The Observation Deck

I'm not super tuned in to Lakewood politics and history, but among the well-qualified and experienced candidates for School Board I notice one Dawn L. DeFreeze. While offering a touching trip down memory lane, her wooly article in the Observer http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/news/city/id-like-to-introduce-myself-to-you doesn't say anything about what she would do as a school board member.

Likewise, in the background that she provided to the League of Women Voters, she says little about her actual priorities. She does note her religious affiliations and says, "The most challenging issue facing the school system is the breakdown of the family...." "Breakdown of the family" is code for the Christian intolerance folks and their creationist, anti-sex education, anti-homosexual, back-to-Mayberry, prayer in schools, "family values," anti-anyone-who's-not-like-them agenda.

Maybe she doesn't have a chance of being elected, but she is on the ballot. One of the great things about Lakewood is its diversity and tolerance and we have to be vigilant to protect that.

Does anyone know anything more about Dawn DeFreeze or what her agenda is? What is Lakewood Youth & Family Renaissance? What is Ruth 2:12 Ministries?

I did find a recent note on craigslist http://cleveland.craigslist.org/pol/443487637.html by one of her ex-husbands saying that she's keeping child support meant for her daughter, who lives with him in Hawaii, and urging Lakewood residents not to vote for her.

The ex-husband in question was not able to supply documents to the Lakewood Observer backing up the claim that Ms. DeFreeze was in violation of any court order.

Yep, something weird going on here.

No way to leave a message at the number she leaves which is also the Ruth Ministries number (no way to leave a message for that either).

It looks like the address on google is a private home.

I looked at the same stuff you did DL and it seems weird that there is a ministry that doesn't show up with a church affiliation.

I wonder if there is a way to check with the state. As a ministry I would think that they would have registered for tax exempt status. This sounds pretty fishy to me.

d drickhamer wrote:Does anyone know anything more about Dawn DeFreeze or what her agenda is?

A few weeks ago the Lakewood Sun Post ran an article implying that her real name may still be Dawn Cabot.

If you go to the county court website at http://cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.us/p_NameSearch.aspx and type in Dawn Cabot you will see that a Dawn Cabot had her 14518 Delaware property foreclosed upon in CV-05-562069. Is this the same Dawn Cabot who is calling herself Dawn Defreeze?

If you go to the county auditor records at http://auditor.cuyahogacounty.us/repi/ and type in 14518 Delaware in Lakewood you will see that a Dawn Cabot appears to still be in default of her property taxes on this property in the amount of $2,151.19. Just go to http://auditor.cuyahogacounty.us/REPI/t ... l=31421061. Is this the same Dawn Cabot who is calling herself Dawn Defreeze?

To be fair I would encourage everyone to look into the auditor records yourself as to Dawn Defreeze and everyone else running for office. I could be wrong. Maybe Dawn Defreeze will respond?

In today’s Lakewood Sun Post, Dawn Defreeze talks about her financial problems as being a benefit to the school board. It is understandable that financial hardships can result in foreclosures and tax delinquencies. Is that really a benefit? Do we really want a politician deciding to raise our taxes when she has no intention of paying her own taxes? Assuming that Dawn Cabot and Dawn Defreeze are the same person.

d drickhamer wrote:What is Lakewood Youth & Family Renaissance? What is Ruth 2:12 Ministries?

I see in the Lakewood Sun Post that Dawn Defreeze is a minister. Lakewood Youth & Family Renaissance and Ruth 2:12 Ministries may be religious groups of some kind. Go to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/Election ... sters.aspx and type in Dawn Defreeze’s name. Go to the website at http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/business ... /corp.aspx and type in Lakewood Youth & Family Renaissance and Ruth 2:12 Ministries.

d drickhamer wrote:I did find a recent note on craigslist http://cleveland.craigslist.org/pol/443487637.html by one of her ex-husbands saying that she's keeping child support meant for her daughter, who lives with him in Hawaii, and urging Lakewood residents not to vote for her.

If true that is just sad.

d drickhamer wrote:Maybe she doesn't have a chance of being elected, but she is on the ballot.

Dawn Defreeze does have a chance to get elected because she is on the ballot. The plan of some seems to be to sneak in while Lakewood is distracted with the mayoral race.

I will say, without ever having met her, that she may be a well meaning person who has a lower income.

[quote="d drickhamer"]
....
Likewise, in the background that she provided to the League of Women Voters, she says little about her actual priorities. She does note her religious affiliations and says, "The most challenging issue facing the school system is the breakdown of the family...." "Breakdown of the family" is code for the Christian intolerance folks and their creationist, anti-sex education, anti-homosexual, back-to-Mayberry, prayer in schools, "family values," anti-anyone-who's-not-like-them agenda.[quote]
________

The breakdown of the family is a well recognized precursor of serious social problems manifested in many class rooms in our state every day. Statements acknowledging this fact do not evidence intolerance but rather display a clear understanding of reality.

There does seem to be some inconsistency surrounding this woman:

http://tinyurl.com/3d8s4p

Quick Google search turned up this:

http://www.connectionmagazine.org/archives_old/2001_04/kidnapped.htm

I feel much better knowing that my neighbors and fellow citizens do their research and homework on candidates that decide the fate of our schools, etc.

Ah Frank -

What is the definition of a family? Who defines a family? When did families function and what was the reality of that functionality?

Breakdown of the family is terminology used by the Christian right. It is one of the things they point out that gay marriage will destroy.

There are many causes of the problems we're having today and a lot of it has to do with substance abuse.

Thanks to all for running down more background on Ms. DeFreeze/Cabot. It's interesting the digital trail we all leave these days. But with all the sleuthing and today's Sun Post article, which really only reports more about her background, we still know nothing about what she would do as a school board member. While her life may have been full of challenges, which could legitimately prepare someone for a life of public service, such stealthiness in anyone running for a political office raises a red flag.

--David.

I'm not convinced that Ms. DeFreeze has been stealthy. She has an ex-husband who wants to discredit her, but she has also just kept running for office. She has had a lot of challenges in her life to overcome.

Are any red flags raised when candidates' children don't attend Lakewood schools?

dl meckes wrote:I'm not convinced that Ms. DeFreeze has been stealthy. She has an ex-husband who wants to discredit her, but she has also just kept running for office. She has had a lot of challenges in her life to overcome.

Are any red flags raised when candidates' children don't attend Lakewood schools?

Not really as that would pre-suppose you're only qualified to be on the school board if you have children in the Lakewood schools.

So if that were the case people without children shouldn't be on the board, people with children no longer in the school system shouldn't be on the board, and people with babies or adult children shouldn't be on the board.

How many of our current board members would fall into one of those categories? What about people who rent so they don't directly pay property taxes into the school system...should they raise a red flag?

I think there's a big difference between having people without kids in the school system and someone pushing an intolerant agenda on children.

My question was based on an ambiguous sentence in the Sun Post article and I tacked it on to a statement by Mr. Drickhamer that one candidate was being "stealthy."

People who are engaged in what the schools are doing and who are committed to improving Lakewood schools would be qualified to sit on the School Board, IMO.

I'm not sure how renters fit into this discussion because they do indirectly pay property taxes and are full members of the Lakewood community.

I am also not so sure that I would describe one candidate as "someone pushing an intolerant agenda on children" because I haven't seen any solid proof of that. There seem to be some buzzwords in use that lead to that conclusion, but is it a valid judgement?[/quote]

I have spoken to Ms. DeFreeze and found her to be quite engaging and thoughtful.
I agree with DL that her life has probably not followed the same "ladder of success" that maybe some others have. Having that on the board may not be such a bad thing.

As for her ministry, very few churches start off with 5000 members. If shes just trying to get something going, that shows a little spirit, doesnt it?

"Breakdown of the family" may be code for some white conservative Evangelicals. It means something different to people of color like Ms. DeFreeze.

If people can vote for a Ryan Demro because he represents change and a different point of view, they shouldnt be afraid of voting for Ms. DeFreeze either.

I am concerned about Ms DeFreeze's behavior at the LWV's event. Saying that someone on the board had asked her to withdraw from the race (which I later heard was due to her campaign infractions), she said she would not respond to any questions. Each time the citizens asked questions which all the other board candidates answered, she said, "Pass." I thought she might respond to the question on evolution and creation science and the science curriculum and I was most eager to hear her stand on that. She then said she would answer that question, but then just proceeded to reiterate her desire not to answer any questions!

Why was she there at a votor's forum if she refused to answer any questions? Is this the way she will handle conflicts as they arise in school board meetings? She gave no one any reason to vote for her.

p.s. The campaign infractions I heard she had violated were running under a name that is not her legal name, and not specifying the source of her funding on her literature. Perhaps someone can verify this.