Around 40 residents were present for Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald’s Listening 2 Lakewood presentation on September 30^th at the Lakewood Public Library on Detroit.

The event was designated for Ward 2 residents living in the area ranging from Westlake to Belle, between Detroit and Clifton. Ward 2 Councilperson Thomas Bullock was absent from the meeting; Ward 3 Councilperson Michael Summers was in attendance.

The mayor rolled through the standard self-promoting public relations package of PowerPoint slides emphasizing his administration’s claims of accomplishment since he took office nearly two years ago. The largely pro-FitzGerald audience seemed sedated by the mayor’s pandering charm, and asked few challenging questions.

The mayor said a portion of the city’s financial problems occured towards the end of the Madeline Cain regime and the beginning of Thomas George’s term when more personnel were hired than the city could afford.

FizGerald said the George administration felt the economy was going to improve and the city’s finances would recover. “We used to have very contentious meetings,” recalled FitzGerald, who was an at-large councilperson at the time.

Someone in the audience asked FitzGerald if the city’s money woes were linked to criminal negligence. “I don’t think there was any wrong doing,” he replied, just incorrect priorities.

MHS and Bonnieview: ‘We’re treading very, very carefully.’

In response to a question about the situation with Oak Tree Manor at 1327 Bonnieview Rd, where approximately 30 Mental Health Services (MHS) clients from Cleveland were relocated on July 1st, the mayor said, “I’m very careful and judicious about what I say.” He noted with disapproval that a city council candidate put out a bunch of misleading flyers in the area regarding the situation and it “plays right into the hand of their lawyer.”

The mayor explained he received “a few days notice” about the move, and contacted MHS to communicate his concerns. He said he was essentially told by MHS that they could do whatever they wanted. [The reader should be aware the mayor received an anonymous e-mail on June 3^rd informing him of MHS’ plans to move to Bonnieview. They didn’t move in until July 1^st.]

FitzGerald said a couple of potential MHS-related zoning code violations were before the Board of Zoning Appeals. “We’re treading very, very carefully,” he said.

Since MHS has moved in, there have been complaints of “people roaming the neighborhood,” who are “behaving in an antisocial way, and sometimes not,” FitzGerald said.

In an unusual moment of total candor, the mayor told the audience about the city’s experience with Hidden Village, a youth re-entry program run by a non-profit located on Clifton. “The city tried to do a lot enforcement on it,” and got sued, he said. The lawsuit was withdrawn, but can be refiled. FitzGerald intends on holding MHS clients to the same standards as everyone else in the city. “The rules are the rules,” he said.

Mandatory recycling: ‘No one’s been fined yet.’

The city’s mandatory recycling program launched on July 1^st has led to a decrease in the amount of trash the city must pay to have hauled away and an increase in the overall rate of residential recycling participation, according to FitzGerald.

The mayor said if refuse workers see a pattern of noncompliance, they’ll open up the waste can. If they notice any recyclable materials, a warning letter will be issued. “I want a lot of warnings,” he said. “It’s going to be a judgment call…No one’s been fined yet.”

One resident in the audience wondered if the city might provide a recycling container to go alongside existing garbage cans located on city sidewalks. “We probably should have a recycling receptacle,” FitzGerald said. “I don’t think we’re doing the greatest job with that.”

There are a handful of public recycling cans, but they aren’t clearly marked and tend to fill up with garbage, the mayor noted.

The mayor said some consideration is being given to the idea of phasing out existing sidewalk garbage cans and replacing them with containers that are easier to maintain and more cost efficient.

Is Madison Park family friendly?

One resident brought forth a complaint her daughter had: Madison Park is not family friendly. The mayor said it is a challenge to change the park’s atmosphere because “it’s closer to tougher neighborhoods…close to Cleveland.” He is considering the addition of a full-time monitor to the park next year because “we have had some behavior problems there.” The city has firm plans next year, FitzGerald said, to make improvements to the walking path and area around the baseball field.

The QuitzGerald Watch continues

Addiction to political power makes a man do strange reckless things. It is completely conceivable, for instance, that Lakewood residents will see their mayor of barely two years quit his coveted post in order to assume the throne of Cuyahoga County Auditor.

When queried by a member of the public at a city council meeting earlier this year about a Plain Dealer report that he was interested in seeking the county spot, FitzGerald had a “Whatch you talkin’ bout, Willis?” reaction.

As the county corruption investigation advanced in the following months, though, his public proclamations of non-commitment and denial regarding the auditor job fell away and undeniably tilted in the opposite direction, essentially confirming what the local news media had been reporting all along: FitzGerald badly wants the job, and it’s his for the taking – just as soon as he can figure out a way to get rid of Public Official Number 2.

In response to a question from the crowd, FitzGerald acknowledged that two of the three Cuyahoga County commissioners have signaled their desire to see him hoisted into the auditor’s office. “I’m interested in doing it,” he said, and referenced to his prior executive experience and onetime role as an FBI agent.

Not surprisingly, the mayor frowned at the corruption problems surfacing in county government. “It’s a total disgrace,” he said. “It really makes me angry.” FitzGerald said he hoped those convicted of crimes go to jail for a “long, long time.”

FitzGerald said Law Director Nora Hurley would be next in line to succeed him as mayor. He described the Lakewood resident as “very competent” and capable.

[Incidentally, the day after this event, the mayor commented on LakewoodBuzz.com that he "may be appointed county auditor." It caused Cleveland Magazine blogger Erick Trickey to suggest that the mayor’s ambition, once described as "unseemly," was beginning to pay off. Today the PD’s political writer Mark Naymik said he doubted any indictments would be issued before the November election and “not soon enough for Ed FitzGerald.”]

No building inspectors were laid off?

Responding to a question about the Division of Building and Housing, the mayor said Jeff Ashby, who he recently appointed to head the department, “gets it.” For instance, FitzGerald said, the number of inspections performed before a case advances to court has dropped from 9 to 4. The department also intends to invest in technology in order to streamline their processes and make them more effective. “I think they’re going to get there,” the mayor said.

FitzGerald said he held off on bolstering the roster of building inspectors because it didn’t make sense to “hire more inspectors in an inefficient system.” He deceptively claimed to have laid of a sidewalk inspector in 2008, but no building inspectors. Information provided by the city’s human resources department indicates three code compliance specialists also got the ax.

Miscellaneous

New Crosswalks

According to FitzGerald, the stamped concrete crosswalks don’t cost much more than the standard lined cross walks. “I think they look great,” he said, adding they’re safer, more visible, and more appropriate for the city’s brand.

Owner-occupied duplex persecution

An audience member said she lives in a duplex she owns on Lincoln and felt like the housing dept. ought to give equal scrutiny to single family homes. “Rental is different,” the mayor said. “The condition of the exterior of your house affects my property value.”

Virginia and McKinley

One resident was unhappy with parking situation on Virginia and asked the mayor to consider implementing an overnight parking ban. Another resident, who happened to be a bus driver, complained about the continually reoccurring potholes on McKinley. He also said it seemed like the city appeared to be planting the trees in the same spots over and over again.

The crime calendar has been updated through 10/18. There were a total of eight burglaries reported last week.

Four burglaries were reported on 10/13:

14503 Bayes

14308 Garfield

2084 Mars

16711 Delaware.

In addition, one burglary was reported each on 10/14 at 1648 Waterbury,  on 10/15 at 2075 Baxterly, on 10/16 at 2175 Wascana, and on 10/16 at 13465 Clifton.

There was an alleged robbery at 12323 Plover on 10/15.  The complainant stated that two males with guns took their cell phones and money.

At 2:33 a.m. on 10/18 , a female advised that she was in front of Lakewood High School and her ex-boyfriend just fired off a gun. Male lives at 1531 Robinwood.  02:40 hours. 223 advised that male is in custody at gunpoint in the backyard. Male charged with intoxication, menacing, and discharing a firearm.

The Peoples’ Palace — Lakewood City Hall — was dedicated on this day in 1959. 50th anniversary celebrations have been muted. Some neat City Hall historical photos can be seen at ClevelandMemory.org.

Councilperson Thomas Bullock (Ward 2) introduced for discussion a draft proposal to the Public Safety Committee that would establish a 12-month pilot program permitting leashed dog walking in Kauffman Park and Lakewood Park.

Bullock, who is a candidate for state representative in Ohio District 13, has lumbered along for more than six months trying to find a plan of compromise to satisfy both skeptical fellow council members and Lakewood’s vocal population of dog lovers.

Based on the feedback he received at the Thursday, October 15^th meeting, he will make additional adjustments to the proposal. It doesn’t seem like the matter will go before council for a vote anytime soon.

Councilperson Brian Powers (At-Large) continued to be agitated by the role of the Citizens Committee to Allow Leashed Dogs in Lakewood Park. He’s unhappy because they are not incorporated as a non-profit 501C(3) organization. The group is raising funds to support the purchase and maintenance of dog manure receptacles.

Councilperson Mary Louise Madigan (Ward 4), who seemed cranky about the meeting’s 8 a.m. start time, wondered why city council should get involved if it’s only a pilot project. She felt the public works director should handle it alone. She also took a poke at the validity of the 680 signatures the citizens committees collected in favor of legalizing leashed dog walking, wondering if any children had signed the petition.

Among Madigan’s other concerns were the program’s cost to the city, the distance dogs must stay from playground equipment (30 feet) and community gardens (15 feet), and the maximum permissible leash length (6 feet).

Bullock acknowledged the distances were “pulled out of thin air, frankly.” He said city council is involved in the pilot project because some members of council have insisted upon it. Bullock was likely alluding to Councilperson Nickie Antonio (At-Large).

Donna Klein, a member of the Citizens Committee to Allow Leashed Dogs in Lakewood Parks, said she recommended a maximum leash length because retractable leashes can extend as far as 30 feet and inhibit an owner’s ability to control their pet.

Councilperson Kevin Butler (Ward 1) welcomed the idea of a pilot leashed dog walking program because it will create an opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of the policy shift.

Police Chief Timothy Malley noted Bullock’s proposal prohibits dogs from the parks on the Fourth of July. “I wonder if that would be a little burdensome [to enforce],” he said. “That would be another problem we don’t need on July 4^th.”

Captain Gary Stone said his biggest concern is that people would be tempted to unleash their dog and allow it to run loose.

Lakewood resident Jack Hagen, a strong opponent of leashed dog walking in city parks, cited challenges with cost, liability, nuisance, and enforcement as reasons why he’s not comfortable with the proposed program.

He visited Lakewood Park recently and saw dozens and dozens of children playing and wondered how the scene would look if dogs were introduced into the picture.

Hagen shared an anecdote about his young relative who received six stitches after being bitten by a usually mild-mannered dog. “These are real things that could happen, even in the best of circumstances,” he said.

Clifton Apartment Dweller Edward McCartney liked the proposed program, but suggested adding an option to end to the experiment early if there are problems.

Bullock said he would take all feedback into consideration, make additional changes to the proposal and continue discussion at the next committee meeting. (Read a prior post on this topic: “What’s a poor poodle to do?”)

Even a casual reader of the crime calendar (now updated through 10/12) knows the eastern half of Lakewood has unacceptable levels of crime and quality of life issues.  Why is it, then, that the city has failed to establish any block club watches where they are most needed? The image above depicts streets with an existing block club in yellow (see .PDF).

Lakewood Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald, who is also the city’s public safety director, commonly blames the situation on the transient nature of the population in the most troubled areas of Ward 4.  While it is true that region of the city has a high amount of residential turnover, it does not excuse FitzGerald’s utter failure of leadership on this matter.

Prior to being elected mayor, FitzGerald was a councilperson for almost ten years. He knows better than most where Lakewood’s most severe problems are located.

Ward 4 Councilperson Mary Louis Madigan is also sadly out to lunch on this problem.  She has represented the area since 2004. And how about the current at-large councilpeople? They have wasted their easy access to information and positions of authority on comparatively insignificant accomplishments like outdoor dining (Nickie Antonio), mandatory recycling (Michael Dever), and a pit bull ban (Brian Powers).

None of those things will matter if people don’t want to live here. And don’t be fooled you residents of Wards 1, 2, and 3, sooner or later the stink emanating from Ward 4 will find its way to your doorstep.

The Lakewood City Council Finance Committee met on Monday evening to discuss the first steps in the 2010 municipal budget process.

According to Councilperson Kevin Butler (Ward 1), the city will face an estimated $2.1 million budget shortfall in 2010. Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald said he has identified around $400,000 to $600,000 in cuts, but must find another $1.25 to $1.5 million in reductions.

Mayor FitzGerald believes approximately 14 city positions will be eliminated in 2010. “They’re not all lay-offs. Most of them are by attrition,” he said. In the interest of being “careful,” the mayor declined to provide specifics regarding what departments would be affected. He vaguely alluded to a potential technology efficiency that would enable some of the cuts.

Unlike 2008 and 2009, when he felt he was able to slice a lot of fat from the budget without proportionally slashing city services, Mayor FitzGerald said the city is essentially now in a position where further cuts will directly translate to a decrease in city services. “We’re just getting to that point, I think” he said, adding he’d be “surprised” if anyone could find any more fat to trim.

Finance Committee Chairperson Michael Summers (Ward 3), who agreed with the mayor’s assessment, provided a pie chart depicting the city’s 2009 general fund expense areas and pondered where the budget could be slashed in 2010. Taking into account the massive funding hits Human Services has taken over the last couple of budget cycles, Summers declared them off limits. “You’re looking [next] at general government, public safety and public works,” he said.

Summers favored taking a “top down” approach to the 2010 budget process in an effort to “hold the line” and maintain what he described as a “right-sized” government. He put forth four different approaches to the situation ranging from covering the budget shortfall with the city’s approximate $1.5 million reserve fund to leaving the reserve fund alone and instead passing a structurally unbalanced budget.

The general sentiment in the room, including that of Summers, was that the city should avoid dipping into the reserve fund. Mayor FitzGerald emphasized it would be “crazy” to drain the reserve fund, especially in anticipation of 2011, when the city is obligated to make a $650,000 payment to the police and fire pension funds.

Councilperson Butler tossed out a fifth option for consideration. He suggested that the city should “overcut” in 2010 to avoid even more cuts in 2011 and to “put an end to the turmoil in city hall.”

Mayor FitzGerald offered a sixth option. If the city is forced to pare back vital services — like the fire department, he said, it ought to consider raising revenue, presumably through a tax increase. FitzGerald said he is not currently considering a tax increase.

In other finance-related news:

The city’s tax amnesty program has netted about $500,000 so far. A finance department representative said state funding to the city will decrease in 2010 by 17%, or $655,000.

Mayor FitzGerald said union contract negotiations are on schedule.

On Nov. 15th the finance director will provide city council with a rough estimate of the city’s expected expenses for 2010.

At around 11:30 a.m. today, a Lakewood PD officer who was located several houses away from the intersection of Warren and Detroit notified dispatch he’d heard what sounded like a motor vehicle accident and was going to investigate.

Within minutes, dispatch received multiple phone calls indicating a black male in a blue Mitsubishi traveling west on Detroit was driving like a maniac swerving in and out of traffic and had hit several cars.

Police located the car within five minutes and found it heading east on Detroit. It was being trailed by one of his victims.

With his car smoking, the driver of the blue Mitsubishi refused to pull over for police and led them on a brief 10-mph chase. Officers indicated they were going to box him in. Shortly thereafter, an officer on the scene said the suspect was in custody near the intersection of Woodward and Detroit and was being transported to Lakewood Hospital.

The Mitsubishi caught fire and the Lakewood Fire Department was called upon to extinguish the flames.

The driver struck at least one pedestrian who was clearly heard irately dropping F bombs in the background of the radio traffic.

Officers were seen clearing out the contents of the car’s trunk, which appeared to contain several plastic bags of clothing.  (See more images)

Here’s WKYC.com’s story on the incident:

Akron man charged with aggravated vehicular assault

LAKEWOOD – A 21-year old Akron man was arrested for aggravated vehicular assault after committing several hit and skips, according to Sgt. Favre of the Lakewood Police Department.

Around 11:25 a.m. Lakewood police received calls about a hit and skip accident on St. Charles Avenue and Detroit Ave.

A blue car left the scene heading westbound on Detroit.

The driver struck an RTA bus moments later at Warren Road and Detroit Avenue., and left the scene heading westbound.

In the vicinity of Cook Avenue and Detroit Avenue, the driver struck a pedestrian and continued westbound.

The victim was transported to Lakewood Hospital and the injuries are non-life threatening.

The station received additional calls reporting a hit and skip accident at Riverside Drive and Detroit Avenue.

The vehicle fled the scene and traveled eastbound on Detroit Avenue.

Another hit and skip accident occurred in the area of Webb Road and Detroit Avenue.

The driver left the scene and headed eastbound.

Around Woodward Avenue and Detroit Avenue, Lakewood Police stopped the vehicle and apprehended the driver, also the sole occupant.

Additional charges are pending for this case.