Why is this not in Lakewood?

[Bryan Schwegler]

Just out of curiosity, but why in the world is the Lakewood State of the City address not held in Lakewood?

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/news/c ... er-address

[DougHuntingdon]

This is terrible.

I believe last year it was in Rocky River. I wonder if it has EVER been in Lakewood???

This would be like Bush having the state of the union address in Montreal Canada or Monterrey Mexico.

Doug

[Mike Deneen]

I agree, this oughta be in town.

I think we'll be hearing from "Papa Bear" (OB) on this topic...this is one of his pet peeves.

[Jeff Endress]

I mean, this is like having the induction to the Rock Hall held in like NY or something.....

Oh wait, I guess that's where they do it.

The members of the Chamber of Commerce have businesses in Lakewood, but many live elsewhere. Perhaps that's a part of it. Interesting.....

Jeff

[Mike Deneen]

This is far more egregious than the usual "New York Giants playing in Jersey" sort of thing. Institutions like the Rock Hall or New York Jets exist for the purpose of selling tickets and making money.....helping their hometowns is only a potential side-effect.

The Chamber of Commerce, by its very definition, exists for the SOLE purpose of promoting business in Lakewood. However, given an opportunity, they are spending money in Cleveland.

However, maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe this is what they mean by
"regionalism".

[DougHuntingdon]

The chamber of commerce having an event somewhere else is one thing, after all they tend to cover regional areas. However, it is my opinion that it is terrible for the mayor to be complicit by giving the state of the city speech there.

I suppose there are some Kool Aid drinkers out there who think that the mayor is somehow "building the Lakewood brand" by giving the state of the city of Lakewood speech in a city outside of Lakewood. Can you imagine Mayor Frank Jackson, one-term Jane Campbell, or Iron Mike White giving the state of the city speech of Cleveland in LAKEWOOD (or Rocky River)???

Doug

[Mike Deneen]

Actually, the Lakewood Chamber is not a regional organization. It is not the "West Shore Chamber" or the "Greater Cleveland Chamber".

I am quite sure that Rocky River, Cleveland, etc. each have their own chambers. I highly doubt that any of them ever hold events in Lakewood.

[Kenneth Warren]

I like my Kool-aid straight no chaser.

Drink enough under the morning star and you will see beyond the brand into the immense potential that a Lakewood Chamber of Commerce could be laying groundwork for annexation, something the fearless leader of the Lakewood Observer and Emerald Canyon militia has been espousing for years.

All is not lost, I suppose, the owner of Brennan's Party Center lives in Lakewood.

I heard the Mayor's "State of the City" address was quite good. Perhaps he could post it on the LO Deck, if it's not already on the City's website.

Kenneth Warren

[Jeff Endress]

Actually Ken, you may well be correct. Brennan's Party Center as the Beachead of Annexation....First we take the south side of I 90....
Put back the Highland road signs...maybe the south side of Riverside.

But in reality, it is only natural that the event was held at Brennans, given the fact that the owner of Brennans is the Chair of the Chamber Board. And it might be interesting to examine the membership of the Board that runs the Chamber. There are a good many that have no business ties with Lakewood, and many with business ties that reside elsewhere. Nothing wrong in any of that, but it certainly helps in understanding why there is a "Greater Lakewood" approach.

Jeff
[/quote]

[Lynn Farris]

This is one of the problems that Lakewood has. We don't think we are good enough. The Lakewood Chamber should be supporting businesses in Lakewood. If our own Chamber of Commerce won't support Lakewood Business - who will? Our Mayor is going along with it as well. If he can't support Lakewood Business in an election year, when will he?

They have had the state of the union in the past at St. Gregory's Church on Madison. I have been to it there.

There are many beautiful locations in Lakewood to host this event. Swingos, St. Gregory's, The Beck Center, The Armory, The Woman's Pavilion, I'm sure I'm missing dozens of great locations and it would be great to point out the locations that Lakewood does have.

I'm not the drinking the Kool-Aid that we are going to annex Cleveland. But come on - the state of the city can't be too good - if the Mayor has to go out of town to tell citizens there about it.

[Kenneth Warren]

Lynn:

The Koolaid was very good last night, and I was feeling quite expansive and generous under the Venusian light, but as Maureen McGovern sang, "There's Got To Be a Morning After."

From the beginning of the LO project, we have been proclaiming "If it's not Lakewood; it's Leakwood."

I am quite certain the Mayor does not pick the venue. An invitation is made, I would suspect, and the Mayor attempts to accomodate it.

Are you saying Lakewood needs and can realistically compel a Mayor to "just say no" to an invitation by the Chamber of Commerce to speak outside Lakewood at a venue that is a member?

Is such Lakewood-centric prospect even in the running?

Kenneth Warren

[Jim O'Bryan]

Just out of curiosity, but why in the world is the Lakewood State of the City address not held in Lakewood?

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/news/c ... er-address

Bryan

There are many reasons, some are even legit, but I agree with all here. Sean Brennan, who lives in Lakewood and grew up in Lakewood, is the current president of the Chamber of Commerce. So I am sure it was seen as a natural.


Council President Robert Seelie, sharing a laugh with Sean Brennan at Mayor Tom George's birthday party at Swingos. Those are not all Bob's glasses!

Last night I asked Shawn seconds after taking this photo about when he is moving Brennan's Party Center back to Lakewood. He said he has no plans. We also pondered Summers Rubber and other Lakewood owned businesses being just outside of Lakewood. He started talking about S-Corp and the way taxes are paid that Lakewood gets...

But this is a very legitimate question and one that bothers me to no end.

Yesterday I got a call from the editor of the print version of the Observer Heidi Hilty. She had come back from a meeting with, I will call them younger folks, that were looking forward to moving to Lakewood. They had been there, and all their friends think it is cool.

Last week Ken and I were talking with people from all over the county and out of state at a conference. The general feeling was, it is easy to do things in Lakewood, everyone is energized and willing to pitch in and help. Lakewood is cool and different.

The fact remains the only people that do not like Lakewood or think it is an inferior product is Lakewoodites. Or those from out of the city that come in to work here and are being paid with our tax dollars!

Lakewood Jaycee Meeting at Panaera Bread! Chamber of Commerce meetings and events in Rocky River and Mentor! I could go on and on. They all have excuses, none of them hold water.

While talking with Mayor George last night we pondered Lakewood Night at the Mentor Captains Game?! Would it not make more sense to sell the same tickets for the same amount in sponsorship. To bring business owners into Lakewood for a party at Swingos, the Pier, Around the Corner? Would this not be healthier for the city? Does it not make more sense to bring businesses into see Lakewood, as opposed to making residents drive through the ten cities we describe as Leakwood.

The city of Lakewood does just that. Again this year the city is hosting relator's day. Inviting area realtors into a restaurant in Lakewood. Where Lakewood people talk about Lakewood over a nice meal. Then we fan out to make sure we have one or two Lakewood people at every table to answer questions and talk about Lakewood. The realtors get credits needed for their certification, lunch and a tour of Lakewood. Last year was a lot of fun for all and has already paid dividends. Would it not make sense for the Chamber of Commerce to do this with businesses?

Another problem is that Lakewood becomes the second thought or third in arraigning meetings. If you live in Bay, and run a civic group in Lakewood. It is only human nature to look for the location between Lakewood and your house.

MAMA, Madison Avenue Merchants Association, which is back with a large following, only meets on Madison Ave. in a different business in a different area each meeting. One of the first things they decided is they would not leave Madison as that is their focus, and if they are not dedicated to Madison Ave. how can they expect to convince anyone else that Madison is the retail center of Lakewood. This is common sense.

I will never forget my discussion with the head of St. Peter and Paul church last summer. Ken was buying some religious icons from his wife, while we spoke about the church. He mentioned that the church was in tough times. That the large mega churches are grabbing everyone and taking them to the suburbs. His congregation was down to 100 members. He had no idea what he could do to stop it. I asked where he lived? Dowd? Plover? Lakewood Ave.? His answer was, "Strongsville." I asked how did he ever expect to build a local Lakewood church living in Strongsville? He answered he had never thought about it! I asked if he ever asked his neighbors or people he runs into at the store to come to Lakewood and his church, he said no!

To quote Heidi from the call yesterday, "Why can't Lakewoodites see the forest for the trees?" My answer, "well when you live in the best suburbs as decided by three publications, in the most livable area in America, I suppose it is hard because the trees are so thick."

I just wish Lakewoodites could hear what I hear as I travel from city to city. I have read many posts about the litter in Lakewood, last week we went to other cities and saw their litter problem in their parks. Later I ran into one of the people fueling the fire and we mentioned the really bad litter elsewhere. Those cities were excused because "it is winter." I fear it was more it is better out of Lakewood.

Amyway soldiers have a saying, "If you confess it you possess it." It is very true. If you think Lakewood is screwed up and every time you talk about Lakewood you find fault and convey it to others, it will become what you are saying.


.

[Lynn Farris]

Ken,

You are absolutely right. The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce selects where they have their meetings and shame on them for hosting the State of the City outside of Lakewood.

But, I have seen this Mayor in action. He has a backbone - he has taken on Councilman and organizations when he thought they were wrong and got them to do it his way. He is the consumate politician and has charm to burn as well. My mom would have said, (quite politically incorrectly) that he could sell refrigerators to Eskimos. He should have had no problems convincing the powers that be in the Chamber of Commerce that this meeting should have been held in Lakewood. Or if they didn't want to change - maybe the Kiwanas or another organization would have been willing to sponsor this event. Doesn't the Kiwanas hold all their meetings in Lakewood?

I guess you pick your fights - and this wasn't important enough in his opinion to address. This is more symbolic than anything - but the previous posters were right. Bush doesn't give the State of the Union in Mexico. The Mayor of Cleveland doesn't hold their State of the City in Lakewood.

But Ken you ask?

Is such Lakewood-centric prospect even in the running?

I don't know. What would other candidates do? Do we have other Mayoral candidates that would put more effort in to supporting Lakewood - buying what Lakewood builds? I guess that is for Councilman Demro and Councilman Fitzgerald to address.

You also ask:

Are you saying Lakewood needs and can realistically compel a Mayor to "just say no" to an invitation by the Chamber of Commerce to speak outside Lakewood at a venue that is a member?

I have no problem with the Mayor speaking outside of Lakewood. He should be the top salesman for our great city. But the State of the City is not the same thing.

[Kenneth Warren]

Lynn:

I guess we have stumbled upon the most affordable and deliverable political promise a candidate can possibly make: "If elected, I will not deliver a state of the city address outside the City of Lakewood."

But then who will build the brand and give the troops a taste of the sweet turf the Emerald Canyon militia craves to annex?

Kenneth Warren

[Charyn Compeau]

Out of curiosity -

Where would one be able to host a luncheon/dinner/speaking event within the city limits?

We wanted to have our wedding reception here - but could not find the right space. At the time I chalked it up to not planning a gazillion years in advance.

We did have the rehearsal dinner at Sweetwater and it was both reasonably priced and delicious. Their room would certainly be appropriate for up to 50ish people with a lectern.

We tried the armory - but they stated that they were no longer holding events there....

There are a few networking groups for Lakewood businesses that are now meeting outside of Lakewood - maybe its simply a matter of identifying alternative venues for groups.

Bearing in mind that some prefer a semblance of privacy for their groups, some want buffet style, some want servers, it would be great if we could come up with a list a varying places along with their price range, service style and available amenities.

So what say you Lakewood, where else could such an event be hosted?

Peace,
Charyn