The Observation Deck

Candidate Cindy Marx is on record that in November 2013, CCF's Tom Gable told her that Lakewood Hospital would be replaced with a CCF Family Health Center and that LHA would present that plan to City Council by March of 2014.

But Marx remained silent about what she knew until mid 2015. Why?

The attached public record, released on August 16, 2017 under a court order, proves that Summers was scheming in November 2013 to have LHA give City Council 60-day notice to “completely replace” the 1996 Lease and Definitive Agreement, i.e. close the hospital in favor of a CCF FHC.

That scheme was considered before the sham “bid” process was concocted by Summers and Bullock at the LHA level in early 2014.

So, Marx knew in 2013 that the hospital was closing, but she did nothing to stop it or even reveal what she knew about it.

Candidate Marx should explain, if she can, why she remained silent for over a year and 1/2 while the bid rigging was going on behind closed doors?

Where was Cindy Marx in February of 2014 knowing that the closure of the hospital was being plotted?

The record below, released in on August 26, 2017 under court order (with 21,000 other pages) suggests that even Metro's strategic planner knew that Summers and his secret Insiders Step 2 Committee were "closed to new ideas" by February 2014.

Cindy Marx, where were you for our poor? Our women? Our children?

Was Cindy Marx more worried about her "status" among the Insiders than the people of Lakewood she was elected to represent?

These documents reveal the truth we knew all along - that the city and our Mayor planned all along to grease the skids and close the hospital so that they'd get their hands on that 6 acre plot to redevelop.

How incredibly sad for this community. That seniors, the poor, the sick, ALL OF US, are left without nearby health care and a thriving, revenue producing hospital that benefitted our community by its tax dollars.

Now our doctors have moved west, we have no hospital, no tax revenue, it's all GONE.

For what - the "Belle-agio" - the pie in the sky upscale high rise that will be shepherded in by our former mayor and county executive who couldn't even obtain a drivers license, but could do other things in a car.

Lets pray the economy doesn't tank or even that might not be built.

I want to make the obvious point that none of the posted documents in this thread relate to council member Marx.

This thread could use a little more contextual information about what Ms. Marx knew or didn't know about planning at LHA to close the hospital or offer others the opportunity to submit proposals via Subsidium.

One of the reasons that each citizen needs to demand municipal reform now is:

1. As early as 2013, the mayor was working to close the hospital without instructions or guidance from council and without input from citizens and taxpayers. The Ohio Ethics Commission opinions are clear that he could not sit as an ex officio board member without written instructions. The law director has advised Mr. Essi that no such instructions existed.

Mark Kindt wrote:One of the reasons that each citizen needs to demand municipal reform now is:

1. As early as 2013, the mayor was working to close the hospital without instructions or guidance from council and without input from citizens and taxpayers. The Ohio Ethics Commission opinions are clear that he could not sit as an ex officio board member without written instructions. The law director has advised Mr. Essi that no such instructions existed.

Correction, Mayor Summers testified under oath that no such instructions were given to him.

Thank you, Sir!

Mark Kindt wrote:I want to make the obvious point that none of the posted documents in this thread relate to council member Marx.

This thread could use a little more contextual information about what Ms. Marx knew or didn't know about planning at LHA to close the hospital or offer others the opportunity to submit proposals via Subsidium.

Mr. Kindt,

Your points are well taken and I did overlook some context.

Here is the context:

1. Cindy Marx has publicly touted her expertise and credentials in healthcare (apparently due to being the receptionist and then office manager for a solo practitioner plastic surgeon.)

2. Upon being elected Council-person at large in November 2013, Marx approached Council President Madigan about Marx being appointed as one of Council's two picks for LHA's Trustee Board. According to Marx, Madigan told her that something was cooking at LHA and that required continuity until it was completed (i.e. Madigan and Bullock needed to finish what we now know was a "greased" deal)

3. Contemporaneous with the Marx/Madigan interaction about Marx becoming a Trustee, Marx was at a CCF dinner in November 2013 where LHA Chair/CCF Trustee Tom Gable told her that LHA/CCF would be coming to Council by March 2014 with a proposal to close the hospital in favor of the CCF FHC. Marx also reported that Madigan sat with the CCF big wigs at the dinner instead of with the "Lakewood people."

Given the above, coupled with Marx's stated interest and desire to become specifically involved in LHA affairs and healthcare issues generally, it is clear that elected official Marx was on notice that monumental changes with Lakewood's largest employer, largest charity and largest healthcare provider were in motion.

In my opinion, that left Marx with only two options in 2013-2014:

1. To interact with Summers, Bullock and Madigan, in which case she knew what was happening and did nothing with that knowledge.

2. If Summers, Bullock and Madigan were stonewalling her in 2013-2014, then Marx had a duty to speak and request some public inquiry and investigation of those public officials' conduct re: the matter.

In either case, she apparently went along with what was happening-- helping keep it secret.

Remaining silent and inactive when she had duties to do otherwise, implicates her in the secret bidding process that might not have occurred with transparency and sunshine on the subject.

By way of example only, one of the major reasons given by Marx and Council in December 2015 for their votes was that time had somehow run out and there was "no other way". If the process was public two years earlier, the outcome would likely have been much different.

Thank you for this clarity. I now clearly understand your conclusions and criticism of council member Marx's failed performance as an elected official on this monumental issue.

I agree that any elected official or appointed official had a duty of openness and transparency, and likely a fiduciary duty to the city as well, to advise other officials and her constituency of the nature and likely outcome of the process.

It now appears that Ms. Marx is implicated.

I recall that at various COW and City Council meetings, Ms. Marx (and even Mr. Anderson for that matter) making statements to the effect of:

- "I need to see all of the documents!"

- "I need more time to look at everything!"

- "I haven't made up my mind yet!"

For that matter, I feel Mr. O'Leary was guilty of this as well. However, it seemed to take him a shorter amount of time to take Summers' bait.

We can say almost for certain now that this troublesome trio knew exactly what was going to happen since day one.

These folks should go on Broadway, as they put on quite a show.

Academy Award nomination!