The Legacy of Build-Lakewood

[Mark Kindt]

Public Policy As A "Reverse Robin Hood" Tale

For the moment, let's assume that the mayor, all the members of council, and all the members of Build-Lakewood are completely non-partisan. Let's simply look at the public policy outcomes.

It is, in essence, a tale of Robin Hood told backward -- "steal from the poor and give to the rich."

Eventually, we will come to understand this.

Walking by One Lakewood Place we will see the new upscale townhouses and we will learn their market prices.

We will understand that these upscale townhouses were subsidized with municipal assets and municipal funds from the liquidation of an invaluable, award-winning, community hospital.

This invaluable, award-winning, community hospital had a service area that included 145,000 Northeast Ohio residents, including those of low-income and working-class incomes.

What I am describing is publicly apparent from public documents that anyone can find on the web and on the Observation Deck.

Our civic leadership is building upscale townhouses for future residents of Lakewood at the expense of crucial healthcare services formerly provided to the residents that actually live here.

Note correction above in blue.

REVERSE ROBIN HOOD: Upscale townhouses for upper income future residents; all at the expense of ordinary Lakewood residents. Thank you! Civic leaders!

[Mark Kindt]

Public Policy As "Moving The Goal Posts"

We are not just building upscale townhouses for future upper income residents of Lakewood at the expense of ordinary citizens and taxpayers who had to lose a hospital to make this all possible.

We can also see the "goal posts" being moved too.

Or, it's a bit like Lucy moving the football as Charlie Brown runs-up to kick it.

Here's what I mean.

Just when low income and working class residents are enjoying the expansion of Medicaid and the arrival of broader health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, our civic leaders are doubling-down on closing our award-winning community hospital and using the proceeds and literally the ground the hospital sits on to fund commercial development for the private sector.

This is the "once-in-a-generation-opportunity" that Build-Lakewood and the city administration are still crowing about as an "investment".

The message from most of our local elected officials is that low income and working class residents will just have to figure this all out on their own and deal with it, while the mayor, the ex-mayor, and other civic leaders fight to ensure that businesses will have new offices and those of upper income will have access to the upscale housing they need.

Despite the public relations hype, this is a deprivation model of healthcare for Lakewood.