The Observation Deck

This is the note I was hoping not to write...

My question, Are you a Lakewoodite?

We have gone through changes at council, city hall and the mayor. As I travel throughout the city, I am asked questions about where we are headed and was the right decision made.

Here are the facts, these people are who a majority of the city felt would best move us forward. These are our leaders these are the people we are working with. In all fairness Tom George was and is a friend, Ryan Demro and I have a special relationship, which is friendly and sometimes heated. Ed FitzGerald and I have a different style of friendship, but would describe it as friendship. All of them would want us to get behind the mayor of Lakewood, and council and move this city forward.

Ed has come in and has promised and is working with residents on reform and progress. This is great news. At the same time we have Mainstreet, LCPI, Lakewood Is Art, MAMA, DADA, Bike Lakewood, LEAF Community and the Observer as vehicles to make the city better, and move the city forward. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT WORKING TOGETHER. NONE!

We are in tough times, here and around the region and country. Dan Slife just did a 2 month tour of the USA. Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Wyoming, New York and others. His comment on returning, we are lucky some of these places are hurting much worse than us.

As foretold by others, Lakewood is in the right place at the right time. We are perfectly suited for the next 25 years. As long as we do not go nuts with development, retail, and drastic changes.

I call for all real Lakewoodites to get behind city hall, get behind any group you want to work with, and let's pull together and make this city all it can be. I still think two years of hard work by everyone can get us there. then we can relax and go back to bickering.

Let the past go, and look to the future.

Getting off the soapbox.

peace


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Great post Jim and I agree 100%.

Bryan Schwegler wrote:Great post Jim and I agree 100%.

Ditto... well stated

As many of you know by now, I seem to have developed a rather strong identification with the hand saw.

Now, a hand saw can have many uses.

It can cut things down, tear things up,

...or prepare the timbers for building things back up again.

When it's finished, it can even help to provide a little music to cheer things up.

I suppose our words and deeds are like that saw.

We can cut things down and tear things up, with those words and deeds,

...or use them to build things back up again.

We can even use them to help provide a little music to cheer things up at the end of a tough day.

Lakewood' new mayor and council members need all the help they can get with the leadership of our city. Every department of the city, whether police, fire, sanitation...whatever.... needs the help of us all.

Look around your home, your yard, your neighborhood. Is there some little thing you might do to help improve things? Know an elderly or ill person who could use a helping hand?

Of course there are always opportunities to help. You don't always have to throw money at a problem. Sometimes the solution lies within you.

...and that's my soapbox time.

I love Lakewood. I grew up here, went to school here, raised my two youngest here and will die here.

I want and have always wanted our town to do well. I will do whatever I am capable of doing to see that our town is one of the best places to live, for everyone.

While I am not the most diplomatic or soft spoken person around, I am committed to the residents of our town to make it the best it can be. The election is over, it is what it is. I will stand behind the leadership here and I have made phone calls to winning candidates congratulating them. Some of the things that went on is just politics. Now it's time to work together for the good of all.

It's also time to quit complaining and see what we can do to fix the problems we have.

Onward ho and peace out.

sharon kinsella wrote:It's also time to quit complaining and see what we can do to fix the problems we have.

Onward ho and peace out.

Well Said.

we have Mainstreet, LCPI, Lakewood Is Art, MAMA, DADA, Bike Lakewood, LEAF Community and the Observer as vehicles to make the city better, and move the city forward.

I agree these groups play a crucial role in addressing Lakewood issues and bringing innovations to the community. In fact, these groups may respond better than the City could alone, since they tap the energy and expertise of citizens.

For example, it has been Tim Liston's bicycling expertise that led to the beginning of bike parking and an overhaul of City code (with Councilman Butler's hard work). It's the lead-from-the-front action taken by LEAF leaders (Chris Trapp, Lynn Rodeman, Annie Stahlheber, Rob Burgoyne, Dan Slife, Robert Overman, Mike Gill, many others) that brought the Thurs evening vegetable market to Lakewood's main street. There are many other examples we could cite.

Job one for the new Council and Administration is to get on top of the city budget--i.e. make sure core services and city's fiscal health are strong. While this work on fundamentals goes on, these civic groups can keep percolating good ideas and serve as laboratories for change.

So like Jim says, please get (or stay) involved, and keep feeding good ideas to the community.

back to the whole "branding" issue, are we sure about the term "Lakewoodite"?

It doesn't sound like a very nice thing to call someone.

Can I be a "Woodie"?

Can I be a "Woodie"?

Gee Bret.....I don't know. Can you?

Jeff

(edited) I hope this image is better...