Lakewood candidates respond to new, mysterious PAC
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2019 11:50 am
We, the undersigned candidates, have received or been made aware of a questionnaire from a newly formed Political Action Committee (PAC) entitled “Lakewood Neighbors for Good Government.” We invite all of the candidates for Lakewood city government to join us by ignoring the request for completion of the questionable document. Here is why:
We believe the motives of the “Lakewood Neighbors for Good Government” are not altruistic, despite the benign and welcoming name. It is wise to be wary of a new PAC that rises from nowhere just weeks before an election with no mechanism for oversight. The PAC claims to be “doing their part in collecting information for an informed electorate,” and plans to share our responses in letters to the editor and on social media pages. An entity with this purpose and earnest intentions would surely have formed many months ago, taking the time to build trust with the community and the candidates. This organization was formed a couple of days ago.
Unfortunately, Lakewood has seen attempts to mislead the public in recent elections. Most notably, the faux newspaper that was disseminated by Ed Fitzgerald in 2015. This PAC is led by a former employee and appointee of Mr. Fitzgerald, as well as Mary Louise Madigan, current spokesperson of the struggling Cuyahoga County administration of Armond Budish. These reasons alone give us pause as to its motivations.
We feel it is our duty to inform the voters that this type of behavior is occurring behind the scenes. It appears the “Lakewood Neighbors for Good Government” is an organization attempting to portray itself as a well-intentioned civic entity and we look forward to working with such an organization when they have stood the test of time through sustained civic engagement, transparent rules, and a history of broad membership. Excellent examples are the League of Women Voters and the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.
You deserve candidates that communicate honestly, transparently, and under direct scrutiny. The best mechanism for you to learn about each of us as candidates is through our direct communication with you. We will continue our proactive campaigns by having conversations directly with you - online, on the phone, and at your doors. We stand together for ethical and transparent governance because we believe Lakewood deserves integrity.
Meghan F. George for Mayor of Lakewood
Laura Rodriguez Carbone For Lakewood Ward 1
Brad Presutto, Candidate for Council, Ward 2
Jeff Wise for Lakewood City Council Ward 3
https://www.facebook.com/22558541279661 ... 45?sfns=mo
We believe the motives of the “Lakewood Neighbors for Good Government” are not altruistic, despite the benign and welcoming name. It is wise to be wary of a new PAC that rises from nowhere just weeks before an election with no mechanism for oversight. The PAC claims to be “doing their part in collecting information for an informed electorate,” and plans to share our responses in letters to the editor and on social media pages. An entity with this purpose and earnest intentions would surely have formed many months ago, taking the time to build trust with the community and the candidates. This organization was formed a couple of days ago.
Unfortunately, Lakewood has seen attempts to mislead the public in recent elections. Most notably, the faux newspaper that was disseminated by Ed Fitzgerald in 2015. This PAC is led by a former employee and appointee of Mr. Fitzgerald, as well as Mary Louise Madigan, current spokesperson of the struggling Cuyahoga County administration of Armond Budish. These reasons alone give us pause as to its motivations.
We feel it is our duty to inform the voters that this type of behavior is occurring behind the scenes. It appears the “Lakewood Neighbors for Good Government” is an organization attempting to portray itself as a well-intentioned civic entity and we look forward to working with such an organization when they have stood the test of time through sustained civic engagement, transparent rules, and a history of broad membership. Excellent examples are the League of Women Voters and the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.
You deserve candidates that communicate honestly, transparently, and under direct scrutiny. The best mechanism for you to learn about each of us as candidates is through our direct communication with you. We will continue our proactive campaigns by having conversations directly with you - online, on the phone, and at your doors. We stand together for ethical and transparent governance because we believe Lakewood deserves integrity.
Meghan F. George for Mayor of Lakewood
Laura Rodriguez Carbone For Lakewood Ward 1
Brad Presutto, Candidate for Council, Ward 2
Jeff Wise for Lakewood City Council Ward 3
https://www.facebook.com/22558541279661 ... 45?sfns=mo


