The Observation Deck

Bill Call wrote:Thanks for the information Jim. And thanks to the members of the task force. The members of the task force are a group of honorable people trying to make the best of a bad situation.

I have to admit I am a bit bitter about the Hospital fiasco. It’s a little like finding out your broker has stolen your $200,000 401(k) and then being told that it’s ok because each year $500 of that money will be given to local charities.

How do you make up $1,000,000 in income tax revenue?

How do you make up $1,000,000 in rental income?

How do you make up all the economic activity brought to the community by a local hospital?

How do you make up the loss of $170 million in assets?

A very profitable Hospital was sabotaged for ….. just what exactly?

I grabbed this from another thread to start off over here.

Bill

Only a fool would think this helps to make up the difference. But, as was planned this Task Force gives a clean break from what everyone is calling the Hospital Debacle and allows for some to move on. Nothing will make up for that hole, and as we have found out City Hall is quickly realizing just how bad they crewed up, hence the hidden documents.

Even the "Active Living Task Force" with no relationship to closing the hospital down has been dropped.

Build Lakewood, the brut force of so many baseless arguments and back room intimidation.has been dropped.

All has been swept to the curb, to distance themselves from the nightmare they all schemed (not British definition) to unleash on the residents of Lakewood.

In their backrooms, and living rooms they had grand plans, and really thought this time would be different, but alas just another failure on all levels.

CCF gets $78 million and new building and land. LHF, slash LakewoodAlive V1 gets $0 million plus. The New Foundation gets pennies to play with. The City of Lakewood and more importantly the residents that just 3 years ago had a working $178 million dollars asset put over a million into the economy get $0.00.

The legacy of Mayor Summers, the complete and utter gutting of the City of Lakewood. Even the $7 million from Jacobs has been squandered on his pet projects.

For the 1,000th time since 2014, RESIDENTS OF LAKEWOOD YOU HAVE BEEN PLAYED, for idiots.

They baffled you with hens and pitbulls while they took the heart of the city for themselves and friends.

.

And, moving beyond the hospital debacle, we now have learned that the City of Lakewood did not make the cut for the State's recommendation to the U.S. Department of Treasury to be within the federal tax classification of "opportunity zone" under the new tax code.

This would have provided special capital gains tax treatment (reductions and abatement) for businesses that invest in Lakewood.

These special tax benefits only come around every few decades.

We missed the boat on a big one with this!

Jim,

As an addendum to your comments. I agree that Summers will go down as the city’s worst mayor. Squandering your largest employer and losing millions in tax revenue is embarrassing.

However, I think a lions share of the blame should be laid at the feet of the 7 members of council who voted to close Lakewood Hospital. This debacle could be solved with a few new members of council writing to the Department of Justice or the Ohio Attorney Generals Office and asking for an investigation.

Public pressure moves agencies.

Nadhal

Don't expect any profiles in courage.

Last night someone in the know told me that most members of Council thought closing the Hospital was the wrong thing to do do and that the City got a bad deal.

When I asked why they didn't stand up and fight I was told that they didn't know what to do.

Well, first, stand up.

Bill:

It is hard to stand up for something when you don't have a spine!

tom monahan wrote:Bill:

It is hard to stand up for something when you don't have a spine!

Sad but true.

Imagine a new bed tower, new (real) family health center, demolition of the Lakewood Center replaced with a college campus dedicated to the health sciences and apartments and offices and rec center

Preservation of the $40 million in the Lakewood Hospital Foundation and more.

Instead?