The Observation Deck

Many folks on this board see a lack of public input and opinion pertaining to issues they hold dear. Many do not agree with the direction Lakewood is heading pertaining to one issue or another.

But where is the organizational component to foster the power to fight for what you believe in?

Those who are destroying our community are an organized machine. That is how they are winning. That is why their vision ALONE is moving forward over the crumbling remains of “old” Lakewood.

Each of you have your personal “beefs”, but being fragmented, none of your voices have or will sway or stop the particular issue which spurs your passion. And though each here have a particular concern, those who are building New Lakewood are not in the least fragmented in their vision. They function as a cohesive whole.

The demolishing of homes, schools and churches.
The outsourcing of our Health Department
The destruction of our Fire Department and dependence on a “regional fire district”
The gutting of our senior services
The phasing in of outsourced, resident paid for refuse collections
The weaking of our building department (dilapidated houses snatched up and demolished to pave the way for …what ever the Vampires have in their plan)
The Regional Jail
The intertwining and interdependence of Lakewood on and for the prosperity of County and region….

Our community has faced this attack many times in our history. And prevailed. The same arguments were used then as they are now to scare the frightened. And to tire the efforts of the weak.

The voice of Vampires past argued:


Among the reasons urged for legislative action on behalf of a city-county
merger act are these:
1 - The high cost of government requires calm and fair consideration as we approach the reconstruction problems of the war. Taxes will be heavy for years. Nation, state and city will go deeply into the taxpayers pocket.
2 - The unprecedented demand for city and county improvements is bound to continue.
3 - We must make governmental units as economical as possible so as to get a dollar's worth of service for every dollar we spend. (ANNEXATION: CLEVELAND CIVIC LEAGUE SEEKS SUPPORT OF LEGISLATORS-ELECT, THE LAKEWOOD PRESS - Dec, 26, 1919 Page 1 )

The vampires who currently seek to suck the autonomy and life blood from our city for theirs and theirs alone substance, seemed to be either the same vile creatures from yester year… or are at least channeling the specters of destruction form Lakewood’s past.

Are the following statements taken from history or words from our current City Hall?

"Several years' study of one feature of this problem has convinced us that a good deal can be done to scale down the high cost of government in those counties in the state which are thickly populated by co-ordinating the duties of duplicating public offices."

Our fate, then, luckily had Champions. People who refused to sit quietly by and be fed the lies, to relinquish sovergeny and to give up their community. They knew who and what was best for Lakewood (and other suburbs)

In this debate, Mr. Knirk emphasized, in particular, the need for direct local government in the various communities of this county. He said that the local government now supplied by men who have immediate interests in the local communities and who understand the local problems, gives the cheapest and most efficient form of government than can be supplied to any community. The men in offices in any small community are invariably men of high caliber and they are only available for such offices because of their local interest and their pride in their home community. These men understand the needs of the neighbors and are therefore in sympathy with the community remands. The pay given these men is so small that it would not compensate for even one man supplied from a large community organization for the purpose of looking after the interests of any outlying district. Furthermore, the men who might be supplied from a centralized government would in many cases be out of harmony with the community, which they are sent to serve. (ANTI-ANNEXATION: (KNIRK LINES UP RURALITIES AGAINST ANNEXATION) THE LAKEWOOD PRESS - Mar. 6, 1919 Page 1 )

The very fact that large cities throughout the country are attempting to bring about such centralized governments under county merger plans, is proof that what we need is not large governmental units, but smaller units, which can maintain themselves and still stay within the tax limits fixed by law. (ANTI-ANNEXATION: (KNIRK LINES UP RURALITIES AGAINST ANNEXATION) THE LAKEWOOD PRESS - Mar. 6, 1919 Page 1 )

Those who seek to destroy Lakewood are channeling the vile specters who preyed upon this city many times in our past. I only wish someone had the wherewithal to channel the strength, the cohesion and the courage of those from our history who opposed and delivered unto us the Lakewood we so love. Yet are seemingly are so unwilling to defend.

Shelley Hurd wrote:The demolishing of homes, schools and churches.
The outsourcing of our Health Department
The destruction of our Fire Department and dependence on a “regional fire district”
The gutting of our senior services
The phasing in of outsourced, resident paid for refuse collections
The weaking of our building department (dilapidated houses snatched up and demolished to pave the way for …what ever the Vampires have in their plan)
The Regional Jail
The intertwining and interdependence of Lakewood on and for the prosperity of County and region….

Put in context of a struggling State and struggling region Lakewood is doing better than expected. We each have our own reasons for optimisim or pessimism and our own set of solutions.

Out sourcing the Health Department was a good idea. I got no where with the old department.

The Mayor's action to controll sick time abuse was long overdue and saved the City $1 million per year. Regionalizing Lakewood's fire department makes little sense. One large bureacracy serving 250,000 people will be less responsive and more expensive. If you really want to save money in fire departments stop paying people $125,000 per year to work 6 days a month. You can also stop the DROP program which pays people their pensions even though they are still working. Some employees earn their pensions plus $750,000 lump some distributions.

There is no reason for Lakewood to have 70 people in its office on aging when some cities of similar size had 5.

The jury is still out on trash collection.

Lakewoods vacancy rate is only slightly higher than its historical average of about 5%. That translates into about 1,700 units or so out of 28,000 or so. Any sensible housing plan has to be based on the realistic assumption that housing becomes obsolete. Tearing down sub standard doubles or eliminating apartment buildings without parking is a good idea. Sometimes a house is just old.

Here is an idea:

How about a congestion fee on rental property? The fee would add an additional housing fee unless there is at least one off street parking spot for each housing unit. $1,000 per unit sounds about right. We could called it a Green Fee. That piece of crap 8 suiter owned by someone in Rocky River that has no parking and no improvements would pay $8,000 per year in Green Fees.

How about requiring commercial and rental property to have property insurance?

Bill Call
Put in context of a struggling State and struggling region Lakewood is doing better than expected. We each have our own reasons for optimisim or pessimism and our own set of solutions.

Bill,

You make the point exactly.

You say “Regionalizing Lakewood's fire department makes little sense. One large bureacracy serving 250,000 people will be less responsive and more expensive.” ( I agree with your statement 100 percent)

But you also stated, “Out sourcing the Health Department was a good idea.”

So, you are arguing that “One large bureaucracy serving 250,000 people will be less responsive and more expensive,”

Yet you are ok with another, extremely much larger bureaucracy ( most likely one you feel you will have no or little need for their services) which currently serves 885,000?

“Lakewood is the now the 36th city in Cuyahoga County to join the health district, along with the 21 villages and townships that we currently serve. “CCBH now has the distinct privilege of serving over 885,000 Greater Cleveland residents; making us the largest health district in the State of Ohio.” (http://www.ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH/m ... /0028.html)

This is the crux of why and how those who are destroying Lakewood are doing it. Dividing our arguments and thus our voices. And telling us the sky is falling, we are in an Unprecedented Irreversible crisis and we must act NOW!

Your outraged over this this, but Betsy isn’t. Betsy is frustrated with that, but Jim is not. I am mad about this, but Steve is not. Daniel is…….. We all have the one or two thing s we see that are wrong. We argue here among our selves for that one issue. Yet we are failing to see how ALL these issues are intertwined and related…part of the whole.

We have been and will continue to be powerless to STOP any of the plans which are currently and DELIBERATLY kept out of the sight and the hands of any and all residents.

Again, what can we do? Beyond bemoaning here (where we are watched) our frustrations over the lack of input or will of the people ...

What can we do, as residents, to ensure we have a say in how our City spends our money. Develops our community. Divides and disperses our resources’ and serves OUR communitys needs?

Vampires? Maybe Buffy and the Scooby Gang can provide cohesion.

The sky is falling!!! Its an emergency!!!!

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

AN AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE WESTSHORE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS AND EMERGENCY SERVICES CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL TO PROVIDE CONSULTING SERVICES TO DEVELOP A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF FIRE SERVICES AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:_8 ... clnk&gl=us

We MUSt save money!! Its a CRISIS!!!!!!

(Hay, Lets spend every dime we just saved, and then some...they bought the whole crisis ploy! Lets outsource,..err regionalize someother city services. Maybe all of them!)

ANTICIPATED USE OF COST SAVINGS
Approximately eight per cent ($100,000) of the recurring annual savings will be used to hire a regional Westshore Sustainability Manager
“The Sustainability Manager will be responsible for creating, implementing, managing, and maintaining various sustainability policies, programs, and projects, which will impart significant benefits to our constituents, including” … “the redirection of tax dollars into similar community priorities such as economic development and related sustainability projects.”

“A portion of the remaining $2.5 million in annually recurring savings will be used to hire and train
additional Fire District personnel, which will be necessary to fulfill nationally recognized standards for safety and staffing levels.
The remaining part of the savings will be used for tax incentives to attract business development to the region, focusing on the fields of Information Technology and Medical Research.” (
http://www.efficientgovnow.org/FileUplo ... oposal.pdf)

Lets be sure to utilize those puppets we appointed to boards and council seats and committees!!

They can count as our "efforts to involve other public/private community partners (beyond any partners’ financial commitment) in the implementation of the project."
http://www.efficientgovnow.org/FileUplo ... oposal.pdf


And can they be pointed to as "an informed and intelligent constituency that will undoubtedly support the project." (http://www.efficientgovnow.org/FileUplo ... oposal.pdf


We can have this all wraped up and dumped on the rest of our residents no later then
"06/2011" (http://www.efficientgovnow.org/FileUplo ... oposal.pdf))

Just in time to finish up our next regionaliztion project/s.... Thank you Lakewood for giving our movement a mantra to rally the sheep! And for leading the way in removing citizen input from the equation.

Just keep on keeping them divided and distracted. ANd remeber...

Crisis, crisis, Crisis

Shelly

No one finds any of this more troubling than I. I have spent the past 6 years trying to get
people to speak up and demand accountability from the schools, the city and of course
LakewoodAlive and other civic groups. It is the law that they are accountable to us. Still
more and more I speak with members of these entities that confide much of their work
is done out fo the eyesight of others which breaks the sunshine laws, but is nearly impossible
to prove. This project, the paper, this board was to bring accountability into the community
discussion, and you can plainly see they are all members, but I am sure you can also see,
they are far to busy with the mischief, and deceit to stand in the light and answer the questions.
You know like the tough ones, "How much did that public event make?" pitiful.

Another very troubling aspect of all of this is the same names appear on all of this projects,
groups, etc. year after year after year after year. Telling us, "Now we know how to do it."
In the end many of these very same people are the ones that drove Lakewood to where
we are right now. However as proven in the last School Board election, no one willing to
step up. This gives them the mindset that they have been the approval from the city to
continue the charade and faux committee after committee. It allos them to stack the various
committees handing out funds, closing schools, etc with their members. How else does a
relative unkown go from joining LA, to a committee that decides their funding, to a seat
on council, with almost no public exposure?

One of the sad parts of this is many are coopted because they want to do good things for
the city. Hell I believe we all do. But they do not understand the end game which is to
line the pockets of a few, and consolidate power and $$$ for even fewer. I mean you love
Spooky Pooch Parade, but what about the shakedowns, the two "hovering lawsuits" against
a Lakewood founder, and another non-profit in Berea. The 90%* or more that did not go
to the animal charities where it was promised but to further "regionalism goals" of the
founder and his puppet.

Then there is the smoke and mirrors aspect to make people think there is success. Jay's
Team Neo, awarding Jay's LakewoodAlive an award for business! My god, no pride. It would
be embarrassing for most, but after spending over $300,000 just trying to keep a handful
of plants alive in a 6 block area of Lakewood called, Mainstreet, er no DowntowN, I suppose
even giving yourself an award makes life worth living.

When they could not raise any money for Light Up Lakewood, the lights were borrowed
from Lakewood Park and Madison Ave. to provide "Mainstreet" with success. Even the area
chosen is suspect. The one area that needed help the least was downtown Lakewood.
Hospital building, Library building, but today the area has possibly worst occupancy then
when the project was started.

Go back and read my posts, no one had more hope for Mainstreet, and Jennifer Hooper than
I did. No one was happier to see Mary Anne Crampton take over Mainstreet, er now
DowntowN than I. But the smoke and mirrors, the shallow cover for the strip malling
and regionalization of this city, and now once again the closing of a school on the edge of
one of their pet projects make me call out for change.

I think anyone connected with LakewoodAlive should step back from anything to do with
funding LA. That city hall has to seriously think about who should handle the $2 million
sent to us for housing and helping those in foreclosure. That LakewoodAlive PAC members
and founders walk away from the 501C3 CDC. And that LakewoodAlive air their meetings
publicly, and are held fully accountable to the residents.

It only makes sense.

Now for something a little lighter.


One of Lakewood's "Cream of the crop prisoners" tend to watering the flower boxes
LakewoodAlive lease to the various businesses in the DowntowN Mainstreet area.
This was after 5 years of the flowers dying in days, and after a possible coast of
$300,000 based on the fact the first year $80,000 was spent to kill them at 22'.


The city paid union driver that took the 4 prisoners around on their daily duties.


Another "cream of the crop prisoner" that could have been cleaning public parks,
patching streets, cleaning off the graffiti that some on council collect, etc.


Another prisoner on watering duty.

But in the end, it should be noted that LA found it easier just to send out facebook
and eblast release stating that "thousands come from all over the region to gaze
upon Lakewood wonderful flowers."


Well as long as you NEVER stop to smell the roses. After people stopped and talked
it has been reported that LA asked for no loitering signs in the area.

Where have I seen planning like this before?

Oh, that's right!




Or do we have to spend $250,000 a year on original ideas like this.


Speaking of, where are the "DowntowN" signs the city was billed $71,000 er $38,000 for
the design of?

* This number could never be established as Mary Anne Crampton and Jay Foran found it
easier to attack a 60 year old woman with cancer then answer how much the event raised.


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Jim O'Bryan wrote:It is the law that [the schools, the city] are accountable to us. Still more and more I speak with members of these entities that confide much of their work is done out fo the eyesight of others which breaks the sunshine laws, but is nearly impossible to prove.

Please elaborate on your comment with respect to city council deliberations if that's what you mean. We announce every single meeting -- every council meeting, every committee meeting -- online and hold them open to the public. We are trained in all the sunshine laws and honor them scrupulously. With respect, if you're willing to make an allegation that council has acted illegally, I hope you're willing to support it with something other than a breezy gibe.

Predictable...


Here come the threats to rain in the voice of the people.

Have you NO shame?

Kevin Butler wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:It is the law that [the schools, the city] are accountable to us. Still more and more I speak with members of these entities that confide much of their work is done out fo the eyesight of others which breaks the sunshine laws, but is nearly impossible to prove.

Please elaborate on your comment with respect to city council deliberations if that's what you mean. We announce every single meeting -- every council meeting, every committee meeting -- online and hold them open to the public. We are trained in all the sunshine laws and honor them scrupulously. With respect, if you're willing to make an allegation that council has acted illegally, I hope you're willing to support it with something other than a breezy gibe.

Kevin

There is a general feeling that much more needs to be done in the open. There is no doubt your
meetings are open, and the way of getting many things done over lunch and rides. It seems
in this city that many decisions have been made before the committee has even been formed.
While I am sure it is not technically illegal, it is sometimes worrying at the least. I find decisions
like the AT&T boxes decision, I hope being discussed elsewhere because I cannot find anything on
the record that would back that a sane decision. Except for Denis Dunn plea of I used to sit up
there how odd to be here speaking to you.

Certainly much of what was going on with the WestEnd was back room dealing. Or at least an
unwillingness to be honest with tax payers. I suppose I must fall back on thw words of my
good friend. "With a shadowy past, we need to take this time, to build the transparency so it never happens again."

Kevin, I have a paper in Parma, I live in Lakewood, the story of Kevin Kelly is not that odd
or off base. Demanding more transparency and accountability is not a bad thing.


Shelly

Kevin has every right to say and ask.

Kevin is a good person, I like him, and I really like his family.

I would take a city of Kevin Butlers.

.

Jim,

"Kevin has every right to say and ask."

Kevin also has every obligation to reveal and answer.

So Kevin, will we see the full plan pertaining to the regional fire department and other "regional" plans on the City web site tomorrow?

And is it already a done deal or can residents have a say in if we want a regional fire department, regional.....?

Waiting your reply

Kevin Butler wrote:Please elaborate on your comment with respect to city council deliberations if that's what you mean. We announce every single meeting -- every council meeting, every committee meeting -- online and hold them open to the public. We are trained in all the sunshine laws and honor them scrupulously. With respect, if you're willing to make an allegation that council has acted illegally, I hope you're willing to support it with something other than a breezy gibe.

You know Kevin I thought about it, and while I am sure the Lakewood City Council observes the
Sunshine Law, I was thinking "outside influences" probably worry me most.


FWIW



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Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Kevin Butler wrote:Please elaborate on your comment with respect to city council deliberations if that's what you mean. We announce every single meeting -- every council meeting, every committee meeting -- online and hold them open to the public. We are trained in all the sunshine laws and honor them scrupulously. With respect, if you're willing to make an allegation that council has acted illegally, I hope you're willing to support it with something other than a breezy gibe.

You know Kevin I thought about it, and while I am sure the Lakewood City Council observes the
Sunshine Law, I was thinking "outside influences" probably worry me most.


FWIW


Shelly

I have never known Kevin not to be willing to talk to me about nearly anything I have asked him

I do not always agree with their choices, but have found Kevin and the Mayor to be willing to
stand behind their decisions, in the light od day.

.

Jim,

Standing behind a slew of bad moves ( and tirelessly working on more bad moves) does not make a public official admirable, it shows them as someone who is unable to believe they are capable of being anything but right. And unwilling to serve the will of the people.

And I wont hold my breath waiting for answers to the 2 easily answerable questions I asked Kevin. Neither requires anything more then a YES or a NO. As a "Stakeholder" Kevin should know right? Isnt that right term? "Council members will be engaged as stakeholders in the process."


1- Will we see the full plan pertaining to the regional fire department and other "regional" plans on the City web site tomorrow?

2 - Is it already a done deal or can residents have a say in if we want a regional fire department, regional.....?

I just don't get it... Is new bad? A church is knocked down to make way for a new building. Would we rather have a bunch of empty abandoned old churches throughout lakewood? ( I am just asking) Should we not be happy that so many new businesses are popping up in Lakewood?

Stephen Eisel wrote:I just don't get it... Is new bad? A church is knocked down to make way for a new building. Would we rather have a bunch of empty abandoned old churches throughout lakewood? ( I am just asking) Should we not be happy that so many new businesses are popping up in Lakewood?

Stephen

I suppose if you are able to disceet each and ever moment from each and every
moment and cannot see a larger picture or a larger issue, then yes a new building is
better than an old one. Well maybe. But if we are going to look at a much larger real
issue, one might start with how did we get here, and who was driving that bus.

Why did we spend so much to try to keep flowers alive, on Detroit?

Why do we have 4 different programs getting paid good money, to help 6 blocks of
Lakewood and it seem there are less businesses there than when they started?
Could we maybe do without one of the programs?

If as was pointed out here a couple months ago, NO ONE actively looking to help new businesses
should Lakewood direct some money to LA? The Chamber? MAMA? Downtown? Mainstreet? DADA?
to try and look for someone?

Does the entire voting public really want to be part of Cleveland, ot the cooler CLE+ or do some
have another idea that might be worth looking at before we pretned we are the French during WWII?

Why do we always close schools within eyesite of a strip mall project?

I believe the only battle cry to come out of the WestEnd was "responsible development"
and honesty. Both were missing, and the players are still playing.

You know one of those wacky accountability thingys you seem to come and go with.

FWIW


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