The Observation Deck

In November & December, 2015, Summers told LHA and CCF they had to act swiftly to get the inevitable referendum on the March ballot and be done with will of the people.

Summers, City Hall, LHA and CCF timed the approval of the Master Agreement to back SLH into a corner getting signatures during the holidays etc.

They tried and failed to make the Master Agreement legitimate to defend against the referendum.

According to LHA insiders, CCF rushed to end inpatient services in the hopes that it would demoralize SLH supporters and thwart repeal of the bogus ordinance.

Remember they were acting so swiftly to save CCF money so that CCF would not punish the money grabbers eyeing the new dwindling new foundation dollars?

But Summers, et al have a big problem they did not anticipate.

They energized SLH and it has gotten stronger with fresh leaders and armies soldiers.

SLH got more than enough signatures for their referendum and they did it in record time under difficult circumstances.

The Board of Elections wasted no time in putting the ball back in City Hall's hands.

So now Team Summers is back peddling--they don't seem to want the referendum in March after all. Or do they?

There is a poetic irony in this unfolding tragedy: A prominent Lakewood doctor told me yesterday that the longer Summers, et al delay the date of the referendum, the more people will die and the more obvious it will become that the loss of the hospital is really, really bad for the health of Lakewood residents. The doctor said that negative dynamic is well underway.

Surely Summers now sees the monster he has created--he claimed that people had their say--he has provoked outrage. More games and lies will only fuel the fire and make SLH even stronger.

So what will Summers and his minions decide to do with the ball now in their hands?

Tick Tock Tick Tock....

Brian Essi wrote:There is a poetic irony in this unfolding tragedy: A prominent Lakewood doctor told me yesterday that the longer Summers, et al delay the date of the referendum, the more people will die and the more obvious it will become that the loss of the hospital is really, really bad for the health of Lakewood residents. The doctor said that negative dynamic is well underway.

Definitely. Plus, more delay means more time for the discovery process.

From what I've been told, if city hall doesn't get their act together to get this on the March ballot, a special election must be called within a 6 month window from when the signatures were validated. That means the special election will have to take place before the middle of September and it will cost the city taxpayers just about $100,000. Of course, Summers will "blame" the SLH side for wasting taxpayer funds but to me that cost is a very good investment to help save an institution worth 100X that amount.

All this talk about waiting until November is nonsense. The city charter calls for an election to happen no later than 6 months once the Clerk of Council verifies that the number of signatures is sufficient for the referendum to proceed and notifies all members of Council to that fact. (Article XXI. Referendum, Section 6. Procedure. from the city charter @onelakewood.com)

The March date is good for SLH because of momentum.
A later date is bad for the pro-CCF forces as it gives SLH more time to amass a war chest and to gather evidence of the human cost that this very bad idea has brought. The drip, drip, drip has already started (see the Facebook page).

Bottom line: SLH is winning because lives matter and they care.

Team Summers is now on the defense because money and things is just "stuff"

Clerk of Council should have notified Council as to what's before them by now. It's public knowledge that there are enough valid signatures. Certainly Council should have been made aware of that fact by now. Today is February 4, therefore we must have a vote within 6 months. How are these folks going to play this? Push for the 15th of March or delay and spend near $100,000?

Tick Tock Tick Tock.....

Will new Council leadership act in time?