The Observation Deck

Washington-style Politics in Lakewood

A recent headline in the Sun Post made the claim that Nickie Antonio is “leading the wayâ€Â￾ on shopping carts. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Councilwoman Antonio is the chief obstructionist of the legislation that she did not even sponsor.

In 2005, I introduced a revised version of the existing shopping cart litter legislation. Unfortunately, the City is in the business of picking up shopping carts that are littered across the City. The fine for a loose cart is $5, the cost to the City to retrieve and return it to a business owner is $35. Does that make good business sense? More importantly, is this a “serviceâ€Â￾ that would seem to be in the normal continuum of services offered by a municipality. Councilwoman Madigan and I believe it is not. We have worked to increase the fine to provide an incentive for business owners to prevent their carts from leaving their lots.

What is unfortunate about this whole endeavor is that Councilwoman Antonio does not seem to understand the financial incentives that drive business. The fine must be high enough to encourage business owners to recover their carts from the City and not simply buy new carts. Councilwoman Antonio thinks that $15 to $20 is good enough when new carts cost $99-$120, reconditioned carts run $75 to $80. Councilwoman Madigan and I have suggested an appropriate market-based fine in the range of $55 to $70.

This concept is not new. The ordinance and accompanying fine have been in place for quite some time. Other cities and private businesses across the country have found ways to prevent shopping cart litter. For example, in Alexandria, VA, one local grocer uses poles to prevent the carts from leaving an area where patrons can pull up their cars and unload. ALDI and other chains have also been known to use a deposit system where the carts are locked together until one deposits fifty cents or a dollar. Upon returning the cart you get your money back. According to Councilwoman Antonio, one of the Lakewood vendors is even considering a system that will magnetize the carts so as to prevent them from leaving the parking lot.

Councilwoman Antonio has made private claims that this legislation will not leave her committee because she will not agree to a fine in our range. Her legislative negligence is costing the City upwards of $2,500 per year. It may seem like chump change to some, but would you feel comfortable just giving that money away for no reason?

Contact Councilwoman Antonio and tell her that you think we have had enough of stray shopping carts throughout the City. If we are going to clean up Lakewood like Mayor Guiliani cleaned up New York, then we need aggressive action and we need it now!

Nickie J. Antonio
LAKEWOOD CITY HALL
12650 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
(216) 221-4421
Nickie.Antonio@lakewoodoh.net

Councilman Demro,

Have you made these points in private to Councilwoman Antonio, or are you skipping the step of negotiation and coalition building to go straight to public grandstanding?

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

Tom

Tom,

I, along with Councilwoman Madigan, have made these points several times in private. There is little room for "coalition-building" with a commitee of two.

If bringing an issue of public concern to the attention of citizens is considered grandstanding, then so be it. When necessary, I consider it to be responsible public leadership. It is quite in sync with Dennis Kucinich's style, I know you think highly of him.

I'll keep your philosophy in mind though as we lead up to your campaign against me for city council in Ward 2.

So while we're at it, where do you stand on the carts?

Tom:

I know you are a democratic partisan. The civic bar we are raising is not about political grandstanding; it's about understanding the positions and values of people and decision-makers and subjecting the kit an kaboodle to critical pressure with the intention of formulating the best possible result.

It only seems to be grandstanding when the other agents absent themselves from the stand.

Tell Nickie to get on the Deck and explain herself and her position.

That's the democratic way, and these are critical times.

Kenneth Warren

Another law (ordinance)? Ugh.

Doesn't Lakewood already have laws against stealing?

I find it difficult to understand the logic behind fining a grocery store when its carts are stolen by individuals. Are grocery stores also responsible if their blue bags are found blowing around our streets or clogging up our sewer drains?

How can someone simply walk down Detroit pushing a shopping cart, seemingly unnoticed?

How about posting signs in grocery parking lots indicating that individuals will be fined $500 for removing a cart from the plaza (maybe signs are posted already)? This wouldn't require a new ordinance - again, stealing should already be covered - but would assign a specific fine.

Is Council considering any options that keeps the focus on those responsible for stealing the carts in the first place?

Personally, I like the Aldi's system. The grocery must invest in the chain system, an unfortunate cost of doing business, but customers are given an incentive to return carts.

(Maybe Council could authorize a relationship with a private company to retrieve and hold carts until the fine is paid - similar to Baker Motors' role in working with police to tow illegally parked cars. A 1-800-Get-Cart hot-line could be established.)

I appreciate Councilman Demro's passion for proposing ways of dealing with Lakewood issues. I really do. However, this seems akin to using an ICBM missile to light a cigar.

My thought is that right now there is no financial reason for stores to cheap there carts from leaving their premises. I'm sure cart replacement is built into their budgets. A fine would encourage them to find ways to keep their carts on their premises. Heinen's doesn't allow carts in their lots and Aldi's requires you pay a minimal deposit. Both of those stores maintain cart free lots and I have never seen either of their carts around. I know many people feel this is a non issue but we have to stop the ghettofication of our city. We need to keep our city clean, which includes keeping it cart free. Now if only we could get the graffiti cleaned up.

David Anderson's post reminds me of Olmsted Falls and their dogs.

http://thelondonfog.blogspot.com/2004/0 ... dards.html