Who are you trying to kid? We, the riders of the Circulator, knew before the Shopper Shuttle started that it was set up to fail. Once day a week from noon to 6pm is not sufficient time for those who work and need bus service in the evening. Special pick-up and drop-off stops set many blocks apart are not compatible to successful ridership. Forcing us to use the #26 Detroit bus is not a good alternative to the Circulator. We cannot get to where we need to go without the Circulator. Especially since RTA also cut the North-South line #70 Bunts Rd. bus, as well as the weekend and evening services of the #25 Madison bus. We are left stranded!

Come on powers that be- wake up! RTA is more interested in special traffic lights and pretty bus shelters than they are in getting people to their destinations. How can RTA possibly think that cutting service will increase ridership elsewhere?

Give us back our Circulator!

To Whom It May Concern:

Our country was created of the people, by the people, and for the people. We chose representatives to do OUR will for OUR BENEFIT. It seems that the peoples' will and benefit doesn't matter to politicians anymore. The will of bureaucrats, big business and profits are getting top priority- not the needs of the people. It's time for "we the people" to stand up, take notice- and act. We cannot let the mismanaged bureaucracy continue to run us into the group while claiming it's for the greater good. It is not true!

I am specifically writing about the way our cities and countries are spending OUR money. As a taxpayer and citizen, we expect the money received by the government to be used for the things we NEED and WANT as a society and will benefit from. The politicians that we vote for to represent us in government are supposed to see that our hard earned dollars are used appropriately to better our society.

In this time of unemployment when funds are scarce throughout the country and especially bad in Northeast Ohio- we really need to look at our priorities. Personally, I think the needs of people come before things that politicians want. New buildings, new roads, new bus shelters, and beautiful plants are not as important to the citizens of Northeast Ohio as food, shelter, health care, and transportation. Why would politicians and political appointees think that these things would be more important to us than the well-being of our fellow citizens?

Dear Councilpersons:

I was astounded to read the recent Public Works notice that garbage cans may no longer be used for yard waste. And the reason is they, "Didn't realize how many residents would use garbage cans." Is this some sort of bizarre joke? I have been a Lakewood resident for over 20 years, committed to recycling from the day I first learned of the Berea Road facility. My household rejoiced when curb pickup service service began and applauded when recycling became mandatory, despite those who found the policy heavy-handed.

Remember the fundamentals of resource conservation: REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE.

 

To the Editor:

To the Editor: 

This letter was delivered 3/17/2010: 

Dear Mayor Fitzgerald and Councilman Summers,

On behalf of Grant Elementary PTA, we are pleased to inform you of the PTA's recent vote to donate $100 to the levy campaign. This contribution was made to Charlie Page on March 10, 2010, and is in addition to the $250 Grant Elementary PTA contributes annually to the levy fund.

Grant Elementary PTA is extremely proud of Lakewood City Schools' Excellent designation by the State of Ohio and, as Grant was also rated Excellent, we're proud that Grant contributes to this rating. The breadth of programs available to Lakewood's students, the quality of our teachers, and the ultimate successes of students beyond the classroom are invaluable not only to the children, but to the larger community. Grant PTA is pleased to support these endeavors as they pertain to Grant School.

With that in mind, Grant PTA further voted to formally endorse the 2010 School Levy. As you know, National PTA advocates for students across the U.S. in a variety of areas. Grant PTA believes its levy endorsement is one way to advocate for students at the local level.

Thank you for investing your time and efforts on behalf of Lakewood's students.

Sincerely,

Christina McCallum and Bobbi Sheehan

Co-Presidents

Grant Elementary PTA

 

I am legally-blind. I live in Lakewood. I am also a graduate student in the School of Social Work at CSU. I am stating this to prove that I rely on public transportation to get around.

Had Bret Callentine ("Logic Derailed" 2/9/2010) done even a minimal amount of homework before commenting on the proposed 3C railroad service from Cleveland to Cincinnati, he would have known that the State of Ohio did not "all of a sudden" come up with the plan for this project just because federal stimulus money became available. In fact, the Ohio Rail Development Commission, some members of the legislature, and groups such as the Ohio Rail Passengers Association have for decades been promoting and planning for the restoration of rail passenger service on the 3C Corridor. Since the Ohio General Assembly has not provided a funding source for this and other non-highway transportation projects, the 3C detailed planning and implementation could not proceed until this new source of money became available.

Dear Lakewood School Board,

Lakewood Mayor Ed FitzGerald at the October 5th Lakewood City Council meeting said regarding efforts to revive the discontinued Lakewood Circulator Bus service that:

-    The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit System (RTA) has decommissioned its Circulator equipment; however, the buses are not being decommissioned at once, so he is still waiting to acquire free Circulator buses from RTA.

-    The Mayor is bothered by the fact that RTA is asking for an assessment by RTA for its proposed one-day Circulator-replacement service.

-    He has not ruled out the City of Lakewood doing something on its own (as far as having its own Circulator service).

-    Although Lakewood has its own mechanics, there are hidden costs involved in running a Circulator bus route.

-    For Lakewood to run its own Circulator system, start-up money is needed which would have to be made up later.

-    There is a possibility for Lakewood to run its own system making a profit or at least breaking even.

-    Approaching institutional users and beneficiaries of a Circulator route in Lakewood such as Lakewood Hospital, Giant Eagle and other Lakewood businesses for funds is another possibility.

-    A super-Circulator route covering Lakewood and West Park may be feasible, which could have a combined annual ridership of about one million.

-    RTA’s decision to eliminate the Circulators goes not only against the needs and desires of the people, but also against common sense.

You have likely seen the commercial by now: a mom and dairy farmer, Brenda Hastings is shown on her farm in Geauga county. She promotes, “safe and affordable local food” and “fair treatment” of livestock. She touts Issue 2 as beneficial for both farmers and the people. The lobbyists behind these advertisements have been very creative with their word choices to capitalize on votes, targeting their advertising towards people interested in the popular local food movement. But, let’s take a closer look. Issue 2 writers and lobbyists include the Ohio Pork Producers Council, the Ohio Livestock Commission and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. These associations have restaurant and factory farmers’ bottom lines as their primary focus, not the humane treatment of animals, food safety, the health of Ohioans or the environment.

Dear Editor,

I have fought for decades to keep casino gambling out of Ohio, and Ohioans have seen through the casino gambling sham time-and-time again – voting it down four times. We are once again being forced to defend against an attack on Ohio’s families. This attack is being brought on by a familiar foe: the selfish out-of-state backers of Las Vegas-style casinos in Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus.

I am especially concerned this time around because I know Ohioans are struggling and are desperate for a quick fix, which the promoters of Issue 3 are exploiting with their commercials. But, more gambling is not the kind of help Ohio needs to revitalize its economy. It takes money away from local businesses, restaurants, churches and families, and gives it to the wealthy owners of the casinos who need it the least. Ballot Issue 3 intentionally preys on human weakness to line the pockets of the promoters. Meanwhile crime, bankruptcies and devastated families take a toll on everyone, even those who avoid the slot machines.

The Executive Board of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1043 Public Works would like to address the current lay off situation our union is facing in the city of Lakewood.  There are two sides to every story; we would like to present ours.  A total of six employees, of a total work force of 120 covering six divisions, are currently out of work. These six are on top of those employees that have retired within the last year. We believe these lay-offs could have been avoided. A recent proposal from Mayor Edward FitzGerald included a request to change our current health care package for five months – from August 1 through December 31 of this year - pending future negotiations.  The change requested was to go to a 90/10 plan in which our members would incur further economic burdens beyond already in-place monthly contributions.  These extra costs could potentially reach 10% or more of their yearly salary.

The trade-off to this request was that the Mayor would be willing to fill already existing positions using enterprise funds in the city.  The six Refuse Department employees that were given their lay-off notice would have been placed into these pre-existing open slots within the divisions of Sewer Collection, Water Distribution, and Waste Water Treatment Plant, all financed with enterprise funds. The purpose behind this offer was that members would no longer be paid salary and benefits through the ailing general fund.  Then, by our current negotiated contract, the positions would be assigned in an expedited manner to ensure the rapid placement of thes employees away from the general fund.  The positions would then be posted union wide and filled based on knowledge, skill, ability and seniority; the six temporarily re-assigned workers would be retained in the positions of whoever won the jobs on a permanent basis.

Fran Hayhurst Bott, Lakewood High Class of 1966 (or thereabouts), your brother Phil is looking for you.

Fran married Hank Bott after high school.

She worked at Gregory's Originals Hair Salon on Detroit as a receptionist.

Her brother Phil, who she has not seen in more than 20 years, would love to re-connect.

Call Karen (Phil's caregiver) at (216) 973-2633 if you can help. 

To the Editor:

With the cost of food and the transportation costs of foodstuffs constantly rising and the likelihood of a deepening, world wide recession, it is time for the City of Lakewood to reconsider its prohibition on the keeping small livestock, such as rabbits and chickens.  I have lived in Lakewood for 26 years, and I do not make this suggestion lightly.  We are entering a time of great economic crisis, not unlike the World Wars and the Great Depression, when citizens turned their yards into gardens, and those living on functioning family farms and the wealthy were the only ones who could depend on a constant supply of fresh food.

Participants and contributors to the Observer project wear many hats in the  community. There are different roles that we all have of employment, service on a board or commission, and civic involvement. Sometimes, the identification of one’s role when writing an article for publication is important to a reader’s evaluation of that article. The Lakewood Observer must establish a transparency policy.

I would like to applaud Mayor FitGerald for his recent Green Refuse Initiative that he proposed to city council in November. He is certainly thinking in the right direction as we enter the new year with a million dollar budget deficit. I am especially enthused that part of the Green Initiative will eliminate the outdated and costly back yard service that has grown to be a 'sacred-cow' with many residents.

However, if the Mayor and City Council are serious about reducing the upcoming budget deficit, they need to take a hard look at privatizing our waste collection and recycling services.

I would like to say “kudos” to the owner of Cereal Central for coming out of his restaurant on Thursday afternoon to help two women. One of the women was unloading a wheelchair to get her mother into it. The gentleman not only unloaded and opened the wheelchair he also inserted the pedals into the chair and then helped the mother out of the car and into the chair. The women then went on to the doctor’s office.

Dear Editor,

For the protection of our environment and our health, I want to encourage every Lakewood resident this Election Day to vote YES for Issue 2, which will continue the Clean Ohio Fund without raising taxes. Simply put, the Clean Ohio Fund pays for protecting green space and cleaning up brownfields...

An ongoing theme in the coverage and debate around this year's presidential race has been the question of Barack Obama's patriotism. Conservative pundits seem to believe that recognizing a fault with your country is equivalent to hating it. I, on the other hand, would prefer someone who sees the imperfections and makes an effort to improve upon them. As early 20th century journalist H.L. Mencken said, "The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair..."

Lately, whenever I tell someone that I live in Lakewood, and that I volunteer for the Lakewood Animal Shelter, I usually get blasted about the ban on pit bulls. I have heard many thoughts, rants and commentary concerning the law, from people both for and against it. Rarely have I been asked to voice my own opinions. I’d like to take the opportunity to do so now.

When it comes to pit bulls, I sit on a very broad fence. My fence does not have just two sides – rather, it sits at the juncture of several fields of thought, and from my perch, I can see each field. Let me tell you about them...

Steven Kaufman’s recent article (http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion/121334585985950.xml&coll=2 ) in the Plain Dealer suggested changes in the structure of County government. He touted those changes as the solution to the County’s economic problems.

The economic decline of the County is blamed (in part) on corruption and the lack of transparency under the current system. As you might expect, Mr. Kaufman names no names, lists no specific projects, and details no dollar amounts. Who is corrupt? What projects spent money in a questionable fashion? Don’t ask. The County’s decline is attributed to some mysterious “they”...

The article entitled "Journy Back in Time with the Beck Center", which ran in our June 24 issue, was not atributed to the proper author. By my error, Fran Stroch's name was printed in place of the proper author, Kelly Kutler.

I apologize to Kelly and Fran for this oversight.

Best Regards,

Dan Slife

To date, there has been no data or statistics provided to Lakewood residents that would support the need for a ban on “pit bulls” in our city. Councilman Powers has not provided any evidence that there is a problem of any specific breed of dog in our city...

With the economy the way it is, and gas prices over $4.00 per gallon, Lakewood is uniquely positioned to be the city of choice for anyone interested in improving his or her standard of living. Close to downtown Cleveland, blessed with two Rapid stations, on the bus line, on Lake Erie, a walking community with excellent schools -- need I go on?

As a Lakewood resident for nearly 50 years serving as Prosecutor, Councilman at Large, Mayor, and State Senator, I support Councilman Brian Powers’ pit bull ban.

The issue here is not about dogs. It is about PEOPLE! People’s safety, children’s safety, and the unfortunate inability for pit bull owners to abide by the present law...

On May 25th, Councilman Brian Powers quoted Pit Bull Rescue Central’s website to show that pit bulls are dangerous and unpredictable. Unfortunately, he ignored the context of these quotations and much of the other information on our website. More than anything else, we stress that while aggression toward other animals is a normal trait in pit bulls, aggression toward humans is not. This is a point that most people miss, and we are disappointed that Councilman Powers used our information to mislead his readers. The quotations were mainly taken from an article on how to prevent dog fights, and it is quite clear that we are talking about pit bulls’ tendency for dog aggression while urging pit bull owners to be cautious around other dogs. By neglecting to mention anything about animal aggression, the councilman made it seem as if we were declaring that pit bulls are generally unstable in temperament. This is not true...

Dear Editor:

When I agreed to serve as a member of Lakewood City Council, I vowed to strive to do the right thing for our residents, not necessarily the popular thing. Since introducing legislation to ban those dogs know as “pit bulls” from Lakewood, all members of Council have been deluged with e-mails arguing against such a ban, mostly from out-of-towners. Sadly, the pit bull ban is receiving an inordinate amount of public attention, even though it is but a small part of the broader effort by the Mayor and Council to make Lakewood a safer place to live. We should be focusing on the recent decision to add four new full-time and ten part-time police officers, but we are instead flooded with advice from out-of-state special interest groups about dogs...

My purposes for writing this are twofold: it is intended first as a rebuttal to Councilman Brian Powers’ article from the May 27th Lakewood Observer; second, I write this as an open letter to all citizens of Lakewood, so that both sides of the issue may be understood.

 

 

Let me start by saying that I do truly believe that Councilman Powers has the best interest of Lakewood citizens at heart. I appreciate what he is trying to accomplish, specifically ensuring the safety of our residents. I wouldn’t wish it any other way. I do believe, however, that his proposal to ban “pit bulls” and other breeds, though well-intended, is misguided...

Mayor FitzGerald and Council Members:

I recently read that Lakewood will hold a council meeting next week to consider banning the Pit Bull breed in Lakewood, Ohio. As a citizen of Lakewood and an animal lover, I would like to voice my concern on the passing of this bill...

In response to the response: Seems like I hit a nerve with my thoughts on healthcare, I guess that means that someone is actually reading this column. First let me say that I do and will read any and all responses sent to me...

Steve Hoffert's article "The 2008 Budget Hearings: A Review and Conclusion", which was published in the April 1st issue of the LO, contains the following editorial mistake which was made by your's truly...

My impression of Thursday night’s Lakewood City Council meeting was that Lakewood needs to buckle down in the face of bankruptcy, strengthen an atmosphere for bringing new young families into the city, and to do this, we need to throw out the elderly and encourage them to die off more quickly so we can utilize their much needed space...

Mr. Callentine expresses some valid thoughts on Collective Health Care, but he misses the mark on some important points. He seems to categorize American citizens as being among the wealthy or the poor. This is not the case...

Dear Editor,

Was Bret Callentine just trying to stir up controversy when he wrote about the U.S. health care system in the March 4 Observer? I can't believe he was really serious. If so, he certainly doesn't accept the principle that a nation's status is best judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens...

I am appalled by the proposed cuts to our city services in Lakewood.

I have been a property owner in Lakewood for over thirty years. I have also owned property outside of Lakewood and had dealings with the county health and
building departments. On the city level I receive one on one contact, with the county I was lost in the crowd. It is comforting to have city inspectors to keep me informed and prevent health and safety issues before they occur...

When I first moved to this “City of Homes” some eighteen years ago, the prestige of and affection for living in Lakewood was something I was very proud of. The charm of lavish Victorian houses which dominate her tree lined streets was well known and celebrated far beyond her borders. The diversity and sense of community was cherished by her residents and envied by her neighboring suburbs. Lakewood was “The” place to arrive at. Settling here meant your children would have an outstanding education. Your family would have small town security and community coupled with big city conveniences and opportunity. Our seniors were revered and cherished members of our community. Lakewood was a mix of old time street gatherings and modern advances...

To the Lakewood Observer:

The Cliffs condo project on Sloane Ave. seems to have withered on the vine.

I don't understand why the LO has been cheerleading this project, as well as every politician, and every "Up With Lakewood" Group. The Foran Group's performance has been abysmal at best. I urge you all to reexamine your blind support...