The Observation Deck

The Empty Chair In Ward One

As a resident and voter in Ward One, I'm disappointed in the fact that I haven't really had a councilperson representing my interests in the past 4 years.

The best news in Ward One is that Mr. Anderson decided not to run for reelection.

In 2015, he bailed on his constituency when he violated the open meetings laws with the other 2015 council members and then doubled-down on that violation of law by his misrepresentations that closing Lakewood Hospital would bring $120 Million in new investment to Lakewood. Statements that he and other city leaders knew were "bogus" when he made them.

Ever since those statements, he has been an empty chair on city council, especially with his vote in favor of One Lakewood Place.

He is the epitome of our special brand of "endorsed" Democrats who supported the radical reduction of public healthcare resources in order to proceed with the mayor's and former mayor's vision of commercial development upon the wreckage of an award-winning public community hospital.

His mentor, Senator Howard Metzenbaum, would be rolling in his grave at this.

All good intentions?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/patch.com/ ... 2a69307f46

Bridget Conant wrote:All good intentions?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/patch.com/ ... 2a69307f46

Doubling-down on irony here:

"My work with Senator Metzenbaum showed me that government can work for people," Anderson said. "Watching Councilman (Kevin) Butler get problems solved (in Ward 1) reminded me that local government can help people solve their problems." --An Anderson quote from the linked Patch article.

Whoa! My head is spinning now! (The gang's all there -- Summers, Butler, and Anderson. Now I get it.)

Thank you, Ms. Conant, for this link.

Two Very Qualified Public Servants Running In Ward One

The voters in Ward One should be pleased to know that two very qualified and experienced public servants are running for Lakewood City Council in Ward One. Each in her own way is an experienced government professional. This is not in doubt to me. Their individual career backgrounds speak volumes about their obvious strengths as candidates and as actual public servants. This is a great thing for us.

As a resident living in Ward One, I will likely cast my ballot for Laura Rodriquez-Carbone. I voted for her in the primary and I did so because she did the best to clearly differentiate her positions from the other two candidates. In my opinion, Ms. Rodriquez-Carbone has the best overall understanding of the issues facing our community and has the intelligence, compassion and professionalism to serve in the role of an elected councilperson.

At this point in the race between the candidates, Ms. Rodriquez-Carbone has clearly established positions in favor of reform and against the regionalization of Lakewood public services. Each is a deciding factor for me.

With respect to Ms. Neff also running for the seat in Ward One, Ms. Neff's experience and qualifications strongly favor her in a judicial role should she run for a judgeship at a future date. She will be more than qualified to serve in that position. While Ms. Neff has a clear understanding of and commitment to ethics-in-government, she has not as far as I can determine taken a position on the reform legislation presently before city council. Her opponent supports that legislation.

In my post from yesterday in a different thread, I also expressed my concern that she did not have a clear understanding of city council's role with respect to two private non-profit foundations that were now entirely outside of public administration or purview. I'm sure she is a quick study and can master these details.

Finally, Ms. Rodriquez-Carbone has fully-presented her position on the return of a Circulator-type service for those who have local transportation needs. Ms. Neff's "Uber" proposal seemed rather off-the-cuff and glib to me.