The Observation Deck

I was talking to a friend last night who mentioned that all of his doctors had moved out of Lakewood. I've noticed the same thing.

The movement of individual doctors out of Lakewood coupled with the slow bleed of services at Lakewood Hospital are becoming a real problem. But also an opportunity.

Now that the City is getting its fiscal house in order its time to start thinking about how to build on that success.

Instead of residency incentives for City employees how about residency incentives for doctors and medical centers? Perhaps tax increment financing for new or renovated medical buildings, a small hotel/medical building, or office renovation assistance.

Time is not on our side. Once the Clinic finishes its new hospital in Avon it will be too late.

If it's any consolation, after medical school/residency rotations, Jennie & I would like to come back to Lakewood...

Bill Call wrote: Time is not on our side. Once the Clinic finishes its new hospital in Avon it will be too late.

Bill

Nice to see we are both out starting fires this Sunday morning. After talking with you, your Hospital threads always make me smile.

So I ask you this?

Why not get another hospital here now and make it a 2 hospital city?

Who would you get in? and Why?

If the Clinic can't make a go of it, who could?

Or is making a go of it, and you have other gripes?

In the past I asked you if they should expand and you have said no. Yet they have opening two new clinics on Detroit Ave. in Lakewood alone in the last year.

I can't see St. John's WestShore having anywhere near the deep pockets to give us what we have now, and in fact that could become the "cash cow" syndrome you now fear with the Clinic. What about University Hospital, again quality care but not the "brand name," the recognition or complete services offered by the Clinic system.

Finally would they put as much back into the community?

Just questions that run through my mind as we both run low on butane this Sunday morning.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Nice to see we are both out starting fires this Sunday morning. After talking with you, your Hospital threads always make me smile.

I am just preparing the battlefield.

Anyway, office buildings become obsolete or outdated, doctors move their practices out of town, Lakewood loses income and economic activity and the economic center of gravity moves farther West.

The goal should be to move the economic center of gravity closer to Lakewood.

Actually, I was thinking that there might be altogether too much "gravity" surrounding Lakewood these days...

Bill Call wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Nice to see we are both out starting fires this Sunday morning. After talking with you, your Hospital threads always make me smile.

I am just preparing the battlefield.

Anyway, office buildings become obsolete or outdated, doctors move their practices out of town, Lakewood loses income and economic activity and the economic center of gravity moves farther West.

The goal should be to move the economic center of gravity closer to Lakewood.

Bill


Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't we see if we even have warriors on all sides before preparing the battlefield in the diorama of Lakewood?

$5 a gallon will move the center back east soon enough.

You answer to the Bill Call campaign of shock and awe reminds me of another LO friend from the far east, Dr. Puck. He was a believer in burn it down and let's see what rebuilds it. My argument was always, could we possibly take a peak to see if what is likely going to rebuild it is even as good as what we are about to burn down? His answer was always, "in chaos comes..." my answer was always "We I live here and you don't could we please make sure it is at least as good?"

Well the good doctor from the Far East now lives in a city with an Observer, and he has told me "He hates to screw around in the city he lives in..."

So I ask, how can we build the Lakewood diorama for the Bill Call shock and awe, if we do not know all the little lead soldiers we will need?

FWIW


.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:So I ask, how can we build the Lakewood diorama for the Bill Call shock and awe, if we do not know all the little lead soldiers we will need?

Why not more doctors in Lakewood instead of fewer?

Be prepared.

Bill Call wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:So I ask, how can we build the Lakewood diorama for the Bill Call shock and awe, if we do not know all the little lead soldiers we will need?

Why not more doctors in Lakewood instead of fewer?

Be prepared.

More doctors in the hospital, or in the city?

I have to think that the Clinic has increased the number of doctors as they have opened new clinics in Lakewood.

I can ask for numbers on Monday.


.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:$5 a gallon will move the center back east soon enough.
.

Jim, have you been downtown lately? When I worked there during the 70/80s you could hardly move walking down the sidewalks during the day. When I go down these days, which is rare, it reminds me of a ghost town. The organizations are in trouble, our large corps are gone, our financial district is non existent, and public square is a sad reminder of what was.

If $5 gas does anything it will move people closer to Avon, Solon, Beachwood and Independence, where their jobs are. And it may be the last straw for the last of downtown business to move to those areas where their employee are.

Lakewood can't continue to pretend that we live in an oasis of intellectual, spiritual and economic abundance. If we intend to distinguish ourselves it will require hard work not platitudes, bifocals not rose colored glasses. Thursday evening's budget hearing should have been a wakeup call to those who believed that Lakewood could continue to limp along with business as usual. Those human services that will be cut are going to have a very deep impact on the quality of life in Lakewood.

I think that Lakewood should be actively promoting itself to the people who will attract business. That is a win win formula. Steve Davis's Utopia model comes to mind.

I really appreciate the work that Bill Call does. It was Bill who first called (no pun intended) our attention to those safety contracts. It was Bill who continued to focus our attention on the city's finances and the mayor's voodo economics. He did it in the open and he did it on this forum. And for his trouble, he has been the target of LO/MTG special interests. And before you jump on me, I'm not saying that everyone and everything LO was MTG special interest but certainly it is obvious that there was some.

So, would it be ok if we tried to work intelligently on our problems; focus on identifying the problem, options, and action plans? And could we check our egos, open our ears and listen to each other?

Suzanne,

Please define special interest as mentioned in your post--I am unclear as to what you are getting at here.

Thanks!

Ruthie,

it is MY opinion that the LO had/has writers and advisors who had the MTG agenda as their personal mission statement. That doesn't suprise anyone I'm sure. However, Bill was a fond target of those individuals and all you have to do is go back through Bill's post's. You'll find that he's been called a liar for trying to focus community interest on the city's finances. There is much more to the Bill Call story and his experiences would make a really good investigative piece. What I admire about Bill is that he just continues to move on, probably because he gets that in the long run it's not about him. We could all learn a thing or two from him.

Suzanne

Suzanne Metelko wrote: Lakewood can't continue to pretend that we live in an oasis of intellectual, spiritual and economic abundance. If we intend to distinguish ourselves it will require hard work not platitudes, bifocals not rose colored glasses. Thursday evening's budget hearing should have been a wakeup call to those who believed that Lakewood could continue to limp along with business as usual. Those human services that will be cut are going to have a very deep impact on the quality of life in Lakewood.

Huh?

How does the "Slaughter of Cleveland" have an impact on me preaching Lakewood, Lakewood, Lakewood?

Even you can be more fair than grabbing that quote out of context!

sheeeeeeesh!

Egoes?

Hmmm.

You have peaked my interest, Suzanne....I would certainly be interested to read a piece on Bill--you seem passionate about this subject---why don't you write something --I am sure Bill would be tickled and we all would have a greater appreciation for Bill's contributions to our city!

You seem very passionate on the subject of city growth as well--are you currently involved in any action committees addressing the issues mentioned in your post? If so, here is your time to plug! If you aren't--you and Bill should team up--seems like good synergy--and we need help from as many pp as are willing to lend their talents.

Be well!

Suzanne Metelko wrote:Ruthie,

it is MY opinion that the LO had/has writers and advisors who had the MTG agenda as their personal mission statement. That doesn't suprise anyone I'm sure. However, Bill was a fond target of those individuals and all you have to do is go back through Bill's post's. You'll find that he's been called a liar for trying to focus community interest on the city's finances. There is much more to the Bill Call story and his experiences would make a really good investigative piece. What I admire about Bill is that he just continues to move on, probably because he gets that in the long run it's not about him. We could all learn a thing or two from him.

Suzanne

I would encourage Bill to share them, Bill is here, I am here, the editors are here. We do not need investigation we need transparency and of course THE FACTS as you always say.

Let's start with the Fire story you were helping him on. No wait, the Hospital and taxes story.

Every member of the board I am sure has agendas, the paper has no agenda. To suggest anything else is simply not true. What is even more amazing is that you know everyone involved in this project, and you are constantly indicating that they, on the whole, are lying, hiding, cheating, perverting and more.

It makes no sense.


.

.