The Observation Deck

Now that the election is over, now begins the conversation of Lakewood's future.

Be a part of shaping the future of the remaining funds from Lakewood Hospital. Join the Foundation Planning Task Force this Wednesday, November 15

https://www.facebook.com/events/321914531551308/

bentleymike wrote:Now that the election is over, now begins the conversation of Lakewood's future.

Be a part of shaping the future of the remaining funds from Lakewood Hospital. Join the Foundation Planning Task Force this Wednesday, November 15

https://www.facebook.com/events/321914531551308/

All of the assets of Lakewood Hospital belonged to the City of Lakewood. The City also had a "vested interest" in the $34 million or so in the Lakewood Hospital Foundation.

The deal agreed to by council required the City to surrender its interest in the Lakewood Hospital Foundation and to repurpose the Foundation. The Foundation will now serve Lakewood and surrounding communities. When I question Councilman Juris about that deal I asked if the new Foundation would be funding bike trails in Brunswick and hospital beds in Avon. He just laughed.

So $34 million in Lakewood dollars will be funding health and welfare and fitness programs all across Northeast Ohio. I wonder, will Avon share their wealth? Westlake?

Here is the 990 for 2016:

Out of $641,00 in expenditures only $144,000 was for direct grants. That fact gives a hint about the true purpose of the Lakewood Hospital Foundation.

You have correctly titled your post. Your foundation will be funded by Lakewood City dollars. When you get that money I suggest the Board vote first to return the money to the City and then vote to disband.

And $123,000 of that grant went to....wait for it...

The Cleveland Clinic

Mr. Call,

This is not LHF. This is the remainder of the LHA funds.

I respect your feelings about the process leading up to the closure of the hospital. As I’ve told others, this is a chance to join hands, bridge the gap, and focus on our comminity’s long-term future.

Your attendance and input is welcome and needed.

bentleymike wrote:Mr. Call,

This is not LHF. This is the remainder of the LHA funds.

I respect your feelings about the process leading up to the closure of the hospital. As I’ve told others, this is a chance to join hands, bridge the gap, and focus on our comminity’s long-term future.

Your attendance and input is welcome and needed.

I understand that your new Foundation is a seperate Foundation and not part of the LHF. As it was explained to me by a supporter of the Mayor. "THAT MONEY IS GONE. GET OVER IT." (Meaning the City's beneficial interest in the LHF.).

The money for the new Foundation will come from the small amount that remains of City assets held in trust by Lakewood Hospital.

That money should be returned to the City.

That money should be returned to the City.

It would be the perfect "rainy day" fund.

I think it's going to start pouring soon.

How did we get from $220 million to $48,000?

Bill Call wrote:

bentleymike wrote:Mr. Call,

This is not LHF. This is the remainder of the LHA funds.

I respect your feelings about the process leading up to the closure of the hospital. As I’ve told others, this is a chance to join hands, bridge the gap, and focus on our comminity’s long-term future.

Your attendance and input is welcome and needed.

I understand that your new Foundation is a seperate Foundation and not part of the LHF. As it was explained to me by a supporter of the Mayor. "THAT MONEY IS GONE. GET OVER IT." (Meaning the City's beneficial interest in the LHF.).

The money for the new Foundation will come from the small amount that remains of City assets held in trust by Lakewood Hospital.

That money should be returned to the City.

Messrs. Bentley & Call,

The city no longer has any say is how this money will be spent. Those rights were signed away on December 21, 2015—that was the day they signed away our clear and unequivical right to receive $150M from LHA. That signing away occurred as a result of an LHA board and City Council that were both Cleveland Clinic “captives”. The right to use of what Mr. Bentley appropriately refers to as “the remaining funds of Lakewood Hospital” is restricted by the Clinic’s equal right to determine the original board and bylaws. Summers has unequivocally stated that he does not want Lakewood to control the money. So the Clinic will dominate the new board—it will be a CCF captive despite Mr. Bentley’s best efforts.

I wishe it was different, but the Cinic has superior “equal” rights to the money because of the Master Agreement and the fact that they own Summers, Bullock, Oleary and half of the people on the task force.

Brian Essi wrote:

Bill Call wrote:

bentleymike wrote:Mr. Call,

This is not LHF. This is the remainder of the LHA funds.

I respect your feelings about the process leading up to the closure of the hospital. As I’ve told others, this is a chance to join hands, bridge the gap, and focus on our comminity’s long-term future.

Your attendance and input is welcome and needed.

I understand that your new Foundation is a seperate Foundation and not part of the LHF. As it was explained to me by a supporter of the Mayor. "THAT MONEY IS GONE. GET OVER IT." (Meaning the City's beneficial interest in the LHF.).

The money for the new Foundation will come from the small amount that remains of City assets held in trust by Lakewood Hospital.

That money should be returned to the City.

Messrs. Bentley & Call,

The city no longer has any say is how this money will be spent. Those rights were signed away on December 21, 2015—that was the day they signed away our clear and unequivical right to receive $150M from LHA. That signing away occurred as a result of an LHA board and City Council that were both Cleveland Clinic “captives”. The right to use of what Mr. Bentley appropriately refers to as “the remaining funds of Lakewood Hospital” is restricted by the Clinic’s equal right to determine the original board and bylaws. Summers has unequivocally stated that he does not want Lakewood to control the money. So the Clinic will dominate the new board—it will be a CCF captive despite Mr. Bentley’s best efforts.

I wishe it was different, but the Cinic has superior “equal” rights to the money because of the Master Agreement and the fact that they own Summers, Bullock, Oleary and half of the people on the task force.

Say it ain't so, Mr. Essi.
Mr. Bentley had me convinced that my input was going to shape the future of Lakewood.
That truth and transparency wasn't some sideshow in a tortuous endgame.
This was inspiring stuff. A call to action. A better tomorrow.
But then there you go Mr. Essi with all that inconvenient truth. That hardball CCF truth.That CCF commandment: Our truth is your reality.
Which leads me to ponder this...
Is Mr. Bentley as a member of the Planning Foundation Task Force ill-informed or disingenuous when he insists we can shape the future?

Naive?

Look at the hospital site development if you need proof that ALL of this is a sham.

I said here that as soon as the six "finalists" were announced, that Carnegie would get the development contract. The CEO was a donor to Summers' campaign.
Yet we were told "citizen input" was being sought.

Down to two - Carnegie and Casto- and another dog and pony show pretending that citizen input was important. Then we learn former mayor and grown man unable to obtain a drivers licence, Ed Fitzgerald, was recently hired by Carnegie. It was a done deal, and nothing made it more painfully clear that it was a carefully planned, behind the scenes deal done without ANY real input from residents.

Say what you want trying to defend and claim they "picked the best developer," and got citizen input, but the facts say otherwise.

So what makes this latest "task force" any different from all the rest of the phony attempts to look like they really care what the average Joe thinks?

Here is how it really looks: someone came in and robbed your house. Then the robber starts to give away All your property, BUT he makes a show of asking you to help decide which of his friends gets each item that you owned.

Who in their right mind would agree to do that?

Now that the election is over, now begins the conversation of Lakewood's future.

I'd say that conversation has been going on for years, but our elected officials were not listening.

Maybe they will now, NOW THAT THE ELECTION IS OVER.

m buckley wrote: Say it ain't so, Mr. Essi.
Mr. Bentley had me convinced that my input was going to shape the future of Lakewood.
That truth and transparency wasn't some sideshow in a tortuous endgame.
This was inspiring stuff. A call to action. A better tomorrow.
But then there you go Mr. Essi with all that inconvenient truth. That hardball CCF truth.That CCF commandment: Our truth is your reality.
Which leads me to ponder this...
Is Mr. Bentley as a member of the Planning Foundation Task Force ill-informed or disingenuous when he insists we can shape the future?

M Buckley


I believe that Mr. Bentley is a well intentioned resident, tying to save something out of this nightmare.

Naive? Ill-informed? I cannot say, but he is not disingenuous.

He has been upfront an honest with who appointed him, and what he hopes to get out of this.

He is also not naive on the hospital debacle, but like so many, are desperately eager to move on, and try to save something.

I was speaking with another councilman the other night, after the election, and we were speaking once again about and re-litigating the i hospital debacle up to this point. I was pointing out that the "groups" that ended up with all of our money, had a zero percent success rate at anything, except creating jobs for themselves with public funds. He assured me, that he could not support a private foundation ending up with the remaining funds. I reminded him of the Clinic grasp on it, and that every thought is it will be private according to everyone but him. He again said he could not vote for that. I reminded him he has one vote, and very much a back seat in the stolen car.

And this is how the game is played, convince them to get in, if only for a block, and soon they become complicit in the entire nightmare, making it nearly impossible to back out of it.

At least Mr. Bentley is trying to do the right thing, and I for one believe his transparency and give him credit for trying.

We shall all see.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

m buckley wrote: Say it ain't so, Mr. Essi.
Mr. Bentley had me convinced that my input was going to shape the future of Lakewood.
That truth and transparency wasn't some sideshow in a tortuous endgame.
This was inspiring stuff. A call to action. A better tomorrow.
But then there you go Mr. Essi with all that inconvenient truth. That hardball CCF truth.That CCF commandment: Our truth is your reality.
Which leads me to ponder this...
Is Mr. Bentley as a member of the Planning Foundation Task Force ill-informed or disingenuous when he insists we can shape the future?

M Buckley


I believe that Mr. Bentley is a well intentioned resident, tying to save something out of this nightmare.

Naive? Ill-informed? I cannot say, but he is not disingenuous.

He has been upfront an honest with who appointed him, and what he hopes to get out of this.

He is also not naive on the hospital debacle, but like so many, are desperately eager to move on, and try to save something.

I was speaking with another councilman the other night, after the election, and we were speaking once again about and re-litigating the i hospital debacle up to this point. I was pointing out that the "groups" that ended up with all of our money, had a zero percent success rate at anything, except creating jobs for themselves with public funds. He assured me, that he could not support a private foundation ending up with the remaining funds. I reminded him of the Clinic grasp on it, and that every thought is it will be private according to everyone but him. He again said he could not vote for that. I reminded him he has one vote, and very much a back seat in the stolen car.

And this is how the game is played, convince them to get in, if only for a block, and soon they become complicit in the entire nightmare, making it nearly impossible to back out of it.

At least Mr. Bentley is trying to do the right thing, and I for one believe his transparency and give him credit for trying.

We shall all see.

.

I truly do believe EVERYONE should attend this conversation on Wednesday. On one of Lakewood FB pages, someone mentioned they thought it was “fait accompli”. IT ISN’T!! I believe when this thing started, most everyone thought this would need to be private because of the funding. That’s not necessarily the case. I can’t say, for sure, that it won’t be. Only because the decision hasn’t been made. One thing I can say with a definite answer is that, almost, if not unanimously, my colleagues want the funds to stay in control of our community and for our community. How that’s done at this point is undecided.

As for the CCF equal rights to the board, I re-read the Master Agreement once again after seeing Mr. Essi’s post. I didn’t see anything about that in there. It does state the CCF is entitled to 2 spots of a of 5-21 member board.

We, as a task force, want transparency & don’t like shadows or gray areas. We want to, and we’re told, that we needed to communicate to the public. Myself and 5 other members are trying to spearhead that.

M Buckley, to your point, we want you there to give feedback and help shape this thing. We’ve run numbers, discussed possible structures & interviewed 85+ people representing 16 population groups. We want to update everyone about that, possible structures, and how we’re communicating.

If you, or your neighbor, or your friends don’t take the time to engage with us, how can we get this right for EVERYONE? Equity in this is the key. Communicating with one another is key. I don’t want this screwed up. I won’t let this get screwed up from my eyes. That’s why when Mr Summers asked me to get involved, I said yes. I can tell you that I don’t believe he wants this screwed up either. I’m not apologizing for him, but that’s the feel I got when I talked with him about it originally.

Jim, whomever this councilman is, tell him to call me. He’s not engaged in this up to this point. The only councilperson to do so since May has been Cindy Marx.

Come to the conversation & help. Let’s make the best of the future course of this. If we stare in our rear view mirror, we’ll crash. Help us keep our eyes on the road.

Mr. Bentley,

I will show you the relevant provisions of the Master Agreement when I return to the Wood from the woods.

Here are the relevant provisions of the Master Agreement.