The Observation Deck

Observers,

Lakewood High Times editorial, May 2007:

Coup D'etat

"In a special Lakewood City Council meeting on Friday, April 13th, councilman Ryan Demro and Kevin Butler were joined by Councilmen Ed Fitzgerald and Michael Dever in what can be best classified as a coup d'etat. The Councilmen attempted to remove Bob Seelie from his role as Council President and as chair of the committee of the whole. The Councilmen held the meeting and attempted removals knowing that Seelie was out of the state due to a family engagement.

Demro and Fitzgerald are prospective Lakewood mayors. Both intend to challenge current mayor Thomas George this fall. That is all the more reason for public concerns about their actions.......this stance demonstrates a dangerous precedent, the possibility that both of these candidates if elected, will seek to stifle dialog and squander the resources of Lakewood's active citizenry......This vote was probably the boiling point in political tensions between Lakewood's old guard leadership and two younger leaders jockeying to take the reins. Fitzgerald and Demro should know, however, that Lakewood's myriad of complex challenges can't be solved by either one of them alone. The solution to Lakewood's..woes is not a knight in shining armor, but a multi-faceted and diverse alliance of groups and individuals to implement a comprehensive strategy.

Whoever is elected mayor must be willing to cooperate, willing to compromise and willing to respect those whom they disagree. Lakewood's diversity can be tapped as an enormous strength. Trying to force conformity, concentrate power and hush public debate is detrimental to the community they strive to serve. Lakewood is better off building bridges than burning them. In an sickening display of civic cannibalism, Fitzgerald and Demro have shown they both need to think long and hard about what is really best for Lakewood before they hit the campaign trail in the months to come."

The Lakewood (High School) Times, May 2007

Thomas J. George wrote:Coup D'etat

"In a special Lakewood City Council meeting on Friday, April 13th, councilman Ryan Demro and Kevin Butler were joined by Councilmen Ed Fitzgerald and Michael Dever in what can be best classified as a coup d'etat.

With all due respect Mayor the party line regarding the so called coup is a bunch of crap.

Over the past four years members of council grew tired of an administration that withheld vital information, misled the council on important public policy matters, reported one fiscal position in private and another in public, ignored the growing fiscal, housing and criminal problems, provided a blank check to selected unions for overtime abuse, held secretive and suspicious meetings with out of town developers and in general had an attitude more fitting to the editorial board of Mad Magazine rather than a City government: "What, me worry?"

The so called coup was an attempt to right a listing ship. The efforts of council to remove a council president who became increasingly unresponsive to the needs of council and the needs of the City were long over due.

Bill Call wrote:With all due respect Mayor the party line regarding the so called coup is a bunch of crap...

Uh, er, uh, er uh, uh,

I am sure you understand.


PS - Didn't see you there that night. For some reason part of the audio is missing as well.


.

Good Golly Miss Molly Bill--

You also forgot to add to your laundry list Armenian genocide, that globlal warming thing, and orphan kittens at the animal shelter!

Bill -

For those of us who were at the meeting, you do not know how this went down.

1. The notices to the other members of council, the ones not in the "boy" clique, did not go out until the very last minute.

2.. Many of us had talked to various members, I talked to Fitzgerald, about contacting Seelie and telling him that they were seeking to replace him and give him a chance to resign in a dignified manner, Fitzgerald, Butler and Demro did not do that.

3. They waited until he was out of town and pulled this crap, and crap it was.

4. Then they tried to put Kevin in as chair for the committee of the whole, which was obviously preplanned and was not on the agenda. Kevin knew about this because he read a draconian prepared statement justifying the way they behaved.

5. When the clerk of council objected to the proceedings, Demro started whining "this is in violation of the sunshine laws we can have her removed".

6. Whenever Councilwoman Antonio tried to speak, VP of council, Michael Dever refused to recognize her several times and passed her over for one of the boys until Nicki forced him to recognize her.

7. Dever couldn't hold the meeting together, and citizens had no idea what motions they were putting out on the floor because they kept slinging it. When we asked for clarification they looked at us stunned.

8. At the end of the meeting, instead of waiting for citizen comments, they ran and I mean ran out of there like cowards.

If this is the kind of leadership Lakewood wants, lots of luck. I'll be working on regional and national campaigns because this stuff is all to psycho at this point.

Is this precedented, an incumbent mayor posting an editorial from a high school newpaper to an online forum in hopes of delivering a blow to his opponent.

this editorial was published last year by the editor of the paper as the voice of the paper.

he is now studying politics and law at George Washington university in Washington, DC.

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:this editorial was published last year by the editor of the paper as the voice of the paper.

he is now studying politics and law at George Washington university in Washington, DC.

Ivor

Please sit in the corner and be quiet. When are you going to learn the voice of the intelligent young, is not what we need to hear.

Please let us adults straighten this out.

New minds yes, young minds no.

I do not care if you tell me he grew up here either.

Be quiet.





.

ok, dad.

My opinion isn't intelligent so can I still post?

Igor - Yes it is.

Jim - Bad daddy.

I think Jim was kidding...

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:ok, dad.

My opinion isn't intelligent so can I still post?

Ivor

I am sure a quick comparission of your posts and my posts would let anyone know, who is sharper.

As you have often shown me.

All voices are equal once the name has been given.

As David pointed out, I was kidding

Only a fool would agree with what I posted.


.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Only a fool would agree with what I posted.

I couldn't agree more.

Steve

back to the topic.

this event was called a "coupe d'etat" on here and in other papers in the area as well, so why is it news that the Times called it one as well.

I remember being at the special city hall meeting that night and thinking this is all too bizarre.

that's also when the issue of citizen comments at hall meetings came up..I remember there were city council members who wanted to hear comments at the end of the meeting and ones that didn't.

Tom,

What is this? Don't you get it? Nothing is going to save you at this point. STOP THE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN OF DESPERATION. At least go out with some class.

And stop calling my campaign staff. They are voting for change and aren't supporting you. Good luck in retirement.