The Observation Deck

Cuyahoga County's Bureaucratic Superstate has turned what was once Ohio's richest and most dynamic County into a pauper. Like most government bureaucracy's the County government (and its local community leaders) think the path to economic growth lies in:

1. A bigger bureaucracy

2. More government coercion

3. Higher taxes

A bigger bureaucracy:

There is no evidence that a bigger bureaucracy is more efficient or more responsive. Do you think any government employee would lose his job even if all the local communities would merge together? If Lakewood's police department were relocated to Brecksville would it be more responsive?

Proponents of regionalization point to Columbus as an example of the success of regionalization. I have news for them: If Columbus weren't the Capital it would still be a cow town.

More Coercion

What is highlighted in the Plain Dealer article on regionalizaiton?

1. Use Federal funds to force Cities to "cooperate".

2. Have the State force cities to tax share.

3. Use local political muscle to force tax sharing.

4. Protect the Black vote. How do you do that without diminishing someone else's vote?

5. Give Cities some kind of veto power over development in someone elses City.

No place for free minds or free markets, just the power of the State to dictate how and where people live.

Higher taxes

1. Need I say more?

Bill Call wrote:
There is no evidence that a bigger bureaucracy is more efficient or more responsive. Do you think any government employee would lose his job even if all the local communities would merge together? If Lakewood's police department were relocated to Brecksville would it be more responsive?

And there is no evidence that a million smaller bureaucracies are more efficient or more responsive either. How many Lakewood city employees have lost their jobs due to citizen complaints.?

You consistently complain about Lakewood's high taxes and exorbitantly-paid employees. Well, thats what the current system of 57 municipalities in one county has brought us.
On the other hand, REGIONAL government (at least in theory) would mean the Brecksville cop and the Lakewood cop would be on the same pay scale. No more lavish deals for Lakewood!

So are you HAPPY with the way things are or no?

Dee Martinez wrote:On the other hand, REGIONAL government (at least in theory) would mean the Brecksville cop and the Lakewood cop would be on the same pay scale. No more lavish deals for Lakewood!

So are you HAPPY with the way things are or no?

Dee

So we give up home rule, for a worse police contract?!

How does that work out for us.

The Mayor just put the finishing touches on two union contracts with Police and Fire. Not only did he negogiate one of the lowest pay raises in the area, he retained the backing of the Fire Union while doing it!

So taxes would go up as we suck in all the higher rates? Everyone gets a raise?

Let's go over it one more time so far.

Proven
Large Governement Agency, loss of home rule.

Semi Proven
Rock Salt at reduce prices(they now bulk buy this as a group I believe)
Toliet Paper at reduced prices (Less than Sam's!)
Police gets pay raise.

Not proven
Benefits to Lakewoodites.

I would hope the city gets to VOTE on giving up home rule.


.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:The Mayor just put the finishing touches on two union contracts with Police and Fire. Not only did he negogiate one of the lowest pay raises in the area, he retained the backing of the Fire Union while doing it!

That is an excellent point.

Would either Ed Fitgerald or Ryan Demro manage those negotiations any better?

Here is what I noticed when living in Columbus:

New Development ritzy adjacent school districts are chronically on the cusp of bankruptcy. Within a few years of high-appreciating real estate mushrooming up, local government is out of money for infrastructure growth or even maintenance.

Each new layer or ring of annexed territory incorporated into Columbus gets some new shopping centers and malls. within 5 years these shopping centers and malls are considered part of the "declining" area of Columbus.

Residential turnover. For whatever reasons, people move in and out quickly there. They quickly acquire a great quantity of furnishings for their apartments. They leave these beside the apartment complex dumpsters when they move out. Every week there is a mountain of couches, chairs, pots, pans, toys, and even televisions and appliances being thrown out.

Mr. O'Bryan.

I realize, respect, and appreciate that you are a 100% Lakewood advocate. I wont attempt to dissuade you from your passionately-held views, just as I would not attempt to convince Pres Bush to get out of Iraq.

My point remains is that, contrary to the thinking you sometimes seem to espouse, Lakewood is not a stand-alone community plunked down in the middle of nowhere, like Missoula Montana. What happens in our surrounding communities materially affects us, from safety to wages to economic development. Like it or not, we are no more indpendent of Westlake or Cleveland than my heart is independent of my liver or my kidneys.
Yes, we would give up some "home rule" in a regionalization plan. We would also gain some voice over what happens beyond our western, southern, and eastern borders, which we currently have none.
to you the tradeoff isnt worth the benefits and I cant convince you otherwise. To me it is.
Again please if someone can show me where the 1880's system of a million different communities is working, let me see it. MY mind is open.

And Mr. Call it is good to see you cheering a local development regarding public workers wages. That is something to take into the sunshine on this glorious summer day in Lakewood.

Dee

This is not about Lakewood, this is about survival.

What proof do you have that we would gain any control over the actions of Westlake and Rocky River?

None, pure theory.

Stand alone community. There is no such thing. We are lucky, all of the cities around us have whored themselves out to big box stores and strip malls. This means in seconds we can shop in their fields of asphalt, while sharing the sales tax, a nice form of regionalism.

We can stand alone, as in being different from all the rest. It is about being the best city in the county. It is not a dream, it is a reality, only Lakewoodites refuse to believe the press, the talk of outsiders, the branding. If 40 out of 57 cars all look the same doesn't it make sense to offer something different to potential buyers?

This is not some drunk Irish delusion. I have many friends that have moved only to really dislike where they moved to for many reasons we take for advantage. Sure some have readjusted, but when they look back, they see the things they took for granted.

I have sat in the rooms with civic leaders from around the area and the country to hear, "Well you have it easy, you live in Lakewood..."

OK before I buy, how much does it cost to turn Cleveland around? I chipped in on the Stadium, Jacobs Field, Gund Arena, The Rock Hall, the Zoo, and the Parks. How much more do I spend to prop up this dead giant? Who is next? East Cleveland? Bedford Heights? Westlake? Euclid? What is the time line for our Kuwati style of living where we share the profits of the region?

When sinking, the more rocks you tie to your feet only speeds up the ride to the bottom.

.

A trial run of regionalization can be emulated the following way.

Cleveland can simply segment itself into a dozen or two districts. The council-men become deputy mayors. The school systems become a dozen or so semi-independent school segments. This frees them from the yoke of association with the Cleveland "brand". They are then free of developing their own new "brand".

They can re-segregate the schools by intelligence and behavior. Kids who shout the best curse words or profanity slang as both nouns, pronouns, and adjectives out loud in public or on cell phones automatically go to the lowest tiered schools. ...

So far as we know regionalism has never fixed anything. The only examples of its successes are in places that never sank, that specifically planned ahead to organize in such a way. Adopting Minneapolis' organization won't work here, because Minneapolis grew gradually into its current system without ever experiencing substantial urban decay or white flight.

Adopting Columbus' strategy won't work because we are not the state capital, and the future of big box housing developments is a liability in the wake of our second oil war in 17 years.

Dee

Part of the difficulty of viewing regionalization as merely a savings based on eliminating positions that become unnecessary, and gaining economies of scale in a consolidation is that that model fails to take into consideration the needs and resources of the disparate systems to be melded. It assumes that all 57 pieces are of the same kind and character, delivering services at the same level, at similar costs, when in fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. In order to do a reasonable and rational analysis, one must first examine each of the components that are to be joined so that those affected can undertake a meaningful apples to apples comparison. What is the level of safety force service in Cleveland versus Lakewood. What are the costs to each. Under a merger, what will be the impact on those costs as well as the current level of services. The same analysis holds true with each component department subject to the merger. Merely assuming that 57 municipal bureaucracies cannot possibly function as economically as a single governing force is simply bootstrapping the conclusion that an adequate apples to apples study would demonstrate.

Once we have an idea of what is in regionalization for us, specifically with regard to this services comparison, than we can go on to discuss whether those impacts justifies the projected overall regional economic impact. I, for one am unwilling to accept the projected benefits of regionalization until someone puts forth an analysis of how our current tax level and service level will be affected.

When the regionalization machine was seeking to consolidate the libraries under the banner of the Cuyahoga County Library system we undertook this type of comparison. In the end, what we found was that a consolidation would save a Lakewood taxpayer about $1 per month with a loss of 12 hours of open library time per week and the closure of our branch. We then determined that it would not be in the interests of the community to pursue a consolidation. We should do no less when we're talking about police fire and schools.

Jeff

Dee Martinez wrote:You consistently complain about...... exorbitantly-paid employees.

I don't think I ever said that although since my rhetoric sometimes gets the better of me I understand how some could interpret my statements that way.

What I mean to say is that if expenses are growing faster than revenue something has got to give. And since we have some of the highest taxes in the country I don't think higher taxes are the answer.

My answer?

1. Meaningful concessions from employees.

2. Find out why we need 30% more employees to serve 30% fewer residents.

3. I would really like to know why on some days some departments are missing 30% or more of their employees but people just get mad when I ask so I won't ask.

Dee Martinez wrote: On the other hand, REGIONAL government (at least in theory) would mean the Brecksville cop and the Lakewood cop would be on the same pay scale. No more lavish deals for Lakewood!
So are you HAPPY with the way things are or no?

Jeff Endress said it best. If I can paraphrase: "This is all about bailing out Cleveland."

If the Citizens of Lakewood were represented by 1 City Councilman instead of 7 and a Mayor would you get better representation?

How would merging Lakewood and Cleveland Schools help Lakewood?

How would closing Lakewood Library help Lakewood?

How would closing 2 fire stations help Lakewood?

With a regional government why shouldn't Beck Center relocate to Westlake? After all we are all the same City.

With a regional government why should we have Lakewood Hospital? St John's in Westlake is much newer. If we are all one City why would it matter?

And if you think it won't happen.... How is your 1 representative out of 100 going to stop it?

Mr. Call:

I imagine individuals can make their own judgments as to your attitude toward public employees.
As for the the idea that regionalization "bails out Cleveland", you DO realize, dont you, that in Westlake it may be perceived as "bailing out Lakewood"?

Mr. Endress:

Your choice of the library to illustrate your point is an unusual (and dare I say, trivial?) example. Lakewood is unique in that the local public library is a source of intense pride to its citizenry. It is also a LIBRARY, and not really critical to the larger health of a community. I don't know anyone who has moved to Nevada or Floirida for the libraries. On the other hand, job opportunities, safety issues, taxes, etc, ARE important issues. On each of those, you must admit, Lakewood might benefit from some degree of consolidation. Or we could just put a wall around the place and hope for the best.

I've said enough on this topic and again, I dont believe this is the right room to push the idea, so Ill keep future comments to myself. I congratulate Mayor George on realizing that Lakewood is ON Lake Erie, not in the MIDDLE of it. We aren't an island, nor is Cleveland or any other community in the county. We can only see what the future has in store.

Dee

I used the library as an example because:
1) I was extremely familiar with what went on when there was an effort to regionalize the libraries, the perceived economies of scale and because,
2) Whether it is trivial, it nevertheless demonstrates the appropriate protocol for an examination of ANY regionalization issue. Indeed, the more important the issue, ie., job, safety, schools, taxes the more important that we first know what is at stake and not simply assume. For any meaningful discussion we need to have an apples to apples comparison of whatever service or institution (trivial or otherwise). Only then can we gauge whether the potential savings represent a reasonable return for the impact on services, etc.

Never advocated walls, never denied there could be an upside. What I said was:

I, for one am unwilling to accept the projected benefits of regionalization until someone puts forth an analysis of how our current tax level and service level will be affected.

I don't think such an analysis is too much to ask. And I think before anyone advocates merging Lakewood's schools, fire, police we are entitled to see if such a merger will give us more bang for our buck. Or not. We could simply accept that for unspecified projected savings there will no impact on those issues which are less than trivial. But having seen the flaws in that mindset when a trivial issue was fully vetted, I am even more convinced of the a similar examination when we deal with those issues that are truly important.

Jeff