The Observation Deck

I have heard talk that Mr. Foran has been posting that the City has turned over all of the documents requested by Brian Essi, and lawyers.

1) All the documents have been turned over. INCORRECT, Not nearly 50% of the documents that were asked for originally have been turned over. Some of the major issues not turned over on were emails from some of the players at City Hall, even though they are on City Hall computers, and cell phones, which belong to the public. Also work records, online logs, etc.. On a city computer there is no such thing as private anything.

2) Conspiracy theorists move the goal posts. INCORRECT, All anyone has wanted were the documents to double check the honesty of City Hall. PERIOD
But City Hall has fought the public at every turn with every request. Hmmmmmmm you would think they would want to end this strife and heal the city.

3) The lawsuits have been settled and closed. INCORRECT, To my knowledge Brian Essi's lawsuit for the right to see public records is moving along in the courts, with the city saying no more records coming, not that are no more records. The Tax Payer's lawsuit against the City and CCF is under appeal. AND, Skindell versus Madigan is in front of the Ohio Supreme Court.

NOTHING HAS BEEN SETTLED IN THE COURTS.

Essi versus City of Lakewood

http://cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.us/CO ... 04EtXlsOA2

Tax Payers versus City of Lakewood
http://cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.us/CO ... waRUk-QyQ2

Michael Skindell versus Mary Louise Madigan
http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/Clerk/ ... /2017/0470

Funny most of the people fighting these facts are in line for some of that private foundation money, or so it would seem.

There are reasons for the Appellate court, without the Appellate Court we wouldn’t have Roe vs. Wade, Brown vs. School Board for examples

NOTHING HAS BEEN SETTLED IN THE COURTS.

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On the Cuyahoga County Docket page, look up these cases:

Essi public records is case CA-16-104659.

Taxpayer lawsuit is CA-17-106094.

Those are 3 active lawsuits against the city, notcounting the recent filing to challenge the BSL ordinance.

This city loves to spend money fighting residents!

As for Jay, he be jamminman!

Bridget Conant wrote:As for Jay, he be jamminman!

Bridget

What I find amazing is all of these lawsuits are as active as Jennifer Scott's BSL Lawsuit, yet they allow members to lie and mislead the public about them.

Why wouldn't Jay tell the truth?

read the docket, ie, the documents, ie THE FACTS

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As a Lakewood Resident, these lawsuits get my Irish up.

The city is willfully withholding public documents that we are entitled to.

And some of the excuses are ridiculous - they "don't organize records that way," - what, they using an ancient Celeron operating system?

Or this:

Time sheets, and logs from City of Lakewood computers used by Jenn Pae, Rick Uldricks, and Colin McEwen. First claiming attorney client privilege, then claiming only the FBI can access these files. Oddly enough the police were able to access them, and if you look in my Cease and Desist to the City of Lakewood, you can read how "Mr Uldricks is obsessed with the Lakewood Observer."

The police did have a log of an employee using city computers to access their personal web site. So, the information CAN be obtained.

WHY won't they turn it over? WHAT are they hiding?

The legal fees are coming out of the taxpayers pocket no matter how you look st it. Even if an insurance company is paying, WE the citizens paid for that policy.

I notice that the Establishment has suddenly gotten very active on social media.
Some of the town's political movers and shakers are going to bat for their incumbent candidates.....with attacks on the Observer, CCPC, the challengers, pit bull supporters, hospital supporters, and anything else that doesn't fit "Team Summers" view of "real Lakewood".

The Trio of incumbents have largely taken this election for granted....very little campaigning, very poor effort.
Bullock has been particularly lazy in this campaign.....he's obviously "keeping his powder dry" for his 2018 State Rep run.
He and Martin Sweeney will make an interesting tag team against Skindell and Nickie.

I noticed the attacks on social media and attributed it to fear that perhaps one or more of the incumbents will lose their seat.

Bridget Conant wrote:I noticed the attacks on social media and attributed it to fear that perhaps one or more of the incumbents will lose their seat.

Or, more to the point, all of the lawsuits seem very active.

Also, it would seem that a majority of the City realizes the Emperor has no clothes.

The last 4 years have been lie upon lie, at some point, it starts to fall apart.

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The documents released so far were actually much worse than I ever expected to see. Both Mr. Essi and I have reviewed them separately in our respective Deck articles.

The city administration made the intentional decision to violate the Ohio public records access laws, because these documents would have adversely affected its defense in the Taxpayer litigation and the Open Meetings litigation.

The behavior that Mr. O'Bryan describes is consistent with the broader city administration media policies, where consultants are hired to promote false narratives and where truth is treated with ridicule or active suppression.

Whether they believe it or not, they are stuck with the documentary records of their actions. Because of the content of those documentary records, they no longer deserve any benefit of the doubt.

They proceed at their own considerable risk in actions that I could never counsel my own clients to do.