Crimewood: Quality of Life Issues in Lakewood, Ohio

Citizens upset about the proposed pit bull ban pack Lakewood council meeting…developing. This report will be update shortly.

The May 5^th, 2008 meeting of Lakewood City Council lasted 90 minutes; there were 13 people in attendance. The docket was relatively light.

Ward 1 councilperson Kevin Butler pulled a surprise rabbit out of his suit near the end of the meeting and presented a last minute resolution strictly regulating development of payday lending stores in Lakewood. The resolution, not found on the publicly available council docket, ensures that growth of payday lending stores in the city will not exceed the three that currently exist in east, west and central Lakewood.

Butler said he modeled the resolution after a similar Kansas City, Missouri law. The resolution strictly defines the store with the intention of severely halting their growth. The law would forbid the stores from opening anywhere but on Madison and Detroit. They could not be any closer than one mile from each other and would be prohibited from any gaudy signage. The resolution will head to the Planning Commission for further review.

They had the second reading of a handful of ordinances. Ordinances usually get three readings before taking effect:

- Ordinance No. 52-08. Grants an easement to AT&T Ohio at 1422 Belle Ave. to install their telecommunications boxes

- Ordinance No. 54-08. Provides for the employment of part-time police officers with the Lakewood Police Department

- Ordinance No. 55-08. Sets the pay rates for full-time and certain part-time annual salaried employees and hourly rate employees not covered by the collective bargaining agreement. Of note, Fire and Police Chiefs will be paid between $73,697 and $98,383.

Council deferred voting on a couple of unrelated items that dealt with HB 300 Performance Contract Projects and suspending longevity payments to city employees. They didn’t have the courtesy to explain why they were deferred.

Planning and Development Director Nathan Kelly introduced the first reading of an ordinance that will basically buy Foran Montlack Development and the City nine more months of time to figure out what to do with The Cliffs project. The new agreement will push Foran Montlack to improve the physical appearance of the shuttered worksite with appropriate landscaping and signage, making it less of a neighborhood eyesore.

Ward 2 councilperson Thomas Bullock asked if there is a new timeline in place for the project and what penalties might exist if milestones are not met. Kelly’s response was a little confusing, and he admitted, “I’m not sure we’re speaking the same language.”

Mayor Edward FitzGerald jumped in and said, “There are significant legal hurdles in dealing with the Metroparks.” They are being “extremely litigious” and that’s the number one delay. “They are very jealous of what they see as their prerogative” in that area. The other important contributing factors delaying the project are the poor housing market and the collapse of the credit markets. The mayor finds the current physical appearance of the site “unacceptable” and believes the new agreement will correct that problem. “It is a prime site for development.”

Councilperson-at-large Nickie Antonio asked FitzGerald if issues surrounding the construction of a road through the Metroparks to the development had been resolved. Fitzgerald responded he “thought it was resolved, but is not.” Foran Montlack went to build the road and the Metroparks struck an “extremely aggressive posture.” Antonio asked Kelly if the project will be moving forward now. Kelly, who hasn’t seen any movement on the project since January, doubted there would be any positive action for a long time. “They have a tough road ahead of them,” he said.

Law Director Nora Hurley presented a resolution allowing the home owner at 17860 Lake Avenue to acquire a submerged land lease to implement an erosion control measure. Council unanimously approved the first reading.

Several citizens took the opportunity to express their opinions during Public Comment.

Jim McDowell of 1115 Forest Rd., who attended the Lakewood Police Initiative Forum, wondered if it was necessary or a good idea to boost the police department to the detriment of the city service department. “We have a very good service department, very friendly,” he said. He wondered if people were “inclined to overreact” to the general state of concern about safety. He said he didn’t subscribe to the Lakewood Sun Post any longer because they required him to also to purchase a Sunday subscription to The Plain Dealer, so he wasn’t exactly sure if there was a crime problem.

Mayor FitzGerald, whose children once delivered the Sun Post to McDowell’s house, said, “The answer is ‘Yes.’ It is not paranoia, it is reality.” He pointed out that he lives a few streets over from McDowell, and called it “a sheltered part” of Lakewood. FitzGerald said he talked with the Lakewood Police Chief and learned improvements were needed because police officers felt they were being stretched too thin.

Council President Michael Dever added that there are “some very unique challenges the community faces” and council is “supportive of [the mayor’s] efforts.”

Councilman Bullock said the police initiatives send a signal to the community that we’re not going to let things get out of hand.

Carol Mazany of 1665 Clarence spoke of the importance of preserving senior services. She said she wrote two letters to The Lakewood Observer on the subject, but no one seemed to care. “We’re senior citizens, but we’re not dead,” she said.

Mazany was unhappy that Lakewood pulled the four drivers who used to provide senior transportation. She now pays $14 for a one-way taxi ride to St. John’s Shoreway, whereas before, when city transportation was available, she only had to pay $5 and received amazing service. Mazany spoke-up for Human Services Case Manager Dan Taylor, who is scheduled to lose his job due to budget cuts. In addition, she was very disappointed that the mayor, who she “think[s] the world of” and has defended in the past, blew-off a scheduled appointment to visit the Senior Citizen Center East.

FitzGerald defended his absence because the scheduled appointment coincided with some union negotiations and he had to cancel. He gave himself a little pat on the back, pointing out that he visited many of the departments that would suffer cuts, “when some people might have stayed in the office.” FitzGerald said he would reschedule the appointment.

He emphasized, “We have to get somewhat inline” compared to the senior services other cities offer. Lakewood, he explained, still has a human services department 200% larger than any other community in Northeast Ohio. “These are the cards we were dealt,” he said. Dorthy Buckon, Director of Human Services, said Dan Taylor got bumped due to senority issues.

Sandra Lambert, who has lived in Lakewood twice previously and is a new resident at Fedor Manor, spewed fire about the removal of Dan Taylor and the cuts to senior transportation. “Eventually, all of you will be in my shoes,” she said. Lambert continued, “You don’t care about seniors in Lakewood!” Ward 4 council person Mary Louise Madigan said, “We have to keep doing this.” Lambert took her seat, but continued to fire angry shots at council.

“We care about senior citizens.”

“You don’t show it!”

“Yes, we do.”

“How do you show it?”

Buckon, sporting a deer-in-the-headlights look, said the person likely to replace Dan Taylor was not a youth coordinator, as had been suggested. She offered to speak more about the matter after the council meeting.

The atmosphere did not change when a Cleveland resident approached council and broached the possibility of allowing ice cream trucks to return to the streets of Lakewood. Joe “The Ice Cream Man” once lived in Lakewood and now works for BA Ventures, an ice cream distributor. He drives an ice cream truck in Rocky River and wanted council to overturn the ice cream truck ban in Lakewood. He acknowledged being very nervous to speak in front of council, and offered three letters written by Lakewood residents in support of his idea. He suggested a 30 to 60 day probation period where he would pay the city $5 a day for a license, as he did in Rocky River.

Council president Michael Dever responded first, “I support the ban of ice cream trucks on city streets.” It’s been in place for 22 years, he added.

Mayor FitzGerald sucked the air out of the room when he outlined his reasons for prohibiting ice cream trucks, saying, it “never made sense” to sell ice cream that way. “It’s not healthy,” and ice cream trucks have “no particular value.” Nickie Antonio climbed on the bandwagon and said she “does not support” the idea because of “safety issues.” Marie Louise Madigan said the idea came-up three year ago and didn’t have any support. Councilperson Butler said he encouraged the guy to come down and “open up the idea.” Joe “The Ice Cream Man” seemed genuinely shell-shocked by the negative feedback he received.

Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney took his customary Public Comment opportunity to talk about some kind of philosophical vigilantism. One council person cautioned McCartney against advocating that position. McCartney said there was more to it, but he had to tailor his speech to fit the five-minute time limit.