The Observation Deck

With all the current City issues at stake; financial problems due to a puerperal good ole boy mentality at city hall, duplicated social services provided by higher levels of government, an overstaff [548 full time plus part timers] and overpaid city government with designs to increase the income tax as temporary fix for years of lackluster councils and administrations, a broken infrastructure with no capital reserves, one of the highest tax rates in the region promoting a substantial increase of residential property for sale, vacant rental property promoting section 8 occupancy, gangs and crime on the increase, and gypsy moths that if left unchecked will destroy the tree canopy in the city, I willingly join the majority of Lakewood residents and read the social events spread through out the Lakewood Observer.

After all when we ask someone other then our family how they are doing, do we really care, probably not, because we expect, everything is fine, great, peachy, never better, etc. It must have taken great effort for Lakewood to adapt the adage that small towns have small ideas. Didn’t Shakespeare once write something in the order of that in the scheme of all things what little lives we live?

So, Richard, what are some of your ideas for solving this litany of woes? I don't see anything on your list that isn't being discussed in depth in a number of active threads here. I think everyone's quite aware of the challenges facing the city and the fact that some strong leadership and fresh ideas are needed. Failing that, I wonder what the purpose of your post was.

Everyone is quite aware of the issues? Can it be believed that accurate knowledge of the challenges facing this city are known by the majority to Lakewood residents? I believe not. If it is true, then it’s understandable why a city this size has 68 plus bars within its city limits.

The point was and is the lack of any competent and complete news coverage by an regional or any local paper of the cities budget, manpower, vehicle counts, details of city union contracts, condition of the infrastructure, the demographic changes, comparison of services, manpower, debt and taxes with similar cities, as a start.

The Observer is a well intended but social event planner does not qualify as in-depth news provider, coverage not conversation, of any of the real issues in Lakewood.

Well Richard--- Thank you so very much for your remarks. I'd take the time to reply but I have to go to Geiger's to pick up my summer seersucker suit for all the social engagements the Observer is generating.
Stan Austin

Richard if no one else is concerned or interested enough these issues why don't you write about them for the Observer or enlighten us further on the Deck. I think many of the issues have been touched upon before but isn't that the point of the Observer project to inform and enlighten your friends and neighbors?

Richard Baker wrote:The Observer is a well intended but social event planner does not qualify as in-depth news provider, coverage not conversation, of any of the real issues in Lakewood.

Richard

So nice that you come into your second city full of fire, talk, and light on ideas.

Can you give me the rising gang numbers? No because it is not true.

But as Jeff pointed out so well, why let facts get in the way of a good lynching.


.

Richard

You are, of course, entitled to your view of the Observer. Admittedly, we're not a hard hitting group of investigative journalists. Nope, we're just a group of concerned, volunteer citizens who feel that we can improve the city with our efforts. If, in your view, that reduces the Observer project to a "social event planner" then so be it.

To paraphase an old adage, " Those who can, do. Those who don't, complain." It's certainly permissible to criticize the efforts we put forth (and certainly we're fair game). It has the same effect as Monday morning quarterbacks who have never taken a snap.

Deadline for issue 16 is July 27th. We'll look forward to your peice.

Jeff

Jeez, it’s to hot for all this emotion but in retrospect it does causes people to think beyond their complacency.

As I sit here on the veranda and drinking a [scratch] many margarita(s), I suddenly realized that the symbol on the Slone subway <> sign was related to the Di Vinci code or perhaps it was pictogram of denial. Incidentally, the location of the sign is probably is the most western point in the city unless you fall into the river. If in fact gangs have not increased in Lakewood, I do apologize for the single mistake since there were no challenges to the other issues.

I'll try to take the replies in order:

Stan - I don’t own a seersucker suit but I do own several shirts, they are comfortable and keep you cool. Leaving the past, perhaps, but most good politicians are students of history and not everything is wonderful in its own way.

Todd – Unless Brian was wrong, everyone in Lakewood is already aware of the issues. Most obvious is the streets but we all adjust by purchasing four wheel SUV’s. Yes, I contributed eighty hours of research about the relationship between the Cleveland Clinic and the City of Lakewood. In my opinion, the article was very informative full of facts but advertising dollars seemed to be an obstacle to the article becoming ink.

Jim – Second city, how curious, with the taxes I pay here I could have bought the first one. My remarks never suggested the Lakewood Observer didn’t contribute to the citizens of Lakewood, I believe the point was there is no real news service provider for Lakewood. Don’t be so defensive it was not personal; we had too many beers together, but it is my opinion of the Observer that I try to keep up with when I visit my mug.

Jeff - Please see my remarks to Todd. Incidentally, I been there and done that more then you’ll ever know. If you want to improve this city have the paper you represent support a total change, with a few exceptions of course, of those people that are representing the citizens of this city including the current administration. It is only a temporary fix to replace those council persons that have been on decades claiming it was their predecessors fault because the inmates are running the asylum. The final act is have the Observer support a referendum to change the city’s form of government will be the only way you can expect any long term positive changes.

Richard Baker wrote: Jim – Second city, how curious, with the taxes I pay here I could have bought the first one. My remarks never suggested the Lakewood Observer didn’t contribute to the citizens of Lakewood, I believe the point was there is no real news service provider for Lakewood. Don’t be so defensive it was not personal; we had too many beers together, but it is my opinion of the Observer that I try to keep up with when I visit my mug.

When other news sources started looking to the LO for their Lakewood news (Brother Petty, anyone?), that's when the LO became a real and credible news source for Lakewood.

Richard Baker wrote:Yes, I contributed eighty hours of research about the relationship between the Cleveland Clinic and the City of Lakewood. In my opinion, the article was very informative full of facts but advertising dollars seemed to be an obstacle to the article becoming ink.

Richard, Richard, Richard

The problem was the same as it was with Bill when he suggested the article.

Before going after our largest advertiser I asked yo to make sure it was right. To help you in that effort I asked the hospital to open their books for us. This would have been the second time I asked the Clinic to open their books so that we could see if it was right.

BOTH TIMES they said no problem.

For some reason at that point everyone seems to lose interest in writing the story.

Let's be honest here.

,

I have not been active on the forum for a couple of weeks, however, Richard, you have encouraged me to return.

I am not part of the Observer staff or a volunteer. So my opinions, as always, are my own.

First of all, from what I can tell, the Observer is a community newspaper, not a hard hitting new vehicle.

Secondly, since you seem to be able to tell everyone about all the problems in the city and that no one is doing anything - I ask my self what would Richard do - which will be shortened to WWRD.

When I see something is wrong I try to find ways to fix it.

Do you?

Lets cut to the chase, no one from Lakewood Observer ever ask me about any of monetary particulars in the contents of the article while it was rotting in pending files for months. Any reference to monies was based on the region’s current lease prices per square foot for office space. Information that was readily accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection. If I recall correctly, any information referencing monies was information obtained from records requested and provided from the City or printed by the Plain Dealer. However, in order to maintain accuracy the article was lengthy.

I was not aware of your request from the Cleveland Clinic to open their books to verify my first article. I thought you were obtaining information for the follow up article. I understand your position and respect it since you’re the editor. Somewhere in all of this asking the Cleveland Clinic for information not required by the contractual agreement with the city would be like asking the fox to watch the hen house.

The second follow up article was more involve with the “booksâ€Â￾ [boring] since the first was directed at the formal contractual relationship between them, services, and the City owned property they had either leased Cleveland Clinic and the property the Clinic had sold and happily invested with Fairview hospital [Cleveland Clinic owned] in a imaging center in Rocky River.

Jim had you or your staff requested detailed source information, I would have been happy to comply. In the scheme of things Cleveland Clinic is just one of the problems compared to others that will occur within the next budget year.

With the discount for seniors on property taxes and only $35,000 excess from the last budget [cities cannot have negative budgets] with the pending union contracts increases, etc. and the refusal of the people to accept a half percent income tax hike, this city will have budget issues.

Sharon,

I didn’t see your reply before I posted mine since I write in Word and copy to the post. To answer your question it is impossible for a single individual to solve the problems that face this city.

Only a dedicated group of businessmen, professionals, and interested citizens with a solid plan, rather it be a different form of government, City Manager, Strong Mayoral, etc. or other means can make the necessary changes. Example councilmen at large are represented by the large so they don’t have a vested interest in any particular ward, therefore, they are not accountable to a specific ward.

A strong non bias distribution service, a newspaper is preferred, should be committed to ensure the facts are in front of the people when the choices are on a referendum. Change should not be implemented for the sake of change, [new guard becomes a duplicate of the old guard] but a true effort for positive changes that will make positive changes untainted by the old guard politics of this city and better the citizens of this city.