Let's Try This Again... Lakewood You Were Played

[Jim O'Bryan]

This morning I woke up to a post from someone that should know better. Part of that post started...

It’s remarkable that for a city that wants to be “healthy,” they sure encourage alcohol consumption. And they have no problem with that consumption near children or the potential drunk driving issues it might create.

Lakewood City Hall has ZERO interest in our health. ZERO. If they did, then they have truly failed in historic proportions. Which they have done anyway.

"Lakewood is going to try to be the healthiest city..." Is one sentence in a 400 page study the City of Lakewood underwrote. The sentence was meant as a grandiose statement, such as NASA saying, "After landing on the moon, we will explore and visit all of space."

However this phrase was grabbed as the banner for how to close Lakewood Hospital and get the Foundation money. The only thing that mattered to the Mayor and his clan. If they can convince us health care is changing, and we are all going to be the healthiest people in America, the residents will never even notice the foundation money being changed over with the crew that lied and closed the hospital in charge. All with a mandate that allows them to spend money on just about anything they deem needed for "wellness" in the county.

So that is one phase of the great lie. One sentence out of a report that has never been released to the public. One that spells out the need for a full service hospital for the elderly and poor in this community. Yeah that report hidden, buzzword lifted.

Then the second leg, "Health Care is Changing." Well yes it is. Everything except the spots on the Mayor and his sycophants are changing. The cornerstone to this was an inventor named Elisabeth Holmes who invented a device that could take 150 blood tests in 5 minutes, for $5.00. They would talk about this at every public meeting, this and the jumpsuit you would wear that could read your body's signs. Well Miss Holmes is in jail for defrauding investors out of millions for something that she knew did not work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Holmes

So we have the complete and total fleecing of the City of Lakewood by the 2 mayors, their supporters and sycophants. Based on a 400 page study they asked for but ignored, as it did not underline the need to close the hospital. But which they took the "sales line" from. And, a woman that was found guilty of fraud.

Welcome, we will become the healthiest...

There was always proof of the truth right in front of you:
1) Heath study never released.
2) Active Living study a joke. So much a joke, it was shelved.
3) Lies about nearly ever aspect of the plan.
4) Making us hurry and vote, then complete failure everywhere but in the transfer of funds.
5) Most obvious REPLACING A HOSPITAL WITH AN ICE CREAM STORE AND CAFE! (residents actually were smiling saying this)
6) Adding bars at break neck speed, especially into residential neighborhoods

Lakewood, while you should fault yourself, it was always just in front of you. I mean who doesn't prefer ice cream to hospitals? When that excitement settles down one should ask, how does ice cream, and more coffee make us healthier?

I also blame myself. I should have broken the story 6 months earlier.

But you desperately want to believe the Mayor, the Finance Director, the Law Director. These people are friends and neighbors. You want to believe that City Council is smart enough and open enough to double check huge contracts, and possible issues like ethics, lies, illegal campaign action, strong arming, intimidation, even stalking, SLAPP lawsuits and false police reports.

Oh well the Administration lies, and Council continuously looks the other way. Meanwhile, the Council president is about to be rewarded for his wearing of blinders during the worst deal, and worst possible moment in Lakewood's long illustrious history.

But I know the lies, the entire bullshit story worked, when people still say, "In a City that wants to be the healthiest..."

Our healthy future, our financial future has been gutted by a small handful of people that plotted in secret for over 9 years.

For those keeping score, Mayor(s) and supporters $248 million in public assets squandered. Residents, $248 million in assets gone, and not even enough money for Magic Beans.

Happy Easter

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[Mark Kindt]

Mr. O'Bryan, the story that you describe is both unbelievable and despicable. (Yet documented!).

--Worst city administration ever. --A lazy and complicit city council.

I thank you, I thank the staff of the Lakewood Observer, and I thank the many others who have labored to bring the truth to the public on this epic public policy failure and ever continuing rip-off of the public treasury.

Frankly, I would never have ever believed this was even possible in our city, or any city for that matter.

The public documents fought for by the LO and the public interest lawyers who litigated to save the hospital set-out the unbelievable and the despicable in deep detail.

We should be equally discouraged that so many of our elected and public officials participated and facilitated this disaster.

Despite the real estate bubble and all of the public relations blather, Lakewood is on a tipping-point.

We can watch here to see which way it tips.

I've made my personal assessments and they are not positive.

I appreciate this Forum as an open platform to post and review documents. Your civic leadership in these troubled time is to be applauded.

As I have said to others, there comes a point when the canary in the coal mine does die.

[Richard Baker]

Jim,

Are you suggesting the city is handing out special use zoning on residential zoned lots for bars?

Lakewood always had a lot of bars. I know because a friend of mine who been in all of them took me on a tour of all 68 of them at the time 10 years ago. I was surprised because I came from a state where the dram act only allowed one bar for every 1500 people in a city.

Besides restraints and pizza joints what else are you going to use all the store fronts for?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim,

Are you suggesting the city is handing out special use zoning on residential zoned lots for bars?

Lakewood always had a lot of bars. I know because a friend of mine who been in all of them took me on a tour of all 68 of them at the time 10 years ago. I was surprised because I came from a state where the dram act only allowed one bar for every 1500 people in a city.

Besides restraints and pizza joints what else are you going to use all the store fronts for?

What I am saying is that the City is misusing zoning, and slowly muscling residents back.

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[Jim O'Bryan]

OK OK OK one more time for those not following the disappearing act...

I received a call from someone bitching about how the Clinic screwed Lakewood by pulling out and taking all of our items.

This is a lie, the city asked CCF to leave the contract, and gave them everything, even when all parties agreed the City of Lakewood owned it all.

Proof, well we have underlined the documents, but perhaps it is easier to understand this.

If you leased a building, and wanted out early, you would pay a hefty charge for leaving early.

Here CCF was paid more than $78 million dollars, and given land and a new Family Health Center.

Hardly the actions of someone breaking a contract and screwing us over.

Meanwhile the City of Lakewood ends up down $281 million over 10 years. There was no extra money for CCF breaking contract.

This debacle, as most are calling it, is 100% the handiwork of Summers, FitzGerald, and crew.

Council stood by and cheered them on, or sat silently.

Don't be played any longer.

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