades me; this is a thoughtful and collegial approach to leadership. I know City Council can get more done with Mike Summers as mayor. That’s a real strength for Mayor Summers.

The choice is clear—and it’s not a close one: Mike Summers is the best candidate for mayor. I respectfully ask you to join me in supporting Mayor Summers to lead Lakewood for another four years.

Tom Bullock serves Lakewood residents as their at-Large representative on City Council. Share ideas or concerns with Tom at 216-395-7LWD (-7593) or tom.bullock@lakewoodoh.net.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2015/08/04/why-i-trust-mike-summers-to-lead-lakewood-for-another

Tom Bullock wrote:In short, we don't yet have a decision, but continue to evaluate the evidence.

Brian Essi wrote:When I first spoke with Tom Bullock in early April, 2015, he was adamant is his defense of the Subsidium work and report. Well now there appears to be a major flaw in that work.

The Huron report (at pages 43-45) sets forth facts that Mayor Summers and his Step 2 LHA Committee can't get around:

1. LHA did not hire a broker-dealer. Subsidium "instead assisted LHA in the marketing of the asset"--Huron says. So the wrong people were put in charge of a flawed and rigged process--Step 2: Tom Gable (a real estate guy) and Bill Gorton (an insurance guy), both CCF trustees, Dr. Tabbaa (a fine doctor, but one whose business was and is a tenant of the successful bidder), Ken Haber (a numbers guy) and Summers (a guy who sold only one business--his grandfather's using the right professionals) None of these cats know how to sell a hospital---Would Summers have hired these guys to sell his own business?So Tom Bullock, what do you think about that process now?

2. No Release by CCF---this was fatal and shows how the Step 2 "gurus" cowed to CCF from the start. There has been no leadership at LHA willing and able to stand up to the Clinic. How can you sell a business when the Gorilla can be clearly seen standing behind the sock puppet mouthpieces purportedly trying to "sell" a hospital---Once the Gorilla told newcomer Dr. Boutros (Metro) the facts of life, he had to retreat as a bidder--I give him credit for trying and I empathize with how he felt "USED"---because it was all a show--Step 2 just went through the motions whether they realized it or not---NUTS. So Tom Bullock, what do you think about that process now? What good were all those contacts you referred to above without the release?

3. No Attorney Huron's report fails to say that the Step 2 and Subsidium "genius" wanna be broker-dealers failed to have any lawyers involved in the process--(other than the Gorilla's attorney--Mike Meehan). Does anyone still believe that this was not intentional? The only alternative is that they were all just IDIOTS! So Tom Bullock would you try to sell a $150 million personal asset without consulting an attorney?

Several of the trustees have told me that Summers was the ring leader and "LED". He and his cronies can put a bow on the 89 pages of the Huron Report, but it will still smell and look like something that is wrapped in toilet paper. So Tom Bullock, do you agree with the other trustees that Mayor Summers was the "leader" of the process that resulted in the LOI, or was he just one of 23 members?

Tom Bullock wrote:Thanks for your note and sharing your views. (I'm not a frequent Facebook user, and would need to limit official City Council responses to an official channel, such as this email account.)

Tom Bullock wrote:Councilman Demro,

The *way* we do things is as important as *what* we're doing.

Tom

Matthew John Markling wrote:
Brian,

You may want to email those questions to Tom Bullock at tom.bullock@lakewoodoh.net since, as he states in the above post:

We all look forward to you sharing Bullock's responses.

Matt

Brian Essi wrote:

Matthew John Markling wrote:
Brian,

You may want to email those questions to Tom Bullock at tom.bullock@lakewoodoh.net since, as he states in the above post:

We all look forward to you sharing Bullock's responses.

Matt

Done! I will let you know if/when he responds.