Crimewood: Quality of Life Issues in Lakewood, Ohio

Several months ago Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald unveiled his law enforcement initiative presentation. It seemed like more of a slick public relations move rather than something seriously intended to alter the gradual decline of quality of life in Lakewood. I took some notes at the event, but never really got around to blogging about it. I still might make time yet, but one thing he noted was an intent to do a Crimewood-type Web site so that citizens would know what was going on in their neighborhoods. He reasoned that it is only fair that people know why a police car is at a neighbor’s house.

I was reminded of those comments during tonight’s Ward 1 block watch meeting at Harding Middle School. Ward 1 is the part of Lakewood west of Woodward Ave. and Westlake Ave. — in other words, one of the nicest, safest parts. The meeting was called in order to start a community crime watch group.

About 60 people were in attendance, including Ward 1 Councilperson Kevin Butler, as well as a couple of Lakewood police officers - neither of whom are Lakewood residents. The officers gave a Powerpoint presentation and explained the goal of a block watch: to diligently report suspicious activity to the police and share crime-related information. It begged the question, why don’t the Lakewood Police do more to share information with the public. For instance, at bare minimum, if there is a rash of car break-ins in a very specific part of the city, why isn’t the information immediately and aggressively shared with the people living in that area via e-mail alerts, phone calls, letters, web site notices.  In a similar vein, why not widely publicize law enforcement “wins”? When copper pipe thieves get arrested in the act, why isn’t it communicated more forcefully to the media. At least two people have been caught in the act — thanks to citizen action. It might encourage other citizens to be more active, and discourage crooks from picking on Lakewood. They need to do their own Crimewood site.

Councilperson Butler said that petty crime is on the rise in his ward and described a burglary that took place today somewhere around Hilliard. A homeowner returned to find an intruder in his house. The man chased the stranger out of the house and he was later apprehended thanks to a quick response from the LPD and active citizen involvement. Someone saw the intruder shed his jacket and pointed out his vicinity to the police.

The man arrested was a homeless person known to live in the Metorparks. He was not a complete stranger to the neighborhood, however, some people acknowledged to seeing him around the area. One person even said they called dispatch previously to complain, and were curtly told he was identified and sent on his way. The officer present for the presentation recommended talking to the officer on duty if anyone is ever unhappy with what a dispatcher tells them. The other officer indicated that he was confident the man arrested was responsible for the recent outbreak of trouble in the Lakewood Hts. Blvd. area. The homeless man was “minimizing” his involvement in other crimes, but the officer felt he was likely responsible.

Three or four people in the audience shared their experiences of being involved in burglaries over the years. Butler even shared a story about finding a chair suspiciously placed beneath a window outside of his house.

But, this being Ward 1, most of the complaining focused on traffic patterns on South Marginal. Butler acknowledged a serious interest in installing traffic cameras as Cleveland has done.

Crimewood.com was not mentioned as a resource by anyone.

RTA’s first public hearing on proposed service cuts was held this evening in Rocky River. In essence, RTA is considering massive service cuts and fare increases because of a drop in state funding and out-of-control fuel costs. RTA representatives gave a basic charts-and-graphs presentation outlining their case. It seems they’re only interested in getting more money from the state government. They didn’t show any interest in improving the quality of service to get more riders or running their vehicles on alternative fuels.

Mayors representing most of the Northshore communities were present to plead their cases. Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald spoke about the need to preserve RTA’s Lakewood services. He received some polite applause. When he was done speaking, he made a b-line for the exit, followed closely behind by Lakewood Planning and Development Director Nathan Kelly, and left the building. Just about every other politician that spoke stuck around for awhile, including Dennis Kucinich, and his seven-foot tall wife. Lakewood councilperson Nickie Antonio also showed-up to speak. She deserves credit for being the only politician to call on RTA to run its fleet on alternative fuels. And she stayed around for an extra long time to listen to the citizens speak.

AFSCME Local 1043, the union that represents Lakewood city workers, blanketed parts of the city on Saturday with a flyer asking residents to call their city council representative in regard to cuts in city services.

Overall, I would agree that the average Lakewood resident has very little understanding about the true depth of service cuts and needs to start paying attention. However, cuts have been going on almost since the new political administration took power to start the year.

Council can simply reply, “You want to restore city services? We can raise taxes to pay for them.” You can guess what the response would be — “Nooooo!” If the union wants to win this battle they need develop a better plan, and stop acting like it’s amateur hour.

The flyer (download pdf version):

Lakewood: A Good City Going Bad?

Let City Council know Lakewood’s quality of life is too important to cut.

Lakewood is a great place to call home. Our community offers the best of city living and the charm of a small town. We love its tree-lined streets, excellent school system, well-developed parks, and topnotch libraries which are enjoyed by residents of all ages.

One reason our city shines is because of a dedicated group of professional and skilled city employees who work to preserve Lakewood’s quality of life, environment, and exceptional city services.

So far, 2008 has been the year of service cuts. This is news you will not see on the city’s web site. Since May, the Administration has been cutting costs by cutting city services affecting our parks, refuse pick up, and the Keep Lakewood Beautiful program, to name a few.

Lakewood’s senior services were hit hard in May, and are now experiencing a second round of cuts. The seniors are suffering without Home Health Aides for in-home care. With layoffs hitting the Outreach Drivers, they struggle for transportation to reach their doctor’s office and pharmacy. This is a hardship on both seniors and the families who love and care for them.

Service cuts are threatening our neighborhoods, too. The Administration cut Lakewood’s Building Department nuisance inspectors who were responsible for resolving code violation complaints. With the recent closure of the City Health Department, our city lost its mosquito and rodent control specialists.

It’s time to start paying attention to what’s happening to our community!

Contact City Council and let them know that cutting away at Lakewood’s quality of life by cutting back on vital public services puts us on the wrong track -one going down hill.

Ward 1 - Kevin Butler 17517 Lakewood Heights Blvd. Lakewood, Ohio 44107 (216) 241-9990 or (216) 221-7953

Ward 2 - Thomas Bullock 1256 Cook Ave. (216) 337-1318

Ward 3 - Michael Summers 1046 Wilbert Rd. (216) 228-6905

Ward 4 - (V.P.) Mary Louis Madigan 12900 Lake Ave., Apt. #127 (216) 228-9578

At-Large - (Pres.) Michael W. Dever 14015 Lake Ave. (216) 221-6737

At-Large - Nickie J. Antonio 1305 Belle Ave. (216) 221-4421
At-Large - Brian E. Powers 17855 Lake Ave. (216) 496-3238

Message from: AFSCME Local 1043

President Jerry Branco

Ohio Council 8 Regional Director Mike Bauer
AFSCME Ohio Council 8 Cleveland Region

1063 E. 27th St. , Cleveland, OH 44114

216-241-4554

American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO

Police chases are no joke. I recently saw one up close in Cleveland. I was walking down a busy street around lunchtime when two police cars sped down the street past me and turned the corner, lights flashing and sirens blasting. It was a scene I’d seen a hundred times. I ignored it and continued on my way.

Suddenly, the two cars headed back around the corner and were joined by three other police cars that blew onto the scene out of nowhere. The street was choked with traffic. Two officers jumped out of their cars and started chasing a young black male clad in an over-sized white t-shirt down the middle of the street. They were no more than 25 feet away from me. I could tell he was getting fatigued, although not as winded as the two guys chasing him. For a few seconds, I was scared he might run at me. Luckily, he kept straight and then ran behind some buildings. I don’t know if they caught him or not. The whole event lasted less than two minutes, but was an eye-opener.

You have no idea how truly dangerous these situations can be, not to mention how they can appear out of nowhere, like a lighting strike on a sunny day. So, when you see the LPD ease off a chase, or perhaps appear to be less aggressive than you would like — it’s all in the name of safety.

I added dash cam footage of part of one of the 5/11/08 incident. Part two will be along soon. I also added a few pictures of the 7/27/08 car-on-house collision on Bayes.

Unlike Cleveland, Lakewood does not have a residency requirement for city workers. Only 236 of the 585 people currently on the municipal payroll live in Lakewood. That number decreases by about 30 if student laborers and school guards are removed from the mix.

Of the approximately 101 people working in the police department, only 21 live in Lakewood. The police chief lives in North Royalton. Only 3 of 11 police dispatchers are Lakewood residents.

20 of the 82 people working in the fire department reside in Lakewood, but not the fire chief. He lives in North Olmsted. None of Lakewood’s 13 EMS paramedics live in the city.

The top man in the housing department lives in North Ridgeville.

On the plus side, the directors of Human Services, Public Works, Law, and Planning/Development all live in Lakewood.

Some of the more popular choices of residence among city employees

• Cleveland - 53
• Fairview Park  - 27
• North Olmsted - 25
• Westlake - 24
• North Ridgeville - 23
• Rocky River - 16
• Bay Village - 15
• Avon Lake - 12
• Brunswick - 11
• Avon - 10

View the complete list to see who lives where.

I’ll post a somewhat more detailed account of the July 21st Lakewood City Council meeting when I get the chance. It ran extra long due to some big time political bloviating.

Here are a some quick notes:

- The cIty is broke and will fire 16 more workers due to alleged budget constraints. They are also going to merge a bunch of departments.

- The Pit Bull ban passed. So, everyone can walk the streets more confidently now. Mary Louise Madigan was the only council person to vote against it.

- Council and the Mayor are poised to begin yanking the liquor licenses of pain-in-the-ass bars later this summer.

- The city finally bought that blighted house at the corner of McKinley and Riverside. As of Sunday, it still looked like crap, though.

FitzGerald’s law enforcement visibility surge is underway. The satellite police office at Fedor Manor appears to be open for business.

The July 7, 2008 Lakewood City Council meeting lasted about 80 minutes. Slightly fewer than 20 people were in attendance. The first fifteen minutes were dedicated to recognizing Jim O’Bryan with a resolution congratulating him on being named 2008 Business Person of Year by the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. Councilperson Nickie J. Antonio (At-Large) commended O’Bryan for being an “energetic cheerleader.”

Mayor Edward FitzGerald announced the appointment of Lakewood resident Joe Beno as the new Director of Public Works.

Councilperson Michael Summers (Ward 3) summarized some of the discussion points the Finance Committee meet to address. Of note, they inserted a 3-year “sunset” provision in the proposed ordinance permitting the mayor to purchase vacant or abandoned homes for up to $60,000 without the permission from council. They also met with the police and fire chiefs to discuss the apparent inequity between their benefit packages and that of the other city department directors. The matter will be analyzed further.

Council postponed discussion on a couple of ordinances involving appropriations and sanitary code amendments. To her credit, Councilperson Mary Louise Madigan (Ward 4) asked council to provide an explanation as to why it was deferring a vote. Councilperson Kevin Butler (Ward 1) explained council needed more time to examine the issues in committee before voting on them.

Council unanimously approved a few ordinances presented by Mayor FitzGerald to modify the rules and costs associated with use of Lakewood’s parks, picnic pavilions, and meeting places. For instance, one ordinance changed the cost of renting the Kiwanis Pavilion at Lakewood Park from a $25 refundable fee to a $50 non-refundable fee.

Councilperson Thomas Bullock (Ward 2) wondered what the purposes of the changes were. Regarding the pavilion, Mayor FitzGerald described the current rental process as “particularly burdensome.” He added that the pavilion was “not a big revenue generator” so the proposed changes were “not much of a budget tool.” Overall, Fitzgerald hoped the adjustments would make it easier for Lakewood residents and other organization to use the parks.

Director of Finance Jennifer Pae introduced a few budget-related ordinances. One ordinance called for the city to lease, among other things, three police interceptor marked cars (2008 Crown Victoria), one unmarked interceptor, and a police supervisor vehicle (2008 Ford Expedition). Each vehicle has a five-year lease. Pae also received approval from council to participate in the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) purchasing program for winter road salt.

Department of Human Services Director Dorthy Buckon asked council to allow the Division of Aging to enter into an agreement with the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging to accept and expend funds that are eligible for reimbursement in the PASSPORT Program. Last year, the city received $109,304 in reimbursement for providing meals and personal care service to residents. Madigan (Ward 4) and Antonio (At Large) recommended the legislation be referred to committee for further discussion. They didn’t expect the additional discussion to cause any funding delays.

Council approved Buckon’s request for authorization to accept a $131,583 donation from the Helen Barta Trust. Helen Barta passed away in September of 2007 shortly after her 88th birthday. She willed 1/6 of her estate to be used on transportation for the Division of Aging. Barta and her mother were both clients of the Division of Aging. Madigan (Ward 4) asked if the department had any plans to acknowledge the generous donation. Buckon explained that they could do a press release. She noted that in similar instances in the past, it was difficult to find any surviving heirs to thank.

Planning and Development Director Nathan Kelly told council that the Planning Committee approved the suggested changes to the zoning code that would limit growth of payday loan stores in Lakewood. He also introduced the first reading of an ordinance that would extend the city zoning map two miles out into Lake Erie. The change would govern any potential wind turbines. The ordinance will receive more review at committee.

The Civil Service Commission recommended that the salaries of the mayor and city council must be raised to a level comparable with cities similar in size. The Commission asked for 90 more days to put a plan before council. FitzGerald elaborated that any increases “would not affect the current occupiers” of office. The increase would be staggered over a period of time several years in the future.  (See pages 115 and 116 of the council meeting docket for comparable salaries.)

A vote on the liquor permit transfer for Deweys Pizza located at 18516 Detroit was deferred.

Mayor FitzGerald wanted to publicly thank all of the city employees who contributed to the success of the city’s Fourth of July celebration. “Things went fairly well,” he said. He also thanked Iceland USA, the new operators of Winterhurst, for forking over $25,000 for the fireworks. He said Winterhurst will be open for construction tours. The city is taking time-lapse photos of the progress.

Two Lakewood residents spoke during Public Comment. Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney spoke on God’s law and man’s law. He also complimented Lakewood radio station 1660 AM for encouraging dog owners who frequent Lakewood’s dog park to keep their pets barking to a minimum.

Colleta Graham asked FitzGerald if there was truth to the rumor backyard garbage pick-up was going to be eliminated. FitzGerald said, “No, we’ve had no discussion about whether or not we’re going to eliminate backyard pick-up.” He said his administration is looking into automating pick-up, but not privatizing it.

Graham asked Planning and Development Director Kelly for an update on the empty building on Detroit across from Giant Eagle. Kelly said Urban Active Gym owns the building and is paying property tax. They will demolish it in the fourth quarter of 2008 and build a new facility in the first or second quarter of 2009.

Graham expressed her distaste for people who put their trash out several days before trash pick-up. She wanted to know why rules prohibiting that practice weren’t being enforced. Butler (Ward 1) said they were discussing ways to improve enforcement at the Rules and Ordinances Committee.

Graham wondered what was going on with the plan to put a tree-lined center strip down Clifton. Michael Dever (President – At Large) explained that the concept has been entered into the master plan, but there is no funding for it right now.

Graham also inquired about the flags that have appeared up and down Clifton. Public Works Director Beno said they were construction flags. The yellow flags were for gas lines and the other flags were for telephone lines.

Interested in knowing how many cars have been stolen in Lakewood since around the beginning of the year? Search term: grand theft.

Want to know what houses have reported copper pipe thefts? Search term: copper.

Visit: http://www.crimewood.com/search.html

It’s not a perfect search tool, but it gets the job done.

The June 16, 2008 Lakewood City Council meeting lasted about 70 minutes and was attended by approximately 45 people. The crowd dwindled to fewer than 15 people halfway through the meeting after council awarded its proclamations of recognition to St. James Catholic Church, the Cleveland Pride Committee, and military veterans. Representatives of these groups did not stick around for the entire meeting. They gave their speeches, posed for the photo opportunity and then split. Not a single person – aside from Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney – signed-up to speak during Public Comment.

Council recognized St. James Catholic Church for its 100th anniversary. Council President Michael Dever mentioned that he, as well as a couple of other council members, attended school at St. James. Fr. James Klein accepted the honor on behalf of the church. Fr. Klein, a West Side native and priest of 30 years, has led the church for the past two years. He attributed the church’s success and longevity to the quality of its members in the Lakewood community.

Ward 3 councilperson Michael Summers introduced a resolution to affirm the continued support of the United States Armed Forces, both past and present. Richard Healey, of 2150 Chesterland, a Vietnam vet who was wounded in action, spoke in support of the resolution. He was moved to act by protests that occurred recently at a military recruiting station in Berkley, California. “The old saying that ‘freedom isn’t free,’ is true,” he said. He hoped that local realtors would reach out to returning war veterans and make them know they are welcome in Lakewood. He was dismayed by the protesters who threw red paint on the doors of the local recruiting post. “We need a kindler, gentler population,” he said.

Frank Murtaugh, of 1065 Lakeland, was equally disturbed by the organized acts of vandalism at Lakewood’s military recruiting center. “It’s a shame they [veterans] have to go through these things,” Murtaugh said. His comments received applause.

Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald said he thought this was a good resolution. He hopes to release plans to renovate the veterans memorial at Lakewood Park in the next 30 days or so.

Councilperson-at-Large Nickie J. Antonio introduced a resolution to proclaim the week of June 16th as Dignity of Human Rights Pride Week. She also congratulated the Cleveland Pride Committee on their 20-year anniversary. Several members of the organization were present to accept their proclamation. Todd J. Saporito, president of the committee, told council they “really appreciate the recognition.”

The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission presented their semi-annual report. They said a few words. One of their goals is to “focus on the positives” that Lakewood residents have to offer. They said they are modeling themselves after the Cleveland Heights Congress.

Mayor FitzGerald addressed council’s concern regarding recent citizen complaints about high grass and weeds. FitzGerald said he’s going to adjust the internal inspection procedure. Too many days were passing between the moment a citizen complaint was received and the point when the city could take action. He is also going to target repeat offenders. FitzGerald plans on revising the city Web site to enable citizens to more easily file their complaints via the Internet. He mentioned that the Plain Dealer is planning a story about how various cities are handling unkempt yards. He anticipated the PD may include a recent photo of a Lakewood yard that was overgrown. FitzGerald said that particular yard has since been tamed.

Finance Director Jennifer Pae introduced an updated appropriation ordinance and 2009 tax budget resolution. Council approved the first reading and referred it to the Finance Committee for further review.

Planning and Development Director Nathan Kelly introduced the first reading of an ordinance that would allow the mayor to purchase potential problem properties costing less than $60,000 without first getting consent from council. Kelly said this is necessary in order to move quickly to seize homes before they fall into the hands of absentee speculators. Kelly emphasized that this resolution is being introduced with an eye towards the future. Currently, the city doesn’t have any funding available to purchase properties, nor does it have any prospects in mind.

Council approved the Detroit Avenue Streetscape Plan. Ward 2 councilperson Thomas Bullock was eager to begin implantation and said he would be happy to talk to NOACA to get things moving. He said about $60,000 had been budgeted for the early phases, and wondered about possible state funding.

Planning and Development Director Kelly tempered Bullock’s enthusiasm. “It will be a long process to get funding,” he said. The initial stages will involve simple things like repainting crosswalks, Kelly explained. The hidden value of the plan is that it will serve as a guideline for the future as redevelopment occurs along Detroit Ave.

Mayor FitzGerald, who visited with state officials in Columbus this week said, “We did not do well in the capital budget.” He learned there weren’t any earmarks for Lakewood. FitzGerald indicated he would pursue other sources of state funding for the project.

Council gave formal approval to hand over operations of Winterhurst Ice Rink to a privately managed company. Council President Dever said, “I feel it is a great agreement.” Mayor FitzGerald explained that it was recognized many years ago that while the facility was a good asset, the city did not have the money to invest in it. It was “on borrowed time” and the city “had to do something about it,” he said. FitzGerald said the main goal was to preserve it as a community asset and not sell it outright.

Some highlights of the contract, according to FitzGerald:

• It is a renewable five-year agreement
• The transaction will save the city’s general fund $1 million.
• The facility will receive $1 million in interior improvements including new locker rooms and concession areas.
• The city will not be responsible for the annual $5 million utility bill.
• The city will receive an annual $75,000 payment and 10% of the operating profit from the new facility mangers, Ice Land USA.
• Ice Land USA will provide $25,000 to sponsor Lakewood’s annual Fourth of July fireworks event.

FitzGerald said the transaction allows the city to focus on its core purposes and preserves Winterhurst for the future. He said council did a good job of working with him to make the deal quickly. The urgency driving the deal was the hope that the new operators could take advantage of the slow summer months to perform renovations.

Council also approved a request from Dorothy Buckon, Director of Human Services, to accept a $12,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Services Agency to pay for camp counselors for Camp H2O.

Clifton apartment dweller Edward McCartney withheld his Public Comment speech until the next council meeting at the request of Council President Dever due to time constraints associated with a previously scheduled Committee Meeting of the Whole.