The Observation Deck

Mayor Fitzgerald and City Council:

I strongly oppose more service cuts, outsourcing and regionalization of our city services, safety forces and institutions. Under your leadership, Lakewood is being diminished at an alarming rate. I understand that our nation’s and our region’s economies are just emerging from a recession and this had an effect on Lakewood. My fear is that when we fully emerge from the recession, Lakewood will be without any city services, safety forces or autonomous institutions because they will have been effectively dismantled and regionalized under your administration.

I understand that one of the policy options soon to be adopted by the City of Lakewood is to regionalize Lakewood’s Fire Department. Regionalization is a no win option for our City. Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, you argued, during a hearing on RITA, …“sometimes government that was local was more efficient, closer to the people.” You “asked if County government was necessarily more efficient than local government.” You “said some of those who have worked on County government may say no.” Lakewood residents agree with you in saying no to regionalization of our city services, safety forces and institutions.

As you have stated, The City of Lakewood is no longer in “crisis” and is operating with a “1.5 million dollar surplus.” I realize that going forward Lakewood must continue to be diligent. Doing so, however, if you cannot offer other alternatives than to continually cut service and regionalize our safety forces and institutions, will be a dangerous and losing endeavor for the City of Lakewood and her residents.

Hopefully there are ways for the City of Lakewood to continue to meet its budget and add to our surplus without severing its lifeblood, which are its residents. Each round of service cuts, and regionalization our safety forces and institutions alienates residents. Those who have no alternatives or financial resources are forced to stay in Lakewood. Those who have alternatives and financial resources, as evident by the continual decline in population, simply move out of Lakewood. You must stop cutting services and stop moving forward with the regionalization of our city functions and institutions and act boldly and creatively to meet the challenges of managing Lakewood in other ways.

You must not build a regional jail, nor hand over the control, of our schools, services, safety forces, tax dollars, sovereignty and our City to a Regional Sustainability Manager/Coordinator.

As some of you hope to venture off to higher political positions and places, please leave Lakewood with our sovereignty and our community intact for those of us who will continue to live and raise our families here long after you are gone.

Sincerely,
Shelley Hurd

Listening to Lakewood Town Hall Meeting
Mayor Ed FitzGerald and his team will hold a town hall meeting on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Meridian, 12550 Lake Avenue. This is an opportunity to learn about recent developments within the city, including: street repairs, quality control in parks, fiscal stability, and important initiatives including wellness, safety, housing and environmental issues for the City of Lakewood.
This is your chance to be heard and to join the Mayor and his team in building the future of Lakewood. We hope to see you there.
Thursday, January 28, 2010 7:00 PM -

http://onelakewood.com/



Mayor Ed Fitzgerald and City Council


Lakewood residents would be best served by this meeting if you and your “team” take this opportunity to come clean and disclose fully the truth about the Regionalization Grant. You and your team could start to restore some measure of credibility, some measure of integrity, some shred of Legitimacy to both your Administration and your City Council by telling the truth.

You are no longer working under the guise of deniability. You must dig deep and find the man who proudly boasts of once being an FBI employee and a County Prosecutor. And restore to the Office of the Mayor and the chamber of City Council, trust, transparency and a shred of integrity. Lakewood residents have enough to worry about in their struggles to manage their own affairs and to provide for their families. They do not deserve the added burden of having to guard this City from a Administration which can not be trusted not to pillage and sell off our City and therefore the futures of our families.


Lakewood residents need to know that the Fitzgerald Administration, City Council, along with Westshore Council of Governments “objective is to fully integrate and regionalize its Fire & EMS operations" by May of 2011. And that in May of 2010 a solidifying contract to that end will be finial.


They also need to know that you and your team are seemingly opening up all of our services and institutions for regionalization under the appointment and discretion of a Sustainability Manager/Coordinator.


Lakewood residents also need to know what changes and or inclusions to our City Charter and City Ordinances have been made to further these ends. Do we retain any autonomy in future regionalization decisions made by our (sic) Sustainability Manager/Coordinator?


Tonight as you stand in front of folks. Remember, they now see you and your team. You are naked. They maybe too intimidated from the two years of bullying to ask. But they are listening for you and your team to come clean. Tonight is your Administrations defining moment. I hope for Lakewood’s sake you prove me wrong and act as a man of "Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity."

Lakewood is watching.

Hi Shelly,

Can you please post your source material for this? I can't believe that Lakewood would allow its Fire Department to be regionalized. The Fire Department is one of the very best things about Lakewood, along with the Police Department. They take such good care of this city (and have taken such good care of my emergency-prone family) that I can't imagine how it could be better. I can only imagine the service being worse, and much less personal, and our tremendous firemen being busy in some neighborhood in Cleveland whose streets they don't know, as we have firemen from other places trying to take care of Lakewood, who don't really know who we are or where we live either. Some things need to stay local, for the safety of everyone.

This really horrifies and scares me. I want to read more about how this could possibly happen.

Thanks.

Betsy Voinovich

Shelley Hurd wrote:Lakewood residents also need to know what changes and or inclusions to our City Charter and City Ordinances have been made to further these ends.

Charter changes are not done in secret. There have been no recent changes to the Charter. Charter changes are only made by a majority vote of the electors of the city. You would have known about any proposed changes, AND had the opportunity to vote.

Shelley Hurd wrote:...nor hand over the control, of our schools...

Mayor and Council have no power to do so.

.

Betsy Voinovich wrote:Hi Shelly,

Can you please post your source material for this? I can't believe that Lakewood would allow its Fire Department to be regionalized. The Fire Department is one of the very best things about Lakewood, along with the Police Department. They take such good care of this city (and have taken such good care of my emergency-prone family) that I can't imagine how it could be better. I can only imagine the service being worse, and much less personal, and our tremendous firemen being busy in some neighborhood in Cleveland whose streets they don't know, as we have firemen from other places trying to take care of Lakewood, who don't really know who we are or where we live either. Some things need to stay local, for the safety of everyone.

This really horrifies and scares me. I want to read more about how this could possibly happen.

Thanks.

Betsy Voinovich

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8769&start=60

For postings of some of the discussion and discovery see above link (page 5 )



And for your own viewing- down load the grant award on the same page on the link above- the read is worth the time-

Attachments: grantaward-WCG-implementation.pdf [1017.27 KiB]


And as for a definitive answer…Ask the Mayor and City Council. They have yet to respond to any plea to clear this matter up, one way or the other. Or to any questions posed by the questions raised by the file, grantaward-WCG-implementation.pdf [1017.27 KiB] , being in conflict with previous statements they have made.




My advise, ignore it all. Close your eyes. Plug your ears. And shut your mouth. Knowledge isn’t power. Knowledge is a curse that can not become unknown and can not undo what’s done.

..

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald Members of Council

OK lets bottom line this.


Everyone on this board is convinced and believe that the Grant award we won was for “a study”

No one on this board believes the grant award was for regionalization.


Why do they (Lakewood residents) believe this? Because this is what Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, Council President Kevin Butler and the whole of City Council told them:

Ed FitzGerald Post subject: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:44 pm
“Right now, all of the Westshore suburbs agree that we should study this. If we win this grant, it will help pay for the study.”
While you were on a roll, you decided to misstate the grant terms by stating it was $100,000 to be divided among 25 cities, instead of $300,000 divided between three winning proposals.”


Kevin Butler Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:10 am

Jim O'Bryan wrote:
“This is exactly the kind of political answer that has driven me nuts for decades.”
(Kevin replies below)
“I'm not mincing words. The fire study is just a study. I've heard of no other plans regarding consolidation of boundaries or services, or whatever we might call "regionalism." I've seen nothing that would suggest any group has undue influence over your local elected officials when it comes to these issues. I don't know how else to say it.”


Shelley Hurd wrote:
[W]ill we see the full plan pertaining to the regional fire department and other "regional" plans on the City web site tomorrow?

Council President Kevin Butler Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:10 am
“There's no "full plan" (or partial plan) to consolidate fire services. We won a grant to study the pros and cons with other west shore municipalities. This was well documented. The grant-funded study is underway in all those communities. Please don't mistake this for a decision on anyone's part to regionalize fire.
I don't know of any other regional plans, as you call them.”

Council President Kevin Butler Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:10 am
“I'm not mincing words. The fire study is just a study. I've heard of no other plans regarding consolidation of boundaries or services, or whatever we might call "regionalism." I've seen nothing that would suggest any group has undue influence over your local elected officials when it comes to these issues. I don't know how else to say it.
At some point, Jim, you're going to have to choose either to believe me or not to.”

Bob Mehosky Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:46 pm
“How else can you discuss the pros and cons without preparing a report which proposes one possible solution?”I believe Mr. Butler was stating that there is no fully developed plan which is ready for an up/down vote by the affected cities.

“As a consulting engineer, I'm often asked to prepare feasibility studies for projects that never even make it out of preliminary discussions. This reads to me like exactly that sort of broad brush discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of a plan.”



Mayor Ed Fitzgerald and the whole of City Council:
At about 11 paragraphs down from the top:
http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/read/5/ ... --st-james
"Getting back to the docket, Mayor Fitzgerald asked Council to allow the City to enter into an agreement with the West Shore Council of Governments (WCOG) and Emergency Services Consulting International. This partnership would allow consulting services to be done to see if the cities involved in the WCOG could benefit from a cooperative agreement and consolidation of fire services, and if so in what ways. The Mayor clarified that this was only a study to see if the City could benefit from consolidating."




Everyone on this board believes they get a ballot vote on whether or not Lakewood Fire Department gets regionalized

No one on this board believes the City can regionalize the Fire Department without residents casting a ballot vote

stephen davis Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:08 am
“Charter changes are not done in secret. There have been no recent changes to the Charter. Charter changes are only made by a majority vote of the electors of the city. You would have known about any proposed changes, AND had the opportunity to vote.”

Betsy Voinovich Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:01 am
"Can you please post your source material for this? I can't believe that Lakewood would allow its Fire Department to be regionalized. The Fire Department is one of the very best things about Lakewood, along with the Police Department. They take such good care of this city (and have taken such good care of my emergency-prone family) that I can't imagine how it could be better. I can only imagine the service being worse, and much less personal, and our tremendous firemen being busy in some neighborhood in Cleveland whose streets they don't know, as we have firemen from other places trying to take care of Lakewood, who don't really know who we are or where we live either. Some things need to stay local, for the safety of everyone.

This really horrifies and scares me. I want to read more about how this could possibly happen."


Bob Mehosky Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:21 pm
"Seems to me implementation of the combined fire department is not a requirement of the grand and that none of this can occur without a vote of the people. "


Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, City Council President Kevin Butler, City Council Members:

Was this Grant for a feasibility study? Or a pros and cons study?
Was this grant for implementation and ““To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized fire and EMS systems” by May 2011?

Do Lakewood residents have a vote on if Lakewood Fire Department becomes regionalized?

Answering these questions would take any one of you all of 5 minutes. And I am asking you as a resident to answer these few questions.

We all know you are aware of what goes on in this blog. Ignoring this plea for one of you to clear this matter up is unprofessional and does nothing to serve the residents of Lakewood. Quite the contrary, your silence is fostering distrust and wild speculation on all sides of this matter.

Stephen Davis is waiting for you to confirm his facts.

Bob Mehosky is waiting for you confirm his belief in you.

Betsy wants to know the truth.

All of Lakewood just merely need one of our elected officials to take the 5 minutes necessary to let us know:

1- Was the grant for a feasibility study or a pros and cons study?

2- Or, was the grant award for implementation and ““To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized fire and EMS systems” by May 2011?

3- Do Lakewood residents have a vote on if Lakewood Fire Department becomes regionalized?

We are waiting for you to answer

Sent them all an email - Mayor all of Council- now we wait for the answers to 3 very simple questions

Shelley Hurd wrote:Answering these questions would take any one of you all of 5 minutes. And I am asking you as a resident to answer these few questions.

We all know you are aware of what goes on in this blog. Ignoring this plea for one of you to clear this matter up is unprofessional and does nothing to serve the residents of Lakewood. Quite the contrary, your silence is fostering distrust and wild speculation on all sides of this matter.

Stephen Davis is waiting for you to confirm his facts.

Actually, I'm not waiting for anything. I've been quite satisfied with the timeliness of the responses AND the answers.

I thank the Mayor and Councilman Butler for their participation in this forum.

Steve

.

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald and City Council:

After posting some of the following references, and publicly asking, hell, BEGGING for clarification on numerous occasions, not you Mayor Ed Fitzgerald nor any member of Council has offered a single word or explanation as to why, from the time of asking residents to vote for a “study” grant through current, you all have presented this award in manner which is in direct conflict with the ones who made the award and state its purpose to be: “To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized Fire and EMS systems among seven communities.” by May 2011


Is there a specific timeframe for the project?:
Each proposal must be ready to begin within 60 days of receiving the award and the project must be fully implemented within two years
http://www.efficientgovnow.org/Government/FAQ/


If a feasibility study is required prior to undertaking the efficiency project, is it eligible for this program?:
No. These awards are for project implementation, not planning studies/analysis.
http://www.efficientgovnow.org/Government/FAQ/

Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thanks to Your Votes...
“After 31 days of voting and strong “get-out-the-vote” campaigns” …” Lakewood, together with other Westshoe communities won a grant of $100,000”…
“The Westshore Council of Governments is working toward a comprehensive regionalization of its entire Fire and EMS operations, which covers more than 75 square miles and serves more than 250,000 residents. “
http://www.onelakewood.com/blog/2009/08 ... votes.html

Quote:
EffecientGovNow Answer …“The Proposal Review Committee made the determination that Westshore’s request was based on the implementation of the project, not on studying its feasibility. The Westshore Council has retained a consultant who is exploring the means by which the new fire district will function and developing a strategic plan therein, which is different than exploring whether such a district is possible to create”

“Contractual Terms” of the award:
“1. Westshore Regional Fire District Project
Purpose: To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized Fire and EMS systems among seven communities“…
(grantaward-WCG-implementation.pdf, Attachment 5, Subaward Agreement, page 8 )



The two other EffeicantGovNow grant recipients, Rollin’ on the River: Mahoning River Corridor Redevelopment Project and Mahoning-Youngstown Regional Information System (MYRIS) :
“Funding will be used to implement the project. “
“Our funds go towards implementation.”
“First round grant awards had to address the implementation of a specific project. It did not fund feasibility studies.”


…“By autumn of 2009, COG-FDC expects to employ one of
these experienced firms to direct the multifaceted regional Fire District
transition, and will apply grant funding toward this end.”…


SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
13. ORDINANCE NO. 64-09 -….”to develop a cooperative agreement for
the consolidation of fire services. “…Motion by Mr. Dever, seconded by Ms. Antonio, to suspend the rules requiring this Ordinance to be read on three separate days and placing Ordinance No. 64-09 on final reading.”…“Motion adopted. Rules suspended” …”Ordinance No. 64-09 adopted.”
http://www.onelakewood.com/pdf/CouncilM ... 9_0909.pdf



Mayor Ed Fitzgerald you and Council stated repeatedly and from day one through current, this was/is for a “study” and no decision has been made.

EffecientGovNow, references, other grant recieptants, Westshore Council of Governments application/project proposal, City Ordinance 64-09 … and the award itself states specifically it is for implementation of the regionalization of Lakewood’s Fire Department. “To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized Fire and EMS systems among seven communities”… by May 2011



All of Lakewood just merely need one of our elected officials to take the 5 minutes necessary to let us know:

1- Was the grant for a feasibility study or a pros and cons study?

2- Was the grant award for implementation and ““To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized fire and EMS systems” by May 2011?

3- Do Lakewood residents have a vote on if Lakewood Fire Department becomes regionalized?ie, will there be a ballot vote?

We are waiting for you to answer

Sent them all an email - Mayor all of Council- now we wait for the answers to 3 very simple questions

Comprehensive evaluation of current financial, personnel, legal, and service level conditions
Review of all available data, stakeholder input, and site visits by consulting firm
Accomplish by
02/2010


Formulate & endorse a Strategic Plan for interagency cooperative services as the Westshore Fire
District
Formal legal agreement among the Westshore COG, dedicated to this phase of the project
Accomplish by
04/2010

Time is of the Essences - We need answers before its too late and before its signed off on

I'm not waiting for anything either. I actually took the time to read the city charter and see what the city can and can't do without modification to the charter.

I'm satisfied.

Why should the mayor or a city council member reply to this or any questions in a forum such as this? What's the upside vs. the downside?

I for one have appreciated when our mayor, finance director or council members have posted. But to spend time responding to misunderstood concepts/studies/matters of the city charter is a non-starter for me.

I do hope our elected officials use this forum to take the pulse of the citizens and to respond by an appropriate means.

I have attended a number of council meetings, probably not enough of them. Isn't there time alloted to each meeting for citizens to address council with their concerns? If so, why not air your concerns and questions there?

Jim O'Bryan
Post subject: Now Regionalism Is A Contest we Can Win!
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 1:13 pm

“Today I got an announcement from Lakewood about how Lakewood can
win $100,000 by regionalizing our fire department!

Oh Boy!

What do we win?

NOTHING, but lack of control over our fire departments in a city with most homes
75 years old or older.

What is even more ridiculous, is the fact Lakewood only wins, if the region wins.
GET IT.

We get nothing, $100,000 divided amongst 25 communtities.

So we have watched the Chamber explain how good regionalism is. We have watched
LakewoodAlive with their close connection to Team Neo present how good it is. Now
the regionalist are trying to trick us into WINNING REGIOANLISM!

If it was 100th as good as they make it out to be, why all the tricks?

Why all the lies?

Why all of the BS.

Is the current state of garbage, tagging, graffiti, down turn is housing stock, and now
contest all way to MAKE Lakewood give us the great life we have or used to have!

PLEASE!
Just say no thank you.

Lakewood City News

July 23, 2009

Help Lakewood and The Westshore Council of Governments Win $100,000

The Westshore Council of Governments (COG), which includes the City of Lakewood, was selected as one of nine project finalists in the EfficientGovNow grant contest to win $100,000.

The EfficientGovNow is a program presented by the Fund of Our Economic Future to strengthen Northeast Ohio's economic competitiveness by increasing collaboration and efficiency.

You can help Lakewood win this award by voting for
4. Westshore Regional Fire District Project (Cuyahoga and Lorain counties)


Pitiful, just pitiful.”







Ed FitzGerald
Post subject: Re: Now Regionalism Is A Contest we Can Win!
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:44 pm
“Jim-

Do you know the difference between sharing services and one regional government?

We already share some services with other Westshore suburbs. Did you know that we share SWAT services? Drug investigations? Mutual aid for fire and EMS response?

Did you know that we've been discussing sharing other aspects of fire services for years, including dispatch services? Did you know that the firefighters' union doesn't object to studying this concept? Did you know that a joint fire district wouldn't necessarily mean that we wouldn't have control over our own fire department? That it might just include joint purchasing or unified civil service testing?

Right now, all of the Westshore suburbs agree that we should study this. If we win this grant, it will help pay for the study. Or, we could be stuck with costs without any grants, if we took your advice.

Then you decide to somehow drag LakewoodAlive into your rant, to include your favorite target, and then throw in grafitti tagging for good measure.

While you were on a roll, you decided to misstate the grant terms by stating it was $100,000 to be divided among 25 cities, instead of $300,000 divided between three winning proposals.

Jim, sometimes you do great things for Lakewood.

Not today. “

_________________
Ed FitzGerald
Mayor of Lakewood





Ryan Salo
Post subject: City better hope it doesnt snow on garbage days
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:50 pm
“So an interesting thing happened today. My FULL garbage can was knocked down by the snow being thrown out from the city plow. If a full can can tip over just imagine a half filled one. I probably put it too close to the street, but I wanted to avoid getting the notice that it was too far away.

This could get really bad if just 10% of the cans tip over all along Clifton. I wonder what the solution will be, just skip the houses with the tipped over cans? That is what happened to me today, I sure hope they come again tomorrow…”


Ryan Salo
Post subject: Re: City better hope it doesnt snow on garbage days
Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:23 am

“I would like to thank Kevin Butler. He noticed my post and sent an email to the refuse department asking them to pick up my garbage today.

Kevin has always been very responsive and this time he went to work for me without even being asked.

Thanks again Kevin.”






Council President Kevin Butler, you responded to Ryan Salo’s tipped over trash can within 1 day.

Council President Kevin Butler, the questions posted here are much more important and worthy of your time then a tipped over trash can.



Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, it took you 1 hour and 31 minutes to set Jim O'Bryan straight. "Jim, sometimes you do great things for Lakewood. Not today. “

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, it took you 1 hour and 31 minutes to state, “Right now, all of the Westshore suburbs agree that we should study this. If we win this grant, it will help pay for the study. “

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, it took you 1 hour and 31 minutes to clarify the misstatements pertaining to the grant terms. "While you were on a roll, you decided to misstate the grant terms by stating it was $100,000 to be divided among 25 cities, instead of $300,000 divided between three winning proposals."



Mayor Ed Fitzgerald, you have yet to respond to current questions. Both posted here and asked in emails beginning on Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:12 AM.


All of Lakewood just merely need one of our elected officials to take the 5 minutes necessary to let us know:

1- Was the grant for a feasibility study or a pros and cons study?

2- Was the grant award for implementation and ““To begin the operation of a fully integrated and regionalized fire and EMS systems” by May 2011?

3- Do Lakewood residents have a vote on if Lakewood Fire Department becomes regionalized?ie, will there be a ballot vote?

We are waiting for you to answer
Time is of the Essences - We need answers before its too late and before its signed off on

Do Lakewood residents have a vote on if Lakewood Fire Department becomes regionalized?ie, will there be a ballot vote?

Mayor Ed Fitzgerald nor Council President Kevin Butler have yet to take the few moments to answer this most important question. Here is what information and facts I have thus far been able to find.

Seems they have reason to refuse to answer.

The Westshore Council of Governments:

Description of the Entity
The Westshore Council of Governments, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, (the Council) is a body
politic and corporate established for the purpose of exercising the rights and privileges
conveyed to it by the constitution and laws of the State of Ohio.”
http://www.auditor.state.oh.us/AuditSea ... yahoga.pdf

The Westshore Council of Government (C.O.G.) was created which was composed of the Mayors of these six communities and provided the member communities with a solid legal and statutory foundation under the requirement of "Multi-Jurisdictional." …
http://www.webswat.org/profile.html



Ohio Revised Code

167.01 Regional councils of government.
That governing bodies of any two or more counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts, or other political subdivisions may enter into an agreement with each other, or with the governing bodies of any counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts or other political subdivisions of any other state to the extent that laws of such other state permit, for establishment of a regional council consisting of such political subdivisions.
Effective Date: 11-17-1967
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/167.01


167.03 Powers.
(A) The council shall have the power to:
(1) Study such area governmental problems common to two or more members of the council as it deems appropriate, including but not limited to matters affecting health, safety, welfare, education, economic conditions, and regional development;
(2) Promote cooperative arrangements and coordinate action among its members, and between its members and other agencies of local or state governments, whether or not within Ohio, and the federal government;
(3) Make recommendations for review and action to the members and other public agencies that perform functions within the region;
(4) Promote cooperative agreements and contracts among its members or other governmental agencies and private persons, corporations, or agencies;
(5) Perform planning directly by personnel of the council, or under contracts between the council and other public or private planning agencies.
(B) The council may:
(1) Review, evaluate, comment upon, and make recommendations, relative to the planning and programming, and the location, financing, and scheduling of public facility projects within the region and affecting the development of the area;
(2) Act as an areawide agency to perform comprehensive planning for the programming, locating, financing, and scheduling of public facility projects within the region and affecting the development of the area and for other proposed land development or uses, which projects or uses have public metropolitan wide or interjurisdictional significance;
(3) Act as an agency for coordinating, based on metropolitan wide comprehensive planning and programming, local public policies, and activities affecting the development of the region or area.
(C) The council may, by appropriate action of the governing bodies of the members, perform such other functions and duties as are performed or capable of performance by the members and necessary or desirable for dealing with problems of mutual concern.
(D) The authority granted to the council by this section or in any agreement by the members thereof shall not displace any existing municipal, county, regional, or other planning commission or planning agency in the exercise of its statutory powers.
Effective Date: 03-18-1969
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/167.03

167.08 Contracts for service.
The appropriate officials, authorities, boards, or bodies of counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts, or other political subdivisions may contract with any council established pursuant to sections 167.01 to 167.07, inclusive, of the Revised Code to receive any service from such council or to provide any service to such council. Such contracts may also authorize the council to perform any function or render any service in behalf of such counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts, or other political subdivisions, which such counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts, or other political subdivisions may perform or render.
Effective Date: 11-17-1967
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/167.08



Westshore Council of Governments.
(1) Subject to Section 113.02, the Mayor is hereby authorized to join with the
Westshore Council of Governments in issuing invitations to bid and request
for proposals, as determined by the appropriate officials of the Westshore
Council of Governments for vehicles, equipment, operating supplies,
materials, services and such other equipment and supplies as may be
deemed beneficial by the Westshore Council of Governments and the
Mayor for collective bidding.
(2) Subject to Section 113.02, the Mayor is hereby authorized to sign
invitations to bid or requests for proposals in the name of the City and to
be bound by all contract terms and conditions as the Westshore Council of
Governments shall prescribe in such collective procurement procedures and
any contracts or agreements resulting from such procedures.

http://www.fairviewpark.org/files/government/C-ADM.pdf


A referendum (also known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum


Codified Ordinances of Lakewood, Ohio:
SECTION 9. ENACTMENTS NOT SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM.
Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in Sections 1, 11 or 12 of this Article or any other provisions of this Charter, ordinances or resolutions enacted for the following purposes shall not be subject to referendum:

(b) To create, revise or abolish departments or to provide regulations for their government;
http://www.conwaygreene.com/Lakewood/lp ... -h.htm&2.0


Do Lakewood residents have a vote on if Lakewood Fire Department becomes regionalized?ie, will there be a ballot vote?


The way it looks... NO

Sure would be nice if Mayor Ed Fitzgerald or Council President Kevin Butler could clear this issue up.

All it would take is a Yes residents have the right to a ballot vote. A right to referendum.

Or a No, the regionalization is up to the Westshore Council of Governments, Mayor and City Council. Regionalization of our Fire and EMS (and, even more scary, a slew of other city functions) is NOT SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM

Shelly,

You continually refuse to listen and read when the information is presented to you.

The document you posted expressly states that the Westshore council cannot supercede the authority of any other municipal entity.

(D) The authority granted to the council by this section or in any agreement by the members thereof shall not displace any existing municipal, county, regional, or other planning commission or planning agency in the exercise of its statutory powers.

The Lakewood city charter expressly states that any existing department cannot be eliminated, as previously addressed.

The only way to change that is by charter modification, which requires a city vote.

If you don't believe the information that's been continually spelled out for you, why not actually CALL the mayor or Councilman Butler, and then post your response.

This open letter stuff is silly and pointless.

Bob Mehosky wrote:Shelly,

If you don't believe the information that's been continually spelled out for you, why not actually CALL the mayor or Councilman Butler, and then post your response.

This open letter stuff is silly and pointless.

Bob,

Normally I do not allow myself to be drug into this type of bait and switch of the focus of the arguement. However, I will play along.

Since you are so sure you are right and have all the facts....and obviously have the 2 minutes it would take to call....and would love nothing more then to prove me wrong and shut me up...

I would ask the same of you Bob.
"If you don't believe the information that's been continually spelled out for you, why not actually CALL the mayor or Councilman Butler, and then post your response "


Let us know what you confirm with Mayor Ed Fitzgerald and or Council President Kevin Butler.

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All it would take is a Yes residents have the right to a ballot vote. A right to referendum.

Or a No, the regionalization is up to the Westshore Council of Governments, Mayor and City Council. Regionalization of our Fire and EMS (and, even more scary, a slew of other city functions) is NOT SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM

Shelley Hurd wrote:

Bob Mehosky wrote:Shelly,

If you don't believe the information that's been continually spelled out for you, why not actually CALL the mayor or Councilman Butler, and then post your response.

This open letter stuff is silly and pointless.

Bob,

Normally I do not allow myself to be drug into this type of bait and switch of the focus of the arguement. However, I will play along.

Since you are so sure you are right and have all the facts....and obviously have the 2 minutes it would take to call....and would love nothing more then to prove me wrong and shut me up...

I would ask the same of you Bob.
"If you don't believe the information that's been continually spelled out for you, why not actually CALL the mayor or Councilman Butler, and then post your response "


Let us know what you confirm with Mayor Ed Fitzgerald and or Council President Kevin Butler.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All it would take is a Yes residents have the right to a ballot vote. A right to referendum.

Or a No, the regionalization is up to the Westshore Council of Governments, Mayor and City Council. Regionalization of our Fire and EMS (and, even more scary, a slew of other city functions) is NOT SUBJECT TO REFERENDUM

No, I will not.

You are the one making assertions.

The burden of proof is on you.

Perhaps the reason no one else has replied to your questions is that the answers to your question are already spelled out word-for-word in the city charter and state law that have been posted numerous times in this thread.