Pae's Experiment Fails Amid Groundswell of Support for Observer

[Brian Essi]

So Jenn Pae tried to gin up animosity against the Observer on her censored forum suggesting the Observer was somehow a "liability", but It backfired and she was forced to shut it down when even Jay Foran and Shawn Juris praised the Observer.

Foran went so far as to call the Observer "noble."

While some of Pae's subjects referred to the Observer as a "pinko rag", "communist" and compared it to "Brietbart", Pae was overwhelmed by members of the Lakewood community openly expressing support for the Observer.

Pae was so upset at that she revealed her true motives--writing how her forum was like the LO and how the members of her forum "detest" the LO.

Talk about a hate!

[Bridget Conant]

Thanks for bringing this up. I was just about to comment on this.

Pae, on her phony "Lakewood Ohio Community" FB page, was trying to elicit negativity towards the Observer. She disingenuously asked where people got their news and if the Observer was an asset or a LIABILITY for Lakewood.

Her FB page is similar to the "Ohio Neighborhood News," the fake "newspaper" sent out by Fitzgerald in support of Summers, the hospital deal, and in Brooklyn, for Scott Claussen, the mayoral candidate caught with drugs. She started the page to compete with the original "Lakewood Ohio" page that had already been in existence and had active participants. In Pae's eyes, the fact that some of the commenters there were unhappy with losing the hospital made it DANGEROUS! She had to start her own page, with a similar sounding name to attract readers, where no "political" talk was allowed (or so she claimed.) Actually, you just were not allowed to make any comments about Summer's, the hospital plan, or the city unless it was "positive."

Now it's on to bash and try to take down the Observer, which might have been the plan all along. Good luck with that, Ms Pae.

What is most concerning is that this city has a serious problem with free speech. They would love nothing more than to destroy the Observer and stop people from talking. It's their mission - SHUT PEOPLE UP.

We all know about the SLAPP suit against the Observer. Since that's not working like they planned, they've got to try other tactics. Pae to the rescue!

But wait! The phony papers, the SLAPP suit, the copycat FB page, there's more! If anyone doubts the city is actively concerned with stomping on our free speech rights, and the lawsuit and Pae's latest stunt aren't enough for you, here's more.

In a recent court filing submitted by Councilperson Sam O'Leary, asking that the members of council be excused from participating in a hearing in a case in which they are defendants, he points to the Observer and two threads on the Deck about that case. He claims the LO is "POLITICIZING" the issue and he doesn't like it! He actually thinks the judge will consider that as a legitimate reason to excuse their attendance!

Well Sammy boy, the supposed lawyer who should know the law, here are some clues. YOU ARE A POLITICIAN and this is A POLITICAL ISSUE. More importantly, court cases are PUBLIC RECORD and we have a RIGHT to talk about them. You can't take that away.

You and the SLAPP suit attorneys better read up on First Amendment rights again because you've just gotten an F in constitutional legal rights. You should be embarrassed to submit that whine to the court. No judge gives a rats A$$ about what you consider negative publicity. Get over yourself and man up and quit blaming the LO for all your failings as a councilperson and lawyer.

This administration just cannot tolerate that people are discussing issues! The LO makes it into virtually every lawsuit involving political issues. The city and its lawyers are just so annoyed and frustrated that people can talk! They can discuss issues! It frightens them!

Stand up for your FIRST AMENDMENT rights and FREE SPEECH.

We have a right to talk about the goings on in our city.

Don't let them destroy the Observer.

[todd vainisi]

I was so disappointed to see this post by her, and the obviously planted post from Daniel Lanois just before the election where he asked to be "set straight" with "unbiased" lowdown on 64 and was promptly given explanations by Jenn Pae and Shawn Juris - obviously unbiased folks, right?

It's very telling that she didn't realize her mistake and remove her post, but instead doubled down and said that there was nothing wrong with calling out another Lakewood entity and asking for opinions on why it was a liability to our city.

My opinion of her has changed dramatically from someone who I respected and felt deserved to be respected. I now see that she is manipulative and overly prideful about her standing in our community. She thinks she's more Lakewood than the rest of us because 4 or 5 generations of her family have lived here. I would be embarrassed to admit to my family having such a tiny purview in the world. It's one thing to live near your parents, it's quite another for 5 generations of folks not to branch out and leave the tiny suburb where they started. Talk about timidity, small mindedness, and insular relationships! I've lived all over the country. My grandparents left their country (at different times) and crossed oceans.

You know who stays in place for 5 generations? Serfs, slaves, and people born into indentured servitude. It's not a badge of honor. And it doesn't make her opinion more important. And she is an accountant not a contract lawyer. She may know a lot of numbers about the hospital deal, but she is not any more qualified than I am to interpret the old or new agreement.

And lastly I'm super disappointed about that city group. I appreciated its not controversial nature where you could get simple answers about where to buy party supplies from your neighbors or let people know your dog is missing. She brought people in there without them knowing she would have an agenda. She should step down as an admin of that group. It should be a facebook community group for the people, by the people and free from control and influence from city hall.

[Michael Deneen]

I read this whole thing over on Facebook.
It was comical to see some of the "usual suspects" such as Todd Heckler badmouthing the Observer. The fact that Heckler now calls himself "Big Cheese" is itself both comical and revealing.

However, the deeper implications of this are actually ominous.
As we goosestep toward January 20, the War on Free Press in America will ramp up.....and Lakewood will be no exception.
This City Hall wants to get rid of the Observer, and Mouthpiece Pae is floating trial balloons to measure the project's popularity.

Pae asking "Is the Observer an asset or liability" is the equivalent of Rudy Guiliani asking "Is the New York Times an asset or a liability".
Team Summers labels facts as "bias".... which is a dangerous thing in our new "Post Truth America".

[Bridget Conant]

Mike Deneen wrote:

This City Hall wants to get rid of the Observer, and Mouthpiece Pae is floating trial balloons to measure the project's popularity.

Exactly.

It's disgusting.

To Summers, Pae, O'Leary, Carson, et al,

YOU CANNOT SHUT US UP.

All you are doing is making yourselves look petty, ridiculous, and Anti-American.

Wait for MORE negative attention as a result of your misguided efforts to shut people up and destroy the Observer.

[todd vainisi]

I just realized that, along with serfs, monarchy stays in place and doesn't move. So, my bad, there are good ways to stay in place. It can be a badge of honor. But I'm sort of a revolutionary. Monarchies were bad. Advanced society everywhere removes them.

[Bridget Conant]

Todd

Great post.

Just to clarify, though,

And she is an accountant not a contract lawyer.

Pae is NOT an accountant. She is NOT a CPA as are most city finance directors, and she has no degree in accounting.

[cmager]

Perhaps Ms. Pae should be dropped from city payroll, and instead be paid by the number of "clicks" on her social media posts.

[Pam Wetula]

Todd

Great post.

Just to clarify, though,

And she is an accountant not a contract lawyer.

Pae is NOT an accountant. She is NOT a CPA as are most city finance directors, and she has no degree in accounting.

From Jenn Pae's Linked In page.

Education
Cleveland State University
MPA, Economic Development
1995 – 1996

University of Notre Dame
Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Anthropology
1988 – 1992


Certifications
Ohio Schools Treasurer Licensed
Ohio Department of Education
July 2013 – July 2018

Registered Yoga Teacher - 200 Hours(Link)
Yoga Alliance
Yoga Alliance, License 197921
July 2016 – July 2017

Ms. Pae is very intelligent but definitely not an Accountant. That said, her MPA is an interdisciplinary degree that would include some economics as that is her stated area of focus. However, I definitely do believe that an undergraduate degree in accounting &/or a CPA designation would better serve the needs of a Finance Director for a city the size of Lakewood. I think her inability &/or unwillingness to crunch the true numbers concerning the economic impact of closing Lakewood Hospital are a result of her lack of expertise in this arena.

Jenn Pae does do an excellent job of communicating the City's message to the public. There is no confusion on where they (er) she stands.

[Brian Essi]

I was so disappointed to see this post by her, and the obviously planted post from Daniel Lanois just before the election where he asked to be "set straight" with "unbiased" lowdown on 64 and was promptly given explanations by Jenn Pae and Shawn Juris - obviously unbiased folks, right?

It's very telling that she didn't realize her mistake and remove her post, but instead doubled down and said that there was nothing wrong with calling out another Lakewood entity and asking for opinions on why it was a liability to our city.

My opinion of her has changed dramatically from someone who I respected and felt deserved to be respected. I now see that she is manipulative and overly prideful about her standing in our community. She thinks she's more Lakewood than the rest of us because 4 or 5 generations of her family have lived here. I would be embarrassed to admit to my family having such a tiny purview in the world. It's one thing to live near your parents, it's quite another for 5 generations of folks not to branch out and leave the tiny suburb where they started. Talk about timidity, small mindedness, and insular relationships! I've lived all over the country. My grandparents left their country (at different times) and crossed oceans.

You know who stays in place for 5 generations? Serfs, slaves, and people born into indentured servitude. It's not a badge of honor. And it doesn't make her opinion more important. And she is an accountant not a contract lawyer. She may know a lot of numbers about the hospital deal, but she is not any more qualified than I am to interpret the old or new agreement.

And lastly I'm super disappointed about that city group. I appreciated its not controversial nature where you could get simple answers about where to buy party supplies from your neighbors or let people know your dog is missing. She brought people in there without them knowing she would have an agenda. She should step down as an admin of that group. It should be a facebook community group for the people, by the people and free from control and influence from city hall.

Mr. Vainisi,

My initial perceptions of Ms. Pae in April, 2015 were positive as well, but she seems to have lost her bearings these last 20 months.

Your powerfully civil posts on her censored site hit her emotional hot button and triggered her instinct to shut down dissent.

Bravo to you for your fine citizenship.

I found it revealing that Corey Rossen was allowed to post the final word on her thread after her stated cutoff time--just to get the last mean spirited dig on the "commies" at the LO.

This was a textbook case of "Group" Classic Projection Disorder at its finest.

[Dan Alaimo]

As we have seen repeatedly here, as soon as the going gets rough, they pick up their ball and go home.
Then they wonder why their side isn't represented on the Deck, and why people are so frustrated in asking their questions.

I thought about posting something there, but ultimately decided against it. She asked if the LO was a "liability" to a group of people that had been largely selected by City Hall.

CR's self-pitying post was a curiosity. He evidently sees himself as a martyr.

[Bridget Conant]

CR's self-pitying post was a curiosity. He sees himself as a martyr.

That "victim" syndrome seems to be going around on that side.

It's related to a need for attention.

[Lori Allen _]

I believe that Pae has to spread false propaganda in order to Make her right hand man, Summers, seem credible.

At the risk of upsetting the mayor's trolls, I will say that Ms. Pae currently makes over $94,000 per year as Finance Director for City Hall. Why? We have a person that handles billing and invoices, someone that handles purchasing, another that handles payroll, and several others that handle income tax and water bills. What does she really do? The $94,000 dollar salary was in 2014, which was probably before her apparently new career as Summers' social media monitor and propaganda minister. This amount and benefits have probably increased since 2014.

Meanwhile, it appears that Armond Budish is allowing Summers to use the Cuyahoga County Court System as a vendetta against the citizens that are standing up to him and being publicly vocal against the Summer's dictatorship.

Summers, you are a coward! It appears you can't do a thing for yourself, so, you have to use your Extended Family members in high places to do your dirty work for you.

Next time you, Armond, Judge Russo, Judge Friedman, and Judge O'Donnell have lunch, tell them to go to confession and come clean!

FWIW.

[Bridget Conant]

Here is the filing if anyone wants to read it.

skindell filing.pdf

(315.39 KiB) Downloaded 150 times

Note that the authors were Law Director Butler and Rob Cahill, not Sam O'Leary. However, he was certainly involved as the filing requests that he be allowed to represent the remaining defendants by appearing for them at the hearing.

[Pam Wetula]

Here is the filing if anyone wants to read it.

skindell filing.pdf

Note that the authors were Law Director Butler and Rob Cahill, not Sam O'Leary. However, he was certainly involved as the filing requests that he be allowed to represent the remaining defendants by appearing for them at the hearing.

Thank you Bridget! They are just pathetic. What an embarrassment for Lakewood to have leadership either afraid to appear or unwilling to expend their time to work at a solution together. This supports the "group think" concept once again. Their assertion that they don't want to work behind closed doors makes me laugh out loud as I recall the Committee of the Whole Meetings that were closed to the public. Meetings that sealed the fate of the hospital.

God forgive me, but every time they talk about their 11 month "process" in determining the fate of the hospital and the future of healthcare, I am reminded of the 4 years they spent on the "allowing hens in Lakewood" project.