The Observation Deck

I nominate the following 4



I am still deciding which among these four posts I would choose as the Best 2017 Deck Post, because all have impeccable analysis and great facts.
Civic Accountability--Honesty In Local Government I Mark Kindt

http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=23643

Civic Accountability--Honesty In Local Government II Mark Kindt

http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=23661

Civic Accountability--Honesty In Local Government III Mark Kindt

http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24225

Civic Accountability--Honesty In Local Government IV Mark Kindt

http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24330

Thank you, Mr. Essi. I'm sure that you can confirm that my hair is much grayer now.

I say just make Mark Kindt poster of the year.

Thank you both for your good words.

It is only due to the hard-work and efforts others (including both of you) who have committed countless hours in tracking down facts and discovering documents, that I have had the opportunity to write here.

I also want to thank Mr. O'Bryan, the staff of the Lakewood Observer and other committed citizens who write commentary here on the Observation Deck.

Many others have worked on these issues. I do not know most of them. I honor all of their efforts.

Democracy works best when citizens are committed to its ideals.

I agree that, by any just about any measure, Mark Kindt's posting should be recognized first for 2017.

I would like to nominate, specifically, Reasonable Expectations That Every Citizen Should Have For Their Public Servants. Technically, the "Civic Accountability" series were incredible threads, but it's difficult to single out one post from them. Whereas this was just one, succinct, very important post. I think that every local elected official could do well to print this out, and stick it on the refrigerator door with a magnet.

I have scrolled back through the year, and after much difficulty found seven posts to highlight (including the above). They're mostly political, and there are a number of other posts that struck me as notable… but I guess if I'm making the list it's likely to be very political. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

BOMBSHELL: Skindell Forces Butler to Admit City Council's Violation of Sunshine Laws – This is really one of the most significant pieces of news in Lakewood, in years, IMO. When local government officials' own counsel in an open meetings lawsuit resorts to declaring, in an official court filing, that "there was a violation," that changes the story, forever.

The Law That Never Worked – Greg Murray authored a number of pointed criticisms of breed-specific legislation this year, here and in print. As this was a topic that prompted a lot of energy, I nominate this as perhaps the best of his comments.

We Lost A Good One - Mayor Tom George Has Passed – In some ways this was a very simple post, about news that was very significant, but it did break that news to a lot of people, and it was nonetheless a remarkably thorough statement also. I think it's worth noting, then, given that the George family were, collectively, arguably Lakewood's story of the year in 2017. (IMO Meghan George deserves tremendous respect for keeping on, after this personal loss, to surpass every other candidate in the at-large council race.)

Vote FOR The Third Amended Charter – I believe this was a good thread, but also a good post. Thoughtful and informative, and presumably persuasive for some, at minimum.

This Election Is About 3 Things, And BSL Isn't One Of Them! – Having written that BSL prompted a lot of energy, this year, I can't even now say what the election was genuinely "about" most of all… but I think this post made a very strong argument.

From Gary Rice & Lakewood Observer To You This Thanksgiving! It's Amazing! – Even if you're a political obsessive, I have decided that this post has to be recognized as the exception. Maybe it isn't the best post made here this year… but it sure might be the best Observation Deck post of the year.