The Observation Deck

Today I learned that the much needed debate between State Senator Mike Skindell and Mayor Mike Summers has fallen apart.

This was upsetting because the largest thing facing this city in over 50 years is the debacle known as the CCF Lakewood Master Agreement. A project done mostly in private with little sunshine or explanation except, "We have to do it now." What does the City of Lakewood get right now? We lose $150 million in public assets, potentially another $20 million in deconstruction costs, the loss of a hospital with 1,100 high paying jobs, for what can best be described as "Magic Beans." As one candidate speaks of saving the hospital, jobs, income tax, and honesty and transparency, the other candidate claims the yet unnamed or purposed private foundation will allow everyone in the city to dream big, no bigger, bigger still.

So you can see both candidates are betting heavily on the "The Hospital Deal" yet only one seemed ready to give it the gravity and seriousness it deserves.

To my dismay, as I was coming back from out east, I started to get notices about the debate which simply were not true. It is yet another misleading tactic, playing fast and loose with the truth and fast with the spin that can only come from the first mayor who ever need to hire a crisis management company, let alone spend nearly $1million in public assets on crisis management and spin in talking with his constituents.

No spin here. Here are the actual letters from Mike Skindell.

The first inviting the Mayor to "debate on the hospital deal."


Here is the letter from today...




I have seen them talk about the City of Lakewood at least 3 times now, we needed a conversation on this nightmare hospital deal.

This is yet another tragedy in this nightmare of a deal. Changing Lakewood forever, with a mayor that has no time to discuss it, explain it, or even try.

Democracy loses yet again.

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Just passing it along. Take care.

Edit... Moving comments?

todd heckeler wrote:Just passing it along. Take care.

Edit... Moving comments?

?

Please tell me more. There should be a video, I was talking about discovery documents we had not gotten.

If this was earlier in the meeting I think I was taken back that Councilman Tom Bullock actually showed up early for something and then started to attack the State Senator. I stepped in, still shocked that Bullock was early to anything and talked about the Senator's Senate Bills on Honesty, Accountability and Transparency in Ohio?

Roll it.

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Not sure what your are doing to my posts now. Adding text and moving regardless this is the other side of the story since you made a new thread.
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Dear Lakewood residents,
After weeks of negotiations, Michael Skindell campaign has refused to face Mayor Mike Summers in a wide-ranging debate that addresses the diverse issues facing Lakewood.
“We’re incredibly disappointed that Mr. Skindell has refused to face Mayor Summers in a real debate, said Lynn Foran, Re-elect Mayor Summers campaign manager. “Despite weeks of negotiations, it’s become clear that Mr. Skindell lacks the diverse knowledge and leadership experience residents expect in a mayor, and he’s doing everything he can to avoid demonstrating that to voters.”
Negotiations regarding a public debate between Mayor Summers and State Senator Skindell fell apart when an agreement was not reached on the substance of the issues of the debate. Mayor Summers was adamant that the debate would cover the many issues facing Lakewood citizens, including housing, development, jobs, services for Lakewood citizens, and the future of Lakewood Hospital and healthcare in Lakewood. State Senator Skindell refused to substantively cover the many issues Lakewood faces in the upcoming months and years.
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Don't believe the spin coming from Team Summers.

Senator Skindell requested a Lakewood Hospital Debate.

Mayor Summers declined a Lakewood Hospital Debate.

Read the facts and letters yourself.

And share them far and wide.

Thank you.

Does not surprise me.

Summers is distancing himself from the Lakewood Hospital issue because he knows public opinion is NOT for his back door deal with the Cleveland Clinic. His only hope is to separate himself from it.

Only Mike Skindell has the courage to speak out against the duplicitous deal this administration concocted with the Clinic.

Summers won't debate Skindell on THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING LAKEWOOD!!!

What does that tell you?

They should have debated. Too bad Skindell and his negotiator(mm) couldn't agree to terms.

Patrick Wadden wrote:They should have debated. Too bad Skindell and his negotiator(mm) couldn't agree to terms.

Patrick

I had the pleasure of talking to both negotiators this week.

Matt would have done nearly anything to get the debate on the hospital done. Nate seemed very positive in the week earlier.

It is terrible for the voters this did not get done.

If this deal was so good, why not take the time to crow about it?

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Patrick Wadden wrote:They should have debated. Too bad Skindell and his negotiator(mm) couldn't agree to terms.

After I viewed the PD videos I was looking forward to it.

Ironically, the Team Summers Facebook page is deleting posts from folks who are sharing the truth about the Lakewood Hospital Debate and linking to this page. There's transparency for you.

Oh, and Team Summers and Build Lakewood's favorite blogger has blocked me and deleted my posts from his blog as well.

Do you folks want the facts or just Team Summers' spin?

Damage control.

Todd

Here's all people need to know

Defendant Summers is re-elected and corruption and litigation continues and the City is in an abyss.

The squeaky clean challenger wins and the sun comes out, flowers pop up everywhere and everyone is happy and gets along.

Chose wisely.

Peace

Senator Skindell was willing to debate issues other than the hospital. Senator Skindell even says so in his letter to Mayor Summers today. And Nate Kelly understood that Senator Skindell was willing to debate more than just the hospital so, frankly, I was surprised to read Mayor Summers' press release. As an aside, Nate and I had very amicable negotiations.

If it's such a great deal, WHY won't Summers defend it? He has not lifted a finger to sell this to his constituents, leaving the dirty work to Jennifer Pae and BUILD Lakewood.

He has carefully distanced himself from the deal. WHY? He knows which way the wind is blowing. The majority of the residents of this city are appalled that our leaders let the Clinic decimate the hospital without any protest. Summers knows he can't win this election on the hospital issue so he's running from it.

Mike Summers made a bad deal and won't own it, but his name will forever be associated with this debacle, just as Cain was sunk by the West End.

Are we looking at Mike Summers - Cain v.2?

Yesterday Todd claimed to have no knowledge of the debate.
Then a few minutes later he claimed that Skindell chickened out.

Those two statements cannot both be true....was he lying the first time or the second?