The Observation Deck

In another thread there is a discussion on how to save a home from it’s homeowner. Councilman Fitzgerard brings all this to light. A home faces many threats.

DL said, “With so little time available, there may be nothing that can be done for this property, but there are steps we can take as a community to ensure that nothing like this happens in the future.â€Â￾

The voters of Lakewood have already taken a very important step to save the homes in Lakewood when they voted to rescind the “bogus blightâ€Â￾ designation City Council placed on the homes in the West End of Lakewood. While Councilman Fitzgerald is fighting to save a specific home now, the definition of “blightâ€Â￾ that he voted for was so broad that it would have fit the specific home he now calls a Lakewood landmark and wants to save. Oddly, that “bogus blightâ€Â￾ designation only covered 93% of Lakewood. (FYI: City Council’s definition of “blightâ€Â￾ that would have caught this homes was the detached garage, no A/C and less than $75/sq ft of value.)

Recently, a greater threat has arisen. The US Supreme Court ruling that eminent domain for “public useâ€Â￾ can be done for private development affects 100% of our homes in Lakewood. The US Supreme Court said it was up to the voters to elect people to their local government that held proper views on what “public useâ€Â￾ meant. The majority’s opinion was that if we elect them then we agree with them.

One very important step that Councilman Fitzgerald and all those running for Council could take is signing a pledge that they will:
1). Oppose efforts by my city to use the government power of eminent domain for private development.

2). Support legislation and other efforts to ensure that the citizens of this State are safe from eminent domain for private development.

The form can be printed from: Hands off My Home Pledge. Once printed and signed it can be delivered to our office at 18615 Detroit Rd or faxed to 216-226-0913.

To date, I have signatures from candidates running for the Council-At-Large and Council for Ward 1. Nickie J. Antonio is running for Council-At-Large. She has signed the promise. Ryan Salo is running for Council in Ward 1. He has signed the promise.

Please don’t bother Councilman Dever. I have asked him if he wished to sign this pledge and he responded, “No, We(City Council) need options.â€Â￾ Councilman Dever wants the option of taking your home to give to another person if he (Councilman Dever) feels it will benefit the City of Lakewood. This is good information to have when we go to vote. Since any home can be replaced by a larger home or hi-rise or cluster homes or retail store that would generate more taxes, this view places every home in jeopardy of being taken.

If Lakewood has a majority of City Council people that share Councilman Dever's view we will be in a position where eminent domain for private development could be attempted again. If Lakewood has a majority of City Council people that will not vote for a project that would use eminent domain for private development, we will not need to worry that our property will be taken from us to be given to another private individual.

I'm in the process of asking all my local and State elected officials to sign this pledge so I know where they stand on this important issue. Please feel free to help me and then we will all know.

Thanks!
Don

Mr Farris

The Ryan Salo who is running for council in Ward 1, and who signed your pledge, has apparently changed his mind about the use of eminent domain.

During the West End controversy, he prominently displayed signs in support of the project and I also believe he contributed money to the pro-47 campaign.

Has he had a change of heart? If so, maybe he could help persuade others by explaining the factors that made him decide that eminent domain should not be used for economic development after he had supported it in the past.

Hi,
You are correct, Ms. O'Malley. In our discussion, he explained how he was at first for the promises offered by the proposal. He told me that what changed his mind was a personal desire to get a better understanding of the issue. That led him to a visit to Holmes Printing where he discussed the issue with Mr. and Mrs. Miller. After that he had a better understanding of the personal toll this project placed upon a few people and he changed his mind. Hopefully, Mr. Salo will join this discussion site and speak for himself.

Regardless of where people stood on Issue 47, this new view of using eminent domain for private development is by far a greater threat to anyone owning property in many parts of America and specifically Ohio.

Many states are working on legislation to protect private property for eminent domain for private development. In HARTFORD, Conn. -- "Democratic leaders of the General Assembly on Monday urged municipal leaders not to use their eminent domain powers until the legislature has time to consider changing the state's laws on seizing property." See: Lawmakers call for moratorium on eminent domain
Sadly, I have not seen similar action from our Ohio elected representatives. This is an issue that both Republicans and Democrats should embrace.

Back in Conn, Lynn showed me this: ""Finally, Democratic leaders in the General Assembly have awoken to the fact that there's a grassroots revolution brewing over the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision allowing communities to seize private properties for economic development purposes. The Democrats, who hold healthy majorities in both Assembly chambers, have been outflanked on the issue by their Republican counterparts, while residents across the state â€â€￾ and, indeed, the nation â€â€￾ expressed outrage about the decision." See: Assembly must act on eminent domain Are both parties sleeping here in Ohio? There are very few issues that people agree on as much as this. It is unAmerican to be told that your home, your farm or your business can be taken from you to be given to another person that promises to pay more taxes.

I also wanted to point out that Councilman Demro has signed the pledge. He is the only setting councilman to have signed. He was not on council when this went through, but he did support it. After reviewing the information, he has apparently decided that we can find other and better ways to achieve these goals.

Thank you Mr. Demro.