The Observation Deck

Today, lawyers for the Lakewood Taxpayers filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to require the City of Lakewood to protect Lakewood Hospital.

Here is the document in full.

Bravo to them for their persistence, fortitude, and sheer hard work!

We owe a debt of thanks to the citizens and local lawyers who have kept up the fight to save the hospital.

We owe a debt of gratitude to all of the citizens who organized to fight to save the hospital, including those 11,000+ voters who turned out to support that effort.

We owe a debt of electoral support to both Mike Skindell and Dennis Kucinich who took up the challenge and fought for us.

Kudos to the publisher and staff of the Lakewood Observer who had the courage to post story-after-story as this issue unfolded.

Let us all continue to push for honesty, ethics, accountability, openness and transparency in our local government.

Mark, I still can not understand how they could have pulled off such a big scam right in front of the whole community. Some how they knew they could get away with it. How?

james fitzgibbons wrote:Mark, I still can not understand how they could have pulled off such a big scam right in front of the whole community. Some how they knew they could get away with it. How?

James

Forgive me for jumping in. But a couple stories converge this week to help explain what is going on and what might be going on.

It is easier to prosecute a murder than plan of a murder. Sometimes the police need a body, or at least a victim, to see both the crime and the "conspiracy to commit." I was told early on by someone familiar with white collar law enforcement said. They need to see where pieces and money falls before they can see if, how and why.

Also as we have witnessed those that investigate are very busy. The other night speaking about Trump's lawyer, Russians, and elections, the reporter said to paraphrase, "Well they certainly received something of value, even if it was information or help with an election. Politicians getting help on elections and/or bribes for projects down the road is something every prosecutor in America has done many, many times. It is what they cut their teeth on."

And then the news of the recent Joe Cimperman charges, the crimes that he was finally brought to answer for were from 2001 and 2002. Not 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, or even 2010, the farthest back we have been able to get proof of the plan. The plan to liquidate Lakewood hospital for both a Rec Center, and to get the land and money from the foundation and assets.

So we have talk of the plan, later we have players getting jobs, and donations. We have reports of a large party thrown for one member of council, to bring them out and pad their campaign coffers even though they are not running for office, and now we have voting for who gets the job, which includes the winner of the bid, never really in the running based on quality, past performance, or anything other than always being in the right place helping the right people before the vote.

"The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine."

The first and most important thing to do now, no matter how anyone feels about this debacle. Is to elect city officials that will obey the law, especially how it applies to open meetings, public records, and accountability. As I have said before, if residents have access to ALL THE RECORDS, and meetings ARE HELD IN PUBLIC SPACES, and ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE ACCOUNTABLE, residents, businesses, no one has anything to fear, doubt or worry about except their own inability to follow up and stay involved. This past election we had 4 people run on "Honesty, Transparency, and Accountability," I would hope they means past, present and future. Now one of them did not get elected, she is now standing in the wings waiting for another one that promised it, but has never lifted a finger or made the slightest effort to be those three things achieve higher office. This leaves the weight of those ideals to fall on the shoulders of the other two, and perhaps, one other that could drag this city back into that shining city on a hill. Shining because it operates in sunshine, with honest and accountable public servants.

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james fitzgibbons wrote:Mark, I still can not understand how they could have pulled off such a big scam right in front of the whole community. Some how they knew they could get away with it. How?

There are STILL people arguing that closing the hospital was the right thing to do, that MetroHealth never offered to take the reigns, that the public was given the whole truth and the public voted twice to close the hospital etc...That the hospital was losing money without a cause and for an extended period of time and the only fix was to close institution.

The TRUTH is that many people did not do their homework. They did not read and source materials. They listened to their "friends" like nice guy Summers to make their voting decisions. As I have stated before, I spoke (at a Dem Club meeting) to 2 wives of council members who voted to close Lakewood Hospital and I flat out asked them had they read the Subsidium, Huron or any other reports. Had they read any financials, gone to any meetings, LHA, Council etc..read any articles on Free standing ERs...The Vision for Tomorrow, The Decanting Plan etc.... Both women said no. they had read nothing. Neither did the general public who counted those Council Members, Mike Summers, Butler, Pae etc... as their friends. Even the Lakewood chapter of the League of Women Voters was spreading lies. Cindy Marx told me she didn't care about Lakewood Hospital because they didn't take good care of her husband in 2008? might be 2009. THE PROBLEM with this line of thinking is that LH was under CLEVELAND CLINIC at that time. So Cindy Marx should have had a problem with the Clinic. Instead, she rewards them by voting to close the hospital. Remember, her Employer is Fairview Hospital's Head of Plastic Surgery- (though not a CCF employee). His office is located at the 850 Columbia Road building which the city sold for millions less than it was worth. Dr. Raj's patients acquired at Fairview would undoubtedly do follow up visits at the 850 Columbia Rd. office. Ms. Marx is that locations Office Manager. So Cleveland Clinic patients payments to Dr Raj would find their way into Cindy Marx' salary. I STILL do not understand why she did not recuse herself.

People are busy and the topic was so nuanced and the lies so pervasive that the general public was bamboozled.

Many of the items our friends Mark Kindt and Brian Essi and JOB( not to mention Bill Call, Bridget Conant and a host of others ) present on the DECK are information that was readily available during the fight to save the hospital. I am so grateful how they have been organizing this information on the DECK as most of it was bits and pieces found though-out 2015, 2016. The additional analysis is so important as is keeping this information readily available for current readers who may have missed it the first time.

But in the demonization of the Save Lakewood Hospital effort and members along with a successful campaign to color us as old and angry people, the public forgot that they need to find out the truth for themselves. I made that point with my friends too. READ the material, just don't trust Pam Wetula to tell you this closure of LH is wrong and damaging to our fair city.

The fact that they still have not presented the majority of the public records as required, shows just how much gall they possess. The alignment with Carnegie and YET AGAIN with Ed Fitzgerald is almost unfathomable. Yet, they continue.

We are living in sad times. I am sick every time I think of this administration's impact on Lakewood. We are building cardboard townhouses throughout the city. We see retail stores open and close, we cannot keep office space filled, even bars and restaurants are risky because we have too many. Yet we thow away an institution that was over 100 years old and an industry that is one of the few viable industries today and the future - Healthcare , including FULL SERVICE healthcare. We give away 5.7 acres of DOWNTOWN LAKEWOOD to Summer's friends (Ed Fitzgerald & friends) for $1. THEN we pay $ 7- 8 Million dollars to tear down the hospital building for them..with NO viable business tenants. Remember, Mayor Summer and City Council made NOT ONE PEEP when 330 New York Life jobs went to Cleveland. NOT ONE WORD.. NO attempt to keep them. No request to stay and move into that glamorous "high definition" Las Vegas version of One Lakewood we have been shown. So we lost the 1600 LH and ancillary employees @ $59,000/year average plus 330 New York Life employees at professional salaries (I do not know their average).

God help and heal us.

Sorry for the rant. Some people are starting to realize that we have been had. I hope the current motion to stop the demolition is granted so that the rest of the sordid tale of Summer's Administration can be brought out into the light for all to see.

Pam Wetula wrote:

james fitzgibbons wrote:Mark, I still can not understand how they could have pulled off such a big scam right in front of the whole community. Some how they knew they could get away with it. How?

There are STILL people arguing that closing the hospital was the right thing to do, that MetroHealth never offered to take the reigns, that the public was given the whole truth and the public voted twice to close the hospital etc...That the hospital was losing money without a cause and for an extended period of time and the only fix was to close institution.

The TRUTH is that many people did not do their homework. They did not read and source materials. They listened to their "friends" like nice guy Summers to make their voting decisions. As I have stated before, I spoke (at a Dem Club meeting) to 2 wives of council members who voted to close Lakewood Hospital and I flat out asked them had they read the Subsidium, Huron or any other reports. Had they read any financials, gone to any meetings, LHA, Council etc..read any articles on Free standing ERs...The Vision for Tomorrow, The Decanting Plan etc.... Both women said no. they had read nothing. Neither did the general public who counted those Council Members, Mike Summers, Butler, Pae etc... as their friends. Even the Lakewood chapter of the League of Women Voters was spreading lies. Cindy Marx told me she didn't care about Lakewood Hospital because they didn't take good care of her husband in 2008? might be 2009. THE PROBLEM with this line of thinking is that LH was under CLEVELAND CLINIC at that time. So Cindy Marx should have had a problem with the Clinic. Instead, she rewards them by voting to close the hospital. Remember, her Employer is Fairview Hospital's Head of Plastic Surgery- (though not a CCF employee). His office is located at the 850 Columbia Road building which the city sold for millions less than it was worth. Dr. Raj's patients acquired at Fairview would undoubtedly do follow up visits at the 850 Columbia Rd. office. Ms. Marx is that locations Office Manager. So Cleveland Clinic patients payments to Dr Raj would find their way into Cindy Marx' salary. I STILL do not understand why she did not recuse herself.

People are busy and the topic was so nuanced and the lies so pervasive that the general public was bamboozled.

Many of the items our friends Mark Kindt and Brian Essi and JOB( not to mention Bill Call, Bridget Conant and a host of others ) present on the DECK are information that was readily available during the fight to save the hospital. I am so grateful how they have been organizing this information on the DECK as most of it was bits and pieces found though-out 2015, 2016. The additional analysis is so important as is keeping this information readily available for current readers who may have missed it the first time.

But in the demonization of the Save Lakewood Hospital effort and members along with a successful campaign to color us as old and angry people, the public forgot that they need to find out the truth for themselves. I made that point with my friends too. READ the material, just don't trust Pam Wetula to tell you this closure of LH is wrong and damaging to our fair city.

The fact that they still have not presented the majority of the public records as required, shows just how much gall they possess. The alignment with Carnegie and YET AGAIN with Ed Fitzgerald is almost unfathomable. Yet, they continue.

We are living in sad times. I am sick every time I think of this administration's impact on Lakewood. We are building cardboard townhouses throughout the city. We see retail stores open and close, we cannot keep office space filled, even bars and restaurants are risky because we have too many. Yet we thow away an institution that was over 100 years old and an industry that is one of the few viable industries today and the future - Healthcare , including FULL SERVICE healthcare. We give away 5.7 acres of DOWNTOWN LAKEWOOD to Summer's friends (Ed Fitzgerald & friends) for $1. THEN we pay $ 7- 8 Million dollars to tear down the hospital building for them..with NO viable business tenants. Remember, Mayor Summer and City Council made NOT ONE PEEP when 330 New York Life jobs went to Cleveland. NOT ONE WORD.. NO attempt to keep them. No request to stay and move into that glamorous "high definition" Las Vegas version of One Lakewood we have been shown. So we lost the 1600 LH and ancillary employees @ $59,000/year average plus 330 New York Life employees at professional salaries (I do not know their average).

God help and heal us.

Sorry for the rant. Some people are starting to realize that we have been had. I hope the current motion to stop the demolition is granted so that the rest of the sordid tale of Summer's Administration can be brought out into the light for all to see.

bump.

james fitzgibbons wrote:Mark, I still can not understand how they could have pulled off such a big scam right in front of the whole community. Some how they knew they could get away with it. How?

Mr. Fitzgibbons, it went something like this:

Rather than conduct an open, public process the city administration chose a non-public, private process with LHA and LHF that created insider committees that were tainted with conflicts-of-interest.

The public trustees of LHA (Summers, Madigan, Bullock) failed in their fiduciary duties with respect to the offices that they held to communicate with the public that municipally-owned assets, municipal revenues and municipal contract rights were being negotiated away to the sole member of LHA, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Soon, I will post document(s) that establish that other Lakewood council members understood that this process was underway and similarly failed the public by keeping this crucial information from the public.

It was not until the Spring of 2015, that we began to understand that Metro Health System had made a major proposal to invest in the hospital on a long-term basis and continue its operation.

Since then, from review of the Subsidium documents, we can now establish that the Metro proposal was ignored by the LHA Step-Two Committee in favor of negotiations with the Clinic, despite LHA's own consultant's conclusion that that would have no material advantage for the community.

My strident calls for municipal reform rest upon these and other governmental failures or abuses. About a dozen local lawyers have volunteered thousands of hours of effort to redress these problems.