Lakewood Law Department "Out-Foxes" Courts Again

[Jim O'Bryan]

Lakewood Law Department "Out-Foxes Citizens Again

“The court has ruled,” Mayor Mike Summers said. “We are grateful for the ruling and appreciate the effort the court put into its opinion.”

“The city has always taken very seriously its obligation to give the public the records the citizens own and deserve,” said Law Director Kevin Butler. “We feel very strongly that we fulfilled that obligation in this case.”

After three years of protracted litigation, the City of Lakewood lost this case and took three separate adverse orders from the Court and had to produce all of the documents that didn't have a specific shield from disclosure.

This litigation is a clear victory for the right of citizens to see documents that reflect questionable and improper hidden government processes involving conflicts-of-interests with private parties.

The Law Director must read "1984" every night before he goes to bed. These are exactly the people that George Orwell warned us about.

Mark

Reminded me of the poster that caused the LO to get banned at City Hall...



.

[Mark Kindt]

Just Plain Offensive -- Lied To Again

Frankly, the press release posted December 12th on the city's website is perhaps one of the most blatantly offensive documents that I have ever seen in my entire civic life.

It presents a largely false narrative stating that it complied with public records requests that the City in fact denied and stonewalled and required a citizen and a team of attorneys almost three years to litigate.

The City of Lakewood faced three separate court orders to produce documents, because it had violated the law.

Once again, as a more than 30 year citizen of Lakewood and a practicing attorney in my 40th year, I know that yesterday I was lied to by my public officials.

Why should any of us have to put up with this kind of disinformation?

I'm rightly offended.

[Mark Kindt]

The press release is also a disservice to the judiciary and staff attorneys of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that are handling this case.

[Dan Alaimo]

Can we get one council member to step forward and correct the record? Just one...

[Richard Baker]

If you are a Democrat you will harvest what you reap. I have could care less about Democrats who think a municipal judge is not prejudice. Most Democracy states have removed the icons of corruption and prejudice by eliminating Municipal judges. It's culturally relating to see the "outcry of corruption by those that allow it". Do you really think the City of Lakefool is not going to suppress the facts. Facts, a word that Democrats and liberals don't want to know because then they may be considered conservative. There is a old but true saying, never tip over an outhouse and expect not to fall in the liberal's political philosophy. Good luck, you will need it.

[Mark Kindt]

My Critique of City Government is Non-Partisan

Trust me, I will exercise my First Amendment free speech rights to criticize any local elected or appointed official regardless of his or her political affiliation.

I am not prepared to accept a seemingly endless stream of public misrepresentations from the city administration, particularly when they relate to the judicial system or to the demolition of civil infrastructure.

As long as I am being routinely lied to by my local elected and appointed officials, I will object, regardless of party.

We each need to consider whether we want closed, insider local government that routinely ignores its Charter and Ohio law, or whether we want local government that is honest, open, and accountable.

At the moment we have a good deal more of the former than the latter.

And just to be clear, I am a third-generation Ohio Democrat (and liberal) with deep political roots in this state.

[Mark Kindt]

Just Plain Offensive -- Lied To Again

Frankly, the press release posted December 12th on the city's website is perhaps one of the most blatantly offensive documents that I have ever seen in my entire civic life.

It presents a largely false narrative stating that it complied with public records requests that the City in fact denied and stonewalled and required a citizen and a team of attorneys almost three years to litigate.

The City of Lakewood faced three separate court orders to produce documents, because it had violated the law.

Once again, as a more than 30 year citizen of Lakewood and a practicing attorney in my 40th year, I know that yesterday I was lied to by my public officials.

Why should any of us have to put up with this kind of disinformation?

I'm rightly offended.

Six weeks later the city administration still has not complied with the court order to produce certain documents to Mr. Essi and his legal counsel.

Still stone-walling the public.

I call on each member of city council to insist upon the immediate compliance with this court order.

[Bill Call]

Just Plain Offensive -- Lied To Again

Frankly, the press release posted December 12th on the city's website is perhaps one of the most blatantly offensive documents that I have ever seen in my entire civic life.

It presents a largely false narrative stating that it complied with public records requests that the City in fact denied and stonewalled and required a citizen and a team of attorneys almost three years to litigate.

The City of Lakewood faced three separate court orders to produce documents, because it had violated the law.

Once again, as a more than 30 year citizen of Lakewood and a practicing attorney in my 40th year, I know that yesterday I was lied to by my public officials.

Why should any of us have to put up with this kind of disinformation?

I'm rightly offended.

Six weeks later the city administration still has not complied with the court order to produce certain documents to Mr. Essi and his legal counsel.

Still stone-walling the public.

I call on each member of city council to insist upon the immediate compliance with this court order.

Thanks for your great work.

This is all so frustrating. I have sent emails to Plane Dealer reports and editors pointing out that the PD has done a lot of reporting about violations for open records laws but no reporting on the violations of the City of Lakewood. Now we find that the City is ignoring a court order to release public documents. Where is everybody?

Councilman Anderson, do you support the City's refusal to obey a court order? Councilman Rader? Councilwomen George?

The Council should refuse pass any ordinance or budget until the documents are released.

[Mark Kindt]

UPDATE: City Complies With Court Order And Finally Produces Documents

The City of Lakewood has released 483 pages of previously disputed or redacted public documents relating to the liquidation of Lakewood Hospital.

Kudos to Attorney Brian Essi and to the public interest lawyers who represented him in his almost three-year-long fight to force the City to comply with its obligations under Ohio's open records laws.

Despite statements made like "we didn't really own the hospital" and that it was "too expensive to repair", the outside lawyers for the City established that all of the hospital contracts ran in favor of the City.

Mayor Summers and the 2015/2016 city counsel dumped the hospital, abandoning valuable long-term lease revenues, abandoning high-paying professional jobs that generated significant income tax revenues, and millions of dollars in charity care to the local community.

Worse, they abandoned a viable, award-winning, heritage community hospital business worth tens of millions of dollars.

All in order to demolish the building and give the real estate away for a $1.00.

All a failure of civic leadership of historic proportions.

More to come.

[Richard Baker]

Municipal judges are as worthless and as bias as the tits on a boar hog and that is why many states have eliminated them.