Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald is “openly running” for Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo’s seat, according to a report in The Daily Morning Disappointment. The primary election isn’t until May of next year.
Mike Tuttle, of 1500 Lauderdale, asked the mayor during tonight’s council meeting if the report was true. “Am I thinking about it?” replied FitzGerald, “Yeah, I am.” He said he would make up his mind sometime this year.
Last time FitzGerald’s ego propelled him to seek a stage greater than Lakewood, he was defeated by Michael Skindell 3,985 to 2,776 in a 2002 democratic primary contest for a state seat.
Between his side gig as a lawyer and his not-so-stealthy campaign for Russo’s office, let’s hope FitzGerald finds time to serve the city that elected him mayor ($71,506 base salary).
Foreclosure
Councilperson Thomas Bullock (Ward 2) missed about half of the council meeting because he was traveling back from a business event in Cincinnati. Council unanimously excused his absence.
Councilperson Nickie Antonio (At-Large) introduced a representative from an organization that will be working in Lakewood and other western suburbs to assist residents struggling with foreclosure. It wasn’t clear if the city will be paying this group. Antonio endorsed the group after receiving a positive review from Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis.
Tip of the Iceberg
A lot of people are turned off to city council meetings because they can be hard to follow and things are discussed without context. It’s like walking into a movie theater halfway through a film and trying to figure out what’s going on.
For instance, council approved some kind of partnership with a private company to try and get a state grant to replace a couple of diesel engines on some construction equipment. Two representatives from the company were present and explained a little bit about the grant process. They indicated that no other companies had applied for the grant previously because there was some kind of reluctance to team with city governments.
Councilperson Brian Powers (At-Large) said he researched the issue and “was in favor of [the city] stepping forward and being a part of this.” Why Lakewood? And what are these corporate guys really getting out of the deal? I just don’t know. I do know the corporate guys boogied out of the room immediately after speaking. Their love of Lakewood has its limits.
Birdtown Properties Not Expected to Get 300K Grant
Director of Planning and Development Nathan Kelly presented council with a couple of resolutions seeking permission to apply for grants. One, described by Kelly as being “essentially a done deal,” is for about $1.1 million in state money to deal with vacant, abandoned and foreclosed houses. The money should arrive in April.
The other grant is for up to $300,000 and originates from the First Suburbs Development Council. The money would specifically go towards demolishing or rehabbing three houses in Birdtown. Kelly didn’t think Lakewood had a shot at landing this one. He felt the money was going to be given to those suburbs that didn’t get any state neighborhood stabilization funding.
Police and Fire Chiefs Get 2.5% Pay Scale Boost
Council handled a bunch of finance-related stuff dealing with bonds. They also voted to boost the pay range for the heads for the police and fire departments 2.5% to between $73,697 and $100,842. This was contractual increase. All other pay ranges remained the same.
Daytime Curfew Restriction Passed
Council unanimously approved a strict daytime curfew law. The home-school contingent that had raised objections to the law earlier was nowhere to found, so they must have been pretty pleased with the final wording of the law.
Detroit Ave Might Lose Some Traffic Lights
Public Works Director Joseph Beno presented an ordinance to council regarding a $1.9 million project to replace traffic lights along Detroit between Arthur and Ridgewood. 80% of the cost is being paid by NOACA. The lights on Mars, Marlowe, Manor Park, and Nicholson have been deemed “unwarranted signals” by the project engineers and might be taken down.
Dever Unfurls Mandatory Recycling
Councilperson Michael Dever (At-Large) cut loose the first reading of his mandatory recycling ordinance. He’s doing his best to get this law into place in time for the start of automated front yard garbage pick-up. Fines for not recycling will vary from $100 for first-time offenders to $500 for repeat offenders.
Schools Ask for Rate Increase at City Pools; Madigan Not Happy with Calanni
Lakewood City Schools are asking council to approve the first increase in pool rates since 2002. The school system manages the pools. The city handles physical maintenance. There was some confusion over what exactly the city’s responsibilities are in regard to the parks. Councilperson Mary Louise Madigan (Ward 4) asked for a written clarification of situation.
And as if she didn’t have enough to worry about in her own ward, Madigan complained about the situation at Calanni’s by Lakewood High School (Ward 3). She was dining at a restaurant in the area and noticed far too many cars parked along the street and on Calanni’s property. She wondered what the status was of the city’s court case against Calanni about the matter. Law Director Nora Hurley said the case was over. “They’ve been complying,” Hurley said. “I don’t see a change,” Madigan replied. “Maybe it’s time to go check it again.”
Councilperson Michael Summers (Ward 3) remained silent on the issue.
Public Comment
There were nine people in attendance, and if you subtract me, the people who spoke early in the meeting and then left, and the Sun Newspaper reporter, there were closer to three people.
Clifton Apartment Dweller Edward McCartney expressed his concerns to council about the amount of foot traffic in the streets due to impassible snow-covered sidewalks. Council pretty much shrugged its shoulders and threw-up its hands. Councilperson Dever said people regularly walk in the street, even when there’s optimal weather outside. FitzGerald said the laws that require property owners to clear sidewalks are “unenforceable.”
“We thought about sending out warning letters, especially around schools,” he said.
FitzGerald said it was not possible for the city to get into the sidewalk snow removal business because it’s a “whole enterprise” and “we don’t want to hire additional personnel.”
Having witnessed groups of thirty or more school children walking in the street along Franklin, I can tell you it is completely unsafe and only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. The fact that the mayor and council aren’t concerned enough to take action and clear those sidewalks tells you all you need to know about what their priorities are and where Lakewood is headed.