The Observation Deck

While taking with Lakewood residents new and old, and some not Lakewood residents it would seem that Lakewood has turned a corner in self esteem which effects quality of life issues and the future of the city.

Now everyone knows I am drunk on the Lakewood flavor of Koolaid, so does anyone else notice this?

Business opening faster than they are closing. Many Lakewood businesses looking to expand. Development moving along and looking good. People moving in that run the gamut from young to old. Neighbors energized and talking with block walks, block parties, and just helping each other.

People complaining has dropped off, with the exception being the week of the shooting on Lakewood, where the office was flooded with calls.

A couple days I had the pleasure of spending some time with Mayor Tom George while delivering papers. We sat and thought of where we are and where we were. This was not anyone taking credit for anything but more like talking to a neighbor over the fence.

Topics touched on.
Bars and security - Both us us remembered when Lakewood had 6 legitimate Biker Bars. The Telstar now Riverwood being the biggest and meanest. We both laughed as no one in the 70s ever would have seen the Telestar as a blues club serving pretty good burgers.

Gangs - We both remembered how many gangs were in Lakewood in the 70s and 80s. When I mentioned the Roman Fountain Gang (Hall to Edwards) Tom raised his eyes and said, "Those were some tough kids" we laughed as we admitted it was a cross the street type of gang.

Drugs - We both remembered that in 1970 Life magazine called Lakewood the safest city in the country. In 1971 Life said Lakewood High was the easiest school to buy drugs in.

After 5 minutes or so, he said he had to get to a meeting and mentioned that there was still much more to do. Complacency is no good for people or cities.

I wish more people would walk back out of their houses, sit on their porch, walk the streets see how healthy the city is. Lakewood the walkable city needs more of us walking.

I think we are turning the corner, but there is so much more we can do that costs nothing but giving up a little TV time and living life again.

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(Joan, while I had fun speaking with the Mayor and you generally see me as a blind Tom George fan, I am holding him, city hall and council to task on many other items in this forum. We all need to do more and do it better.)

Jim O'Bryan wrote:(Joan, while I had fun speaking with the Mayor and you generally see me as a blind Tom George fan, I am holding him, city hall and council to task on many other items in this forum. We all need to do more and do it better.)

Whether or not you're a blind fan of the mayor is a personal take. It would be OK if you were, just as it's OK that you have a taste for Lakewood Kool-Aid.

I know some people who are just chronic complainers, too. That's less OK in my book, because it gets boring.

When I step back and look at things rationally, my criticism of the George administration comes down to the fact that he/they just haven't seem to have gotten out in front of the big systemic issues. Or if they have, I just don't agree with his/their stance.

The big one is the city finances. He blew the tax increase issue, let Councilmen Demro and Fitzgerald completely take control of the debate, and now....what????. Did he REALLY think those guys were going to come up with their own "strategic plan?" Politically, he got his head handed to him, and the city will pay the price in the long run.

I also disagree with the attitude (which I fear you share, one of our few IMPORTANT areas of contention) in that the city of Lakewood can exist solely as a bedroom community for people who work elsewhere. I can't fathom how a city of 50,000+ can exist without its own sources of jobs , particularly when the core city is hemorraghing jobs. Someday all 55,000 of us may be indepenent, at -home web designers, but I don't see that day coming soon. In the menatime, Mr Mayor seems content with the idea that Lakewood can do without people working inside the city limits.

So far, the big initiatives from the mayor's office appear to be focusing on a few blocks of Detroit Ave. (including the flower baskets) and taking lots and lots of credit for a couple of high-end residential developments, which probably would have happened even if I were mayor.

This isn't 6 mos into his term. He's up for re-election NEXT YEAR. I hate to say it, because he seems like a decent individual who likes the city, but he sort of hit the ground crawling and never ramped it up,

I can't speak for Lakewood in the 70's because I wasn't here, like a goodly share of the people living here now, and probalby nearly anyone who would be interested in moving to the city. The house I lived in in 1970 is now a ghetto. The house I lived in in 1995 was a cornfield in 1970. History is only relevant to a point.

Joan Roberts wrote:[
When I step back and look at things rationally, my criticism of the George administration comes down to the fact that he/they just haven't seem to have gotten out in front of the big systemic issues. Or if they have, I just don't agree with his/their stance.

Joan

Of course you know these are two very different things. Many things I do not agree with in life, but I rarely chalk them up to the person or group not being active, when I disagree.

I have never advocated the city fill up with graphic designers doing websites. But there are hundreds of very lucrative businesses that could be done from storefronts, buildings and homes in Lakewood that does not have the huge negative impact of a strip mall. Is that Lakewood's future, all strip malls filled with part time people making minimum wage?

I think it would be far better to rework the Cafe University project, back to the way it was when I first was introduced to it. A "name" college coming to town. The people that had started this were much closer than people think.

Also it is hard to go against the overall success of LARGE condos. Not only do they create as many if not more jobs than a strip mall, they also bring in residents. Could it be that Lakewood is suffering because we have lost 16,000 residents? That is a lot of spending power.

Joan we both know the answer lies in the middle, and the groups that are desperate for the low hanging fruit, will never have the means for anything else.

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