The Observation Deck

Mark Kindt wrote:The documents finally released from the City under Court order seem to fully vindicate the reporting in the Lakewood Observer, the positions taken by the Save Lakewood Hospital group, the complaints filed with state and federal officials, and the lawsuits that were filed against the City.

From the City's own documents, we can see that the city administration understood:
1. that it owned the hospital;
2. that the hospital was worth between $150M to $200M;
3. that the current lessee (CCF) was removing valuable programs from the hospital;
4. that a major metropolitan health care system had offered to continue hospital operations;
5. that the city's own consultant told it that the offer under consideration with CCF had no material advantage;
6. that it was engaging in a non-public and conflict-ridden process; and,
7. that it was ignoring public bidding requirements on the largest set of assets that it owned.

We could go on-and-on listing these kinds of points. But I do not want to repeat what other citizen-journalists have already published; nor what citizen-activists have already advised their representatives.

In a few short months, we each will see the wrecking-ball take down the hospital building. We each owe it to ourselves as citizens to understand what happened, how it happened and why it happened.

Even more importantly, we need to understand why we were constantly and systematically lied to about events that occurred behind closed door and decisions made by private individuals in the shuttering of an invaluable, century-old community asset.

Ask yourself these question: Why was the LHA Step-Two Committee running (or ruining) the city? That committee was the center of major government decision-making. Why were the normal functions of government displaced or evaded? With what result? Aside from the mayor, who on that secret committee was ever on the local ballot?

What does LHA, LHF or CCF have to do with setting local inter-community tax policy? But the private Letter of Intent is full of these kinds of governmental decisions (search "Avon"). Something went wildly wrong here. Like Mr. Essi has said before, we are not making this stuff up.

Also a big thank you to the advertisers including some old ones coming back, like the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, longtime member Jennifer Scott and some new businesses, 2018 is looking bright!