The Observation Deck

On Feb. 14th, at the Women's Pavilion in Lakewood Park, Lakewood's Mayor Michael Summers hosted his community public discussion. The event was literally an intimate round table, as attendees were all able to sit together informally at a single table, affording each of us plenty of time to discuss whatever topics came to our mind.

Discussion topics ran the gamut from sidewalk repair issues (Lakewood is midway through a ten-year walkways improvement process) to the controversial hospital property.( The existing structure is reportedly rented by the Cleveland Clinic until July, 2018, and thus far, no official plans for that area's future usage have been set in stone.)

The Mayor reminded us that Wednesday, February 15, there will be a "Downtown Development Community Conversation" at City Hall beginning at 7:00 p.m. He informed us that there were no set plans as yet regarding as to how the former hospital space will be developed. That space, along with the four storefronts on Detroit Ave. is all currently city property. The storefronts are historically significant Detroit frontage structures. It is hoped that they will be kept as original as possible, and utilized in future development plans.

Considerable time was spent discussing improvements in Lakewood's technological progress including the use of Lakewood's 46 high-tech street cameras, police body cameras, and concurrently, Lakewood Park's wi-fi availability. As well, a discussion ensued as to how the use of technology has greatly been improved with respect to exterior home inspections and real-time turnaround on repair alerts and notifications.

There has, according to the Mayor, been a significant reduction in the number of Lakewood homes needing major repairs over the past 5 years. Lakewood has also upgraded their standards for needful home identification. Unfortunately, twenty four homes have reportedly been razed in the past 8 years, (under due process procedural guidelines) The Mayor informed us that most of them had indeed either been previously vacated, or had otherwise dangerous and/or structural conditions surrounding them.

We also discussed Lakewood Alive's program of providing volunteers and resources for people who would be otherwise unable to keep up their homes. Roughly 10 homeowners are assisted annually by Lakewood Alive volunteers.

We discussed the demolition issues regarding the Hilliard triangle theater. Unfortunately, a finalized question of future development of that area remains a question at this point, due to a variety of issues. Demolition costs approaching $900,000 are currently being shared through a blend of City and County resources.

The Mayor expressed that he felt that the number one challenge for our community continues to be what to do about Lakewood's water. Lakewood's former way of dealing with storm water overflow is no longer practical in these times, and the City is continues to explore various alternatives and options with our water pollution controls and conservation issues, including the creation of incentives for greater homeowner cooperation.

Expansion of Lakewood's bicycle lanes was discussed in detail. Lake Ave. is on the re-furb list, and bike lanes along Lake Ave. and Riverside Drive are planned for the near future.

Talk ensued regarding Lakewood's "snow ban" situation and the fact that it covers only the principal thoroughfares in town and not the side streets. This information was reportedly posted on the City's website.

I would suggest that anyone having questions, needing more information, or wanting to participate in an interactive discussion with Lakewood's Mayor either call City Hall directly, or go to the City's website for a schedule of more public meetings like this one:

http://www.onelakewood.com/event/downto ... versation/

Back to the banjo...

Gary, thanks for posting all that valuable and interesting information. The historically significant storefronts on Detroit, I wonder why there are just sitting there, unoccupied, and not offered for utilization? Are the apartments above also vacant, waiting for the other shoe (hammer) to fall?

Hi Jackie,

As far as I was given to understand last night, those four store fronts are among the very few Lakewood street views that remain virtually time-capsule unchanged from their streetcar days inception, and nowadays, that seems to be a highly valuable commodity for Lakewood, and the plan will be to save and develop them. Presently they, and the apartments above, are unoccupied, and to show you how times change, (if I am remembering correctly) at one time I think that they were probably acquired by the City in order to expand the hospital's footprint, but as we all know, that did not happen.

Just my own opinion here, but could the same historic preservation argument have been applied to the Hilliard theater? Of course it once could have. That place had been quite a beautiful building, and could have become a real mixed-use retail/residential/entertainment attraction for Lakewood's West End. The real issue with it unfortunately appears to have been the roof damage cause by Hurricane Sandy and the resultant interior damage and decay. Compounding all of that was quite likely the economic realities of the Great Recession, subsequent funding concerns, and a lack of parking. The theater's restoration hopes therefore became very bleak.

It will remain to be seen what is to be done with that property in the future. One issue pointed out by the Mayor is the fact that there is a significant difference in elevation between the Hilliard and Madison street levels, so that difficulty will need to be worked out with whatever future development is proposed.

Back to the banjo.

Gary Rice wrote:It will remain to be seen what is to be done with that property in the future. One issue pointed out by the Mayor is the fact that there is a significant difference in elevation between the Hilliard and Madison street levels, so that difficulty will need to be worked out with whatever future development is proposed.

Back to the banjo.

Gary

I always get a kick out of people coming together to hear what a compulsive liar has to say to the group.

Of course talking in manageable groups brings in Spiral Dynamics and other Nero-Linguistic Tricks to make people hear what they need to hear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-lin ... rogramming

As for the difficulty in building on that space, if one is to look within blocks they would see all sorts of ways to overcome that terrible burden. From the buildings nearby built at the turn of the century, or the office buildings built in the 50s and 60s, or Harding School built last year. Yeah as a challenge right up there with the pyramids.

You would think the Mayor that brought the corporate headquarters of Five Guys, and the massive University of Akron would see it as easy, but maybe not.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Gary Rice wrote:It will remain to be seen what is to be done with that property in the future. One issue pointed out by the Mayor is the fact that there is a significant difference in elevation between the Hilliard and Madison street levels, so that difficulty will need to be worked out with whatever future development is proposed. Back to the banjo.

Gary, I always get a kick out of people coming together to hear what a compulsive liar has to say to the group. Of course talking in manageable groups brings in Spiral Dynamics and other Nero-Linguistic Tricks to make people hear what they need to hear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-lin ... rogramming As for the difficulty in building on that space, if one is to look within blocks they would see all sorts of ways to overcome that terrible burden. From the buildings nearby built at the turn of the century, or the office buildings built in the 50s and 60s, or Harding School built last year. Yeah as a challenge right up there with the pyramids. You would think the Mayor that brought the corporate headquarters of Five Guys, and the massive University of Akron would see it as easy, but maybe not.

Or, hey, there was a multi-use theatre structure on the same site that can serve as a very viable shiny example to the great developers of the 2020's.

First of all, at no point was the difference in street elevations presented as being a significant concern; only one that will merit consideration with new development alternatives that come along.

I'm not sure where all that "linguistic tricks" stuff was going, but as a college-educated educator specializing in learning and behavioral issues, as well as having a great deal of experience with language inflection, body language, and oral presentations, I did not feel in any way that I, or anyone that evening, was provided with anything other than a thoughtful fact-filled professional presentation.

On an editorial note here, I fully understand the difficult residual feelings and questions that remain among numerous people in Lakewood regarding several recent municipal issues and individuals, including the hospital, executive sessions, handling and disclosure of records, etc...

These points made, those same people sorely need to remain engaged with what our government is planning and doing. I do not believe for a moment that staying away from people with whom we might or might not care for, or perhaps disagree with, will do anything to improve the quality of life in our community.

Finally, while we might have our own personal thoughts regarding who might or might not be a "compulsive liar", I feel that it's important to fairly point out that (although I'm no attorney) being a retired teacher, I do believe that there's a difference between a personal belief regarding the honesty of another person, and then, whether that person was actually convicted of lying in a court of law, correct?

Anyway, this particular thread was supposed to be informational in nature.

Let's leave the other stuff to other threads, shall we?

Back to the banjo...

Gary Rice wrote:Finally, while we might have our own personal thoughts regarding who might or might not be a "compulsive liar", I feel that it's important to fairly point out that (although I'm no attorney) being a retired teacher, I do believe that there's a difference between a personal belief regarding the honesty of another person, and then, whether that person was actually convicted of lying in a court of law, correct?

Anyway, this particular thread was supposed to be informational in nature.

Let's leave the other stuff to other threads, shall we?

Back to the banjo...

Gary


I was not speaking of any one isolated instance. I was looking at the scope of the person's work. Which falls into exactly what you were speaking of.

Look back at various "State of the City" Addresses, very little in actual truth in the presentations.

Look at the other porch discussions, trucks on side streets, sewers, plowing, lighting, business encroachment, garbage pick up, etc. and there is very little truth.

But I will respect your wishes.

peace

.

Thank you Jim, for your respect, and for your thoughtful reply.

Back to the banjo...

Gary Rice wrote:I'm not sure where all that "linguistic tricks" stuff was going, but as a college-educated educator specializing in learning and behavioral issues, as well as having a great deal of experience with language inflection, body language, and oral presentations, I did not feel in any way that I, or anyone that evening, was provided with anything other than a thoughtful fact-filled professional presentation.

You should be a little more skeptical.

I had a discussion with a support of the Mayor a couple of weeks ago. When I told her that I wish the Mayor had issued a serious request for proposal for the Hospital she replied that "the City didn't own the Hospital".

If they are going to continue to lie about that why should we believe that they are suddenly telling the truth?

Good Afternoon,

First of all, a terminology reminder: Again, regarding whatever alleged City Hall "lies" that some people believe to have happened, none of that has thus far been proven in a criminal court of law, at least to my knowledge.

Although Bill and I have, at times, disagreed over this point, or that one, I certainly want to afford him great respect for his thinking.

I'm sure that he, in turn, will accord me the same respect here.

People who were in attendance with the Mayor's presentation had an abundance of time to question, follow-up, and interact with His Honor to their hearts' content. There was no limit on the topics covered, or any conversation constraints put upon any of us.

Also please remember that my reporting about the event was intended to informational and not polemical.

As I'm sure Bill is aware, (although others might not be) I am not paid, either by City Hall or the Lakewood Observer, to push anyone's agenda, nor, for that matter, "should" I follow anyone's "skeptical" conscience but my own.

Nor "should" Bill or anyone else, of course.

Now, if we all can dispense with the "should" messages....

If any of you would like to voice your personal skepticism and questions for the Mayor, please do so through some of the upcoming public opportunities

Come to the upcoming events and directly bring your questions and concerns to the Mayor, as we did the other evening.

All here are only my opinions, and of course I may be wrong, but hopefully not too often.

Back to the banjo...

Wow Gary. I am a little surprised. After all that has been posted here on the Deck,the print version of the Observer and the literature from the Save Lakewood Hospital Group and you still feel that everything is perfectly fine here in Lakewood? I mean no disrespect, however, I feel like you have become the new recruit or new spokesperson for the Mayor.

It appears Summers and Company are feeling the heat and are very nervous. I just love watching them panic!

Well, where to start?

Hi Lori! Thanks for your thoughts. I'll try to reply to those here, plus add a few thoughts of my own.

Everyone:

Again no, I do not work for the Mayor's office, or for anyone else, and people who know me know that to be true. My good name, such as it is, is pretty important to me, and I'd hate to have anyone think that I am posting for anyone else, anytime.

I am just a retired guy, (Yay!) and while I might wish otherwise, again no, I do not feel that everything is "perfectly fine" in Lakewood. Not sure where that one came from.

I do think that we all need to try and engage and work together for the common good as much as possible. That's just the optimist in me.

Now the truth of the matter be told, a couple of weeks ago I came down with a bug that stuck around WAY too long. After a few weeks feeling under the weather and being a house mouse, I thought that I'd like to get out and hear some Lakewood news. On Tuesday, the Mayor was giving his presentation, so off I went.

Being an amateur journalist since my junior high days, I felt that I needed to report about that presentation here on the 'Deck, so I did so. I certainly expected that people would appreciate knowing about what the Mayor had to say regarding all things Lakewood.

I would also hope that it's well known that I try to stay even-handed when I am reporting about an event. Do I have my own opinions about many things that are going on in Lakewood? Certainly, but again, when reporting about an event, I'm sure that people are not particularly interested in my opinions about it, so I try and keep those to a minimum. People might even try to read between my lines in these particularly challenging times for our city, but the only thing they'll find there is white paper. Generally however, if I do want to offer an opinion, I try to let people know about it up front. As I've said, neither the City nor the Observer pays me anything to pass some kind of agenda along to you. Look elsewhere for that stuff.

On the other hand, will I sometimes challenge people for accuracy? Well, that's likely the educator in me. You've heard it from your own teachers many times when you were younger. Are you making a strong statement? Then, you need to be accurate with your language, and make statements that you can back up 100%.

While many of us have understandably very strong opinions regarding Lakewood's many controversial issues, I'm sure that nonetheless, many of you will doubtlessly agree with me that chat rooms should not devolve into virtual courtrooms. In my opinion, the time and place for impartial fact-finding would be in a real court of law.

Now, regarding an observation of "nervousness" on the part of city officials? As yet I can say that I've not seen that sort of thing at all. Perhaps others have? If so, please let us know here, but again, remember to differentiate your perceptions from what can honestly be documented.

Meanwhile, as the 23rd Psalm reminds us, we do need to sit down at a table, even in the presence of our enemies.

To reiterate, I truly believe that we all need to continue to try and work together for what's best in our town.

All just my opinions on this post, and I may be wrong. If I am, prove it.

Back to the banjo...

Gary Rice wrote:First of all, a terminology reminder: Again, regarding whatever alleged City Hall "lies" that some people believe to have happened, none of that has thus far been proven in a criminal court of law, at least to my knowledge.

Mr. Rice:

There is such a thing as objective fact.

If you wish to be technical about the use of the word lie, so be it, but do make it clear that you object to all use of the word outside of hypothetical discussion. If one stands on the full definition of "an untrue statement made with intent to deceive" then, given the impossibility of ever knowing another person's intent with certainty, this requires dispensing with practical use of the word entirely. Not even a court of law can determine with certainty what any individual intended.

Besides this, however, there are such things as facts, and there are occasions when persons persistently make statements that contravene objective facts even after presented with evidence of this. Whether or not this deserves to be called lying, it is certainly wrong, and harmful. It would be very dangerous if the determination of when this takes place was deferred to courts. If we could not ever identify objective fact, and point out statements that are contrary to objective fact, without a court's judgment, we would find ourselves in dire straits. (Fact-checking projects like Politifact regularly identify statements as true, and false, without their judgments being "proven in a criminal court of law." Would you insist on a blanket application of scare quotes to all of their findings?)

Officials at Lakewood City Hall and associates thereof have promoted a number of objectively false statements, and misleading statements, as participants in this forum have been demonstrating for years. (As a regular visitor you should be perfectly well aware of examples.) To refer airily to "alleged City Hall 'lies' that some people believe to have happened," after people have volunteered so much time and expertise in the pursuit of accurate information, seems to stray far beyond semantic criticism. As a semi-professional journalist and historian, I am aghast at the implied dismissal of objective realities as mere differences of opinion.

Fairness recognizes facts and asserts them consistently. Reducing facts to "points of view" is not fairness, but obscurantism.

Mr. Kuhn's points are well intended, and in no way have I wanted to suggest or intend anything here other than that we need to be as clear and accurate as possible, with our reporting and with our posts.

Nor have I commented on any of the well-intended work that has been done on the part of anyone seeking to discover truth with Lakewood's ongoing municipal dramas.

I merely have reported as accurately as I could, what I observed on Tuesday night, and subsequently suggested that others be as accurate as possible with their own subsequent statements.

As for what constitutes a fact, (or truth) I am reminded about something attributed to Tommy Smothers, the guitar playing partner in the Smothers Brothers....

...I think it was something about truth being what you get others to believe.

We may well chuckle at that one, but as adults, we are also well aware of the serious side of that issue. As was pointed out above, fairness recognizes facts.

Therefore, in complete contrast to "obscurantism", I presented my understanding of the facts regarding Tuesday night. Like you all presumably, I also appreciate and expect facts from others too.

It's as simple, and as complex as that.

Back to the banjo...

All only my opinions here, and I may be wrong, but such is life.

Here are some facts:

Mike Summers lied to Lakewoodites

City Council Members like Madigan, Bullock, Marx, and O'Leary lied to constituents.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it and pretend they misled or that they really believed what they were saying.

They outright lied on many occasions.

They are liars.

Oh, Gary, I'm so mean to call them liars, aren't I?

FACTS=TRUTH