The West Shore Assembly of God church property at 16300 Delaware Avenue.

A ruling made by the Planning Commission on Thursday will help clear the way for a three-person financial services business to acquire and operate out of the West Shore Assembly of God church building located at the intersection of Delaware and Woodward Avenues.

The commissioners followed the city administration’s recommendation and unanimously approved the request to permit AXA Advisors, LLC to operate in the residentially-zoned single-family high-density neighborhood across the street from Hayes Elementary School.

In reaching its decision, the commission determined that the change in land use met two major standards required by the zoning code. First, the business will be “more appropriate and compatible” with the neighborhood than the church. Second, it will reduce any traffic problems caused by the church.

Owner: business will be lower-profile operation than church

Business owner Michael Daso, who signed a purchase agreement for the property last month, told the commission his 11-year-old operation would have a smaller footprint than the church, which has a small congregation.

He has two employees and expects to hire four or five more over the next two years, including a junior partner within the next year.

Despite noticable vacancies in the city's commerical districts, it supported Daso (above) in his request to repurpose the residentally-situated church property.

In terms of traffic, Daso estimated he has four to six daytime client appointments each week, along with an occasional evening session or two.

He would not change the exterior of the building, but would reconfigure the interior to create an office space and an ADA accessible bathroom.

The Edgewater Dr. resident, who also owns properties on Mars and Madison Avenues, indicated he wants to add six to eight on-site parking spots to supplement the limited amount of off-street parking.

Daso said he looked at a half-dozen potential locations over the last six months before deciding to repurpose the church building. “It’s kind of a neat corner lot,” he said.

The property had been on the market for two years, most recently listed at $139,900.

Residents worried about parking issues

Noticeably absent from the proceedings were Ward 2 Councilperson Thomas Bullock and representatives of the West Shore Assembly of God.

The church property, highlighted in red, is directly across the street from an elementary school.

Bullock typically skips this kind of an event, but it was curious that not a single member of the church congregation was present to speak in favor of the request, although its pastor did submit a letter.

A handful of residents who received meeting notices from the city showed up, and based on their pre-meeting chatter, had only a limited awareness of what was transpiring.

One resident voiced a concern about the need to keep curb parking available for parents picking up their children from school. Another resident felt there was ample street parking, and thought a new parking lot would “look terrible.”

Before the commission voted, Dru Siley, the assistant director of planning and development, reminded everyone the design of any future parking lot would be thoroughly reviewed by the Architectural Board of Review.

In other news, the commission approved a request to allow the newly expanded Pet Supplies Plus in the Lakewood City Center Shopping Plaza to offer dog-grooming services. A request from Bottoms Up Tavern on W. 117th St. for renewal of permission to use the front patio for outdoor dinning was denied because the applicant was not present.

On an unrelated note, some citizens making their way to City Hall for the Planning Commission meeting may have noticed an imposing armada of Lakewood police cars led by an armored SWAT vehicle cruise southbound on Alameda Avenue, across Franklin Boulevard.

They executed a search warrant in Cleveland near Triskett Road and W. 140th Street. A male was arrested for drug trafficking and a Lakewood animal control officer was called to the scene to impound two pit bulls.

Developer Andrew Brickman unveils preliminary renderings of his proposed project on Sloane Ave.

Developer Andrew Brickman, who three months ago dropped plans to demolish an Edgewater Dr. estate to make way for upscale residential housing, is back with a new plan to construct 19 townhomes overlooking the Rocky River on Sloane Ave.

A group of about 40 residents gathered Wednesday evening at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Detroit Ave. to hear the latest details about the project from Brickman and city officials.

Three homes would be demolished to make way for the new development.

Although still in the “very, very beginning phase,” according to Mayor Michael Summers, the tentatively named Metro Luxury Townhomes designed by Lakewood-based Dimit Architects would range in size from between 1,600 to 3,000 square feet with two to four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

The three-story units – 32 feet tall – would each have attached two-car garages and rooftop decks with views of the river and lake. List price for the smaller townhomes would begin at around $300,000. Brickman could not provide an estimated price for the other homes because certain acquisition and improvement costs remain unknown.

The townhomes furthest down the cliff would be 75 feet away from the river. Only two boat docks are planned, but that number could expand.

If everything falls into place, Brickman said the homes would be built in different phases beginning in the spring. The project would take about 18 months to complete.

The preliminary site plan has been reviewed three or four times by the city’s Architectural Board of Review in informal work sessions and is continually being revised, Brickman said.

The initial site plan calls for access to the townhomes via Sloane Ave. and Sloan Subway, the short winding road off of Clifton Rd. In the image above, the Rocky River is on the left and Sloane Ave. is on the right. Sloane Subway is located at the top of the image.

Financing not finalized

Summers indicated Brickman has informal purchase agreements with the owners of the three existing houses that must be demolished to make way for the townhomes, but cautioned that the arrangements are “not done deals.”

When asked by an audience member if he had secured financing for the project, Brickman replied, “I don’t really know if that’s your concern.”

Touching on the topic later, he remarked, “I’m fortunate in that I’m wealthy enough that I don’t need financing.” Brickman almost immediately realized the haughty tone of his words and tried to soften them. He acknowledged he has a commitment from one lender and is looking for additional funding sources.

Cliff stability a concern

A more pressing concern for Brickman is the stability of the cliff he wants to build upon.

A Sloane Ave. property owner who lives adjacent to the proposed project location noted he has lost about one-third of the hillside along the river due to erosion and cannot get help from the Army Corp of Engineers.

“It’s worrisome for us right now,” Brickman admitted. He had a team of experts examine the condition of the cliff and is awaiting the results of their study. The unknown cost of shoring up the cliff could significantly affect the project’s overall viability.

A preliminary rendering of the view on Sloane Subway looking towards Sloane Ave. (Click the image for a larger view)

Minor zoning variances needed

One major reason Brickman’s Edgewater proposal failed was because he tried to shoehorn more houses onto the property than were permitted by the zoning code. Nearby residents objected to it, and provided city officials with a convenient reason to reject the project.

Brickman won’t have the same problem this time around.

Assistant Director of Planning and Development Dru Siley said the development would only require two relatively minor variances.

One variance would be needed for the law that prohibits the building structure from covering more than 20% of the lot area. The building structures of Metro Luxury Townhomes would cover 30% of the lot area.

The other variance would concern the proximity of the development to its western property boundary. Normally, the development would require a greater setback. In this instance, there’s no other property adjacent in the west, just the river, so the setback requirement is virtually irrelevant.

A preliminary rendering of the view on Sloane Subway looking towards Clifton Rd. (Click the image for a larger view)

Stalled Foran Montlack development still riles residents

Some Sloane Ave. residents are leery about any real estate developer who promises good things. They know what can happen when a deal goes bad.

To the south of Brickman’s proposed development sit a couple of long-vacant lots that were supposed to be home to a 60-unit riverfront luxury condominium.

Foran Montlack, a development partnership, demolished the houses that stood there and then lost access to financing when the real estate and financial markets crashed.

The group was very slow to maintain and landscape the empty lots and engendered scorn from the neighborhood.

Brickman’s presentation was interrupted a couple of different times by cagey residents who wanted to know how his project would be different from the Foran Montlack failure and if he was interested in acquiring those lots.

Brickman confirmed he’s had several conversations with them and is intrigued by their property, but they have not responded to his interest.

Mayor Summers said Foran Montlack is still waiting for the economy to improve. “They have no plans to take action, currently,” he said. “There’s nothing happening.”

Brickman said it is “impossible” to get financing for the kind of project Foran Montlack originally proposed. His project is smaller and would be financed, in real estate lingo,  as a fee simple non-condo rather than a traditional condominium.

A preliminary rendering of southeast view of the development. It would be 20 feet off of the property line. (Click the image for a larger view)

Tax abatement process in motion

The proposed development will likely receive some kind of property tax abatement.

Summers said the Board of Education is the city’s partner in making the decision and must continue to receive the same level of property tax as it is now receiving from the owners of the houses that will be demolished.

Incidentally, the City Council on Tuesday had the first reading of an ordinance that would create a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) for 13 parcels of property on the southwest side of Sloane Ave, along the Rocky River, including the parcels Brickman is interested in.

The CRA would provide the city the ability to hand out tax abatement as an incentive for new development.

Neighborhood reaction to plans generally positive

Compared to the sharp negative reaction Brickman got from the community on his Edgewater Dr. proposal, the Sloane Ave. crowd was fairly positive.

“I kind of like what I see so far,” one man said. Another man commented: “It’s gorgeous. I love the contemporary architecture.”

There was some concern about the apparent lack of visitor parking within the development. Brickman explained they were still fiddling with the site plan to try and wring out more space. Someone suggested he should buy the nearby bank-owned Irish cottage and use it as a parking lot.

A woman raised a concern about the safety of having an exit onto Sloane Subway, a steep, narrow, and winding side road. “That’s just nuts,” she said.

Dru Siley, the assistant director of planning and development, said only four units would empty onto the road and it wouldn’t create a ton of additional traffic.

A couple of residents complained about the disturbances in the area when Foran Montlack performed home demolitions. Summers said extra precautions would be taken to minimize disruptions this time around.

It will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but the townhomes will probably have deed restrictions prohibiting them from being leased.

A preliminary rendering of the view of the townhouses closest to the river's edge. Sloane Subway is seen on the left. (Click the image for a larger view)

Next steps: more public meetings

The properties haven’t changed hands yet, and Brickman is still waiting on the results of the cliff stabilization study. Nevertheless, the development process will move forward.

Siley told the audience that the project would be up for discussion at several public meetings over the next couple of months, including with the Planning Commission and the Architectural Board of Review.

He and Councilperson David Anderson (Ward 1) said they would make an extra effort to make sure the meeting dates were properly publicized. Siley said he sent out 150 notices to affected residences about Wednesday’s meeting.

Miscellaneous

- Brickman is the developer of the townhomes on the Rocky River side of the river. He said there are 6 more units available in the neighborhood of $739,000 each. He added that he had been approached by a “big budget Hollywood film” to shoot in the property.

- Councilperson Mary Louise Madigan (Ward 4) who is frequently absent from important non-City Council meetings was in attendance Wednesday evening.

- The name of the development is likely to change. A long-time resident of the area suggested High Bridge Park, the original name of the properties.

- Mayor Summers said discussions continue with McDonald’s about the future of their Sloane Ave. location.

Representatives from the fast food giant last month said the building would likely be demolished if the business relocated to Detroit Ave.

Summers said yesterday some “creative” proposals are being considered that would repurpose the property, although not as a restaurant. He did not provide additional details.

The dealership closed last year following Chrysler’s bankruptcy

A Garfield Heights-based development company wants to construct an apartment building for low-income seniors on one-half of the site formerly occupied by the Spitzer Lakewood Chrysler Plymouth Jeep dealership.

NRP Group LLC’s plan was the lone submission in response to a request for proposal (RFP) issued jointly by Spitzer Management Inc. and the city soliciting concepts to redevelop the vacant property.

1.4 acres in total, Site A has 42,900 square feet and Site B has 17,250 square feet. It is zoned C3 commercial general business.

The RFP, which was published April 4, challenged applicants to create a financially viable concept for redevelopment that produced a long-term benefit to the community, complimented and respected adjacent land uses, and was visually appropriate.

In addition, the RFP suggested three ideas that would fit the bill: commercial space of 3,000 square feet or greater, single-level attached residential housing targeting the 55-year-old and above demographic segment, and senior or assisted living facilities.

To help facilitate a deal and connect the two sites, the city offered to surrender the right-of-way along the northernmost 200 feet of Parkwood Rd in exchange for the creation of a route permitting at least one-way traffic from that street onto Bunts Rd.

A preliminary artist’s rendering of the view from the parking lot in front of the development. The building would sit with its back to Detroit Ave.

In its RFP response, NRP Group billed itself as “one of the largest and most successful developers of affordable housing in country” with four recent “urban infill” developments in Ohio, including Cornerstone Apartments, a three-story 64-unit senior community located on Cleveland’s East Side, near the East Cleveland border. The property is fully leased and has a 300-name waiting list, according to NRP Group’s marketing material.

Welcome to Parkwood Pointe

NRP Group’s plan would only develop the one-acre site at 13815 Detroit Rd. located to the west of Parkwood Rd., next to the recently re-opened auto repair shop

Parkwood Pointe, NRP Group’s vision for Lakewood, is a smaller version of Cornerstone Apartments. Aimed at low-income people 55-and-older, the three-floor apartment building would have 40 rental units. Each 862-square-foot apartment would feature two bedrooms and a single bathroom. 10% of the units would be handicap accessible.

NPR Group said the unit layout is designed to “promote functionality, independence, and accessibility.” The position of the sink and toilet are reversed in the bathroom layout of handicap accessible units.

The elevator-equipped $7.8 million development would have 3,000 square feet of interior common space, featuring a 780-square-foot community center/multi-purpose room with a flat screen TV and fireplace where seniors can “enjoy fellowship” and other activities. It would also include a small hair dressing studio and laundry room.

According to the ground floor plan, a majority of the units run parallel to Parkwood Rd.

The financial linchpin of the proposal is the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), an incentive created in the 1986 to increase the supply of quality affordable rental housing.

In short, it works like this: a developer builds affordable rental housing and earns 10 years worth of federal tax credits. In order to help finance the project with up-front cash, the developer sells the rights to the tax credits to someone who has a big federal tax burden – like a large corporation.

In order for a developer to qualify for this benefit, a number of guidelines must be followed. For instance, a certain number of units must be specifically set-aside for low-income renters.

In this case, NRP Group has designated all forty units for low-income residents. 20 units are set-aside for households with incomes of no more than 50% of the Area Median Household Income (AMHI). 16 units are for households with incomes of no more than 60% of the AMHI. 4 units are for households with incomes of no more than 35% of the AMHI.

To get a better idea of the economic scale, a two-person household with an income of 50% of the AMHI would earn no more than a total of $25,920 annually.

To be eligible for the tax credit, rent levels must be restricted by income group. Parkwood Pointe’s rent rates would range between $510 and $700, and include all utilities except telephone and cable. In addition, the development must provide minimum affordability for its tenants for at least 30 years.

According to research performed by NRP Group, the Lakewood-area has an unmet need for this type of house. It examined low-income senior housing offered at Kirby Manor on Detroit Ave. and Clifton Plaza on Clifton Blvd, both in Cleveland, and found occupancy rates to be very high. It projects Parkwood Pointe could achieve 96% occupancy within six months of opening.

If Spitzer Management agrees to sell the property (for $300,000, according to the RFP) and the project is approved by the city – it would require a zoning adjustment – it could open in early 2014.

One significant snag could be availability of the LIHTC. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) parcels out the tax credits on an annual basis using a competitive evaluation process.

In the most recent funding cycle, it awarded almost $24 million in tax credits to 33 housing development projects throughout the state. 76 other applicants were turned down and received nothing, including St. Clement Church.

St. Clement senior housing project stalls without tax credits

Closed since 2005, the former elementary school at St. Clement Church had been under consideration to be redeveloped for low-income senior housing

Catholic Charities Housing Corporation (CCHC) learned in March that it would not receive any funding from the state for its project to adapt and reuse the vacant elementary school at St. Clement as an apartment for low-income seniors age 55 and older.

Maryellen Staab, the deputy director of CCHC, said the project cannot move forward without tax credit financing. “It’s not going anywhere,” Staab said. “We do plan to reapply.”

Stabb said she’s had conversations with city officials about the redevelopment concept and they were supportive.

The application on file with the state shows the project shared some similarities with what NRP Group is proposing for the Spitzer property.

The $6.6 million project at 14401 Madison Ave. would have 39 units, including 17 one-bedroom apartments and 22 two-bedroom apartments. Each with a bathroom, the rooms would be somewhat smaller than the rooms at the NRP Group development at around 650-square-feet per single bedroom unit and about 850-square-feet per double bedroom unit.

Rent would include utilities and be $605 for a single bedroom and $689 for a double bedroom. Four single room units designated for tenants with an income at 35% of the AMHI would be $425. All other rooms would be reserved for tenants with an income of at least 50% of the AMHI.

The development would include a large community room, as well as a warming kitchen, laundry room, elevator and other gathering spaces.

To support the new use, a three-story addition would be added to the structure. Two small out-buildings, an addition and a convent would all be demolished.

Wallick-Hendy Properties would provide on-site property management and CCHC would be the 100% general partner and developer of the project.

If the state had provided funding, the development was expected to have been operational by early 2013.

The building's second floor ballroom was the original site of the Madison Branch of the Lakewood Public Library in the 1920s. It was later converted into a rooming house.

The Board of Building Standards and Building Appeals last month upheld the city’s public nuisance declaration of the vacant building at 11900 Madison Ave., a former rooming house also known as Newman Corners.

The decision means Pennsylvania-based Apex Mortgage Co., the building’s owner, must either repair or demolish the structure. If no action is taken, the city has the legal right to remedy the situation through the same means.

Ted Kapnek, president of Apex Mortgage, said his company would file an appeal of the board’s decision with the county court of common pleas, repair the building and reopen it as a rooming house despite the city’s apparent opposition.

Company sought continuance after deal fell through

The attorney representing Apex Mortgage acknowledged that the building had defects, and asked the board for a 90-day continuance in order to correct the problems.

He said the building was emptied of its 14 tenants – 11 left voluntarily and three were evicted – after the city expressed an interest in acquiring the property with the condition it be vacant for 90 days in order to qualify for funds to finance the transaction.

In the meantime, according to Apex’s lawyer, the city lost interest in the deal and withdrew the offer. “In terms of equity, we want that 90 days back,” he said, and added that eight of the 10 fire code violations had been corrected. “It’s not as if they sat on their hands on this.”

Dru Siley, the assistant director of planning and development, denied the city ever made an offer to purchase the building.

Since Apex’s lawyer was not contesting the legitimacy of the public nuisance declaration, the formal appeal was essentially rendered a moot point. Law Director Kevin Butler didn’t believe a continuance was necessary, and suggested the board hear the city’s evidence and then vote on the matter.

Assistant Building Commissioner Robert Apanasewicz outlined the recent history of the city’s involvement with the property.

May 2009: Apex Mortgage Company took ownership with a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure
June 2009: City building inspection resulted in correction notice
Sept. 2009: Some repairs made, others to be completed by Oct. 2009
Oct. 2009: Additional repairs not performed by owner
Jan. 2010: City fire inspection identified new violations
Sept. 2010: City prosecutor filed building code complaint in municipal court
City building inspection resulted in revised correction notice
Nov. 2010: City prosecutor withdraws case. Court records indicate it was withdrawn because an incorrect party was named as defendant.

Apanasewicz said when the court case was withdrawn, Apex Morgage agreed to remove all of the tenants from the building. It has been vacant since December 13, 2010.

The public nuisance declaration was triggered on March 16 when police found the unoccupied building to be unlocked and open to the public. It could not be re-secured, and members of the Public Works Dept. were called upon to seal the building.

The building is located across the street from GrafTech International.

Fire Marshall Tim Dunphy told the board he identified several violations during a January 2010 inspection. Apex Mortgage later claimed all of the problems were fixed, but Dunphy’s follow-up inspection on April 6 found that nothing had been completed.

Building Inspector Kevin Kelley narrated a slide show of photos depicting the building’s shabby state. Though generally structurally sound, the property suffered from decades of deferred maintenance and neglect. It looked like a dingy living space of last resort, with damaged plaster, broken doors and debris strewn about.

One board member later commented, “I’m just appalled that people in my city would live in a place like that.”

Kelley told the board an April 6 re-inspection found, with the exception of several prohibited cooking appliances that had been removed, existence of the same violations he documented in September 2010.

Neighbors call building ‘crack house,’ ‘eyesore’

Two representatives from Madison Soft Cloth Auto Wash and Detail Center, the business located directly to the east of the building spoke during the public comment portion of the appeals hearing. Notably absent was Ward 4 Councilperson Mary Louise Madigan, who represents the East End.

Car wash owner Dave Hoffman told the board he might not have bought the business nine years ago if he knew about the kinds of problems emanating from the building next door.

As a one-time military narcotics investigator, Hoffman said he saw obvious signs of trouble at what was commonly referred to as “the crack house.”

“The traffic that was in and out of there was terrible,” he said. Hoffman described the people who frequented the building as being “one step above derelicts.”

He echoed the city inspector’s observations, and called maintenance at the neighboring building “nearly non-existent.”

Since it has been vacant, however, the neighborhood “has taken on a completely different flavor,” Hoffman said. “The undesirable element is much less.”

Keith Ashby, who has managed the car wash for seven years and spends a lot of time in the area, said he frequently saw police at the building. “It’s just an eyesore,” he said of the structure. “I wouldn’t mind seeing the place bulldozed.”

Board member Michael Fleenor opposed the building’s demolition due to its architectural and historical significance. “I think it’s worthy of reinvestment,” he said.

The board unanimously voted to uphold the city’s public nuisance declaration.

Apex Mortgage prez: ‘The last thing I want is to own this property’

Reached on Thursday, Apex Mortgage President Ted Kapnek elaborated on the situation and shared his company’s plans for the building.

He said representatives from Apex Mortgage had several conversations with the city’s law department and then-Director of Planning and Development Nathan Kelly who told them the property was “ideal” for purchase by a redevelopment program – possibly a reference to the Cuyahoga County Land Bank – but it had to be vacant for at least 90 days to be eligible for acquisition.

In the period after the tenants were removed from the building, a different mayoral administration took office, Kelly left the employment of the city, and communication between the two parties went quiet.

Kapnek sent a follow-up letter to the mayor and received a phone call from Assistant Director of Planning and Development Dru Siley informing him the city was no longer interested in the property.

At some point, the city invited Apex Mortgage to donate the property for demolition. The offer was declined due to the considerable outstanding balance on the original mortgage of $270,000. It’s worth a fraction of that in its current condition, Kapnek acknowledged, “but it’s not worth zero.”

Kapnek said his company would appeal the decision issued by the Board of Building Standards and Building Appeals.

He said Apex Mortgage’s goal is to have the building repaired and returned to its “maximum economic value” as a rooming house – it is too costly to convert into a traditional apartment building.

The property had been on the market for quite some time before the tenants were removed. It was relisted last month for $99,900. “We’re just a mortgage company,” Kapnek said. “The last thing I want is to own this property.”

The city posted several large notices on the building declaring it a dangerous structure.

The building’s condition deteriorated further after it was broken into about two weeks ago.

“They came in and cut holes in the wall and stole all the copper piping they could find,” Kapnek said, and noted that the damage was not covered by insurance because the building was vacant at the time of the event.

He said the company is evaluating its legal options because it believes the city’s actions contributed to the crime: if the building were occupied, the incident might not have occurred.

During discussions held last year on proposed changes to the housing license application process, a few city hall officials, including Councilperson Madigan, expressed disdain about rooming houses.

Kapnek said he is “aware the neighbors and the city don’t want a rooming house.” He took umbrage with car wash owner Dave Hoffman’s characterization of his former tenants.

Far from being vagrants, Kapnek called them “hard-working people” who paid their weekly rent. “Without the option of a rooming house,” he said, “They probably would not have had housing.

The city hasn’t formally told Kapnek if it opposes his plan to repair the building and restore its prior use, but he thinks it does. “We were told in a phone conversation that they will fight our ability to reoccupy this as a rooming house,” he said.

Kapnek believes the law is on his side. Even though the property is now zoned to prohibit rooming houses, the building had a grandfather clause permitting it to operate legally. The city’s ordinance states it may reopen and continue operation as long as it has not been closed for six consecutive months.

Kapnek is waiting on some cost estimates to repair the building, and believes the rooming house will reopen within the allowable timeframe.

Several other rooming houses call Lakewood home

Pictured above are several of the city's other rooming houses.

A rooming house is defined by law as a building with one or more rooming units – used for living and sleeping only – where the occupants have access to communal sanitary facilities but do not benefit from cooking facilities within the structure.

Based on information provided last summer by the Division of Housing and Building, there were 13 rooming houses in the city. The majority of them were in the Fourth Ward, including Kapnek’s Newman Corners, which was the largest.

The Mars address was the site of a standoff last summer where an individual believed to be involved in the incident was found dead a couple of days later in the Cuyahoga River.

For at least the third year in a row, the annual financial disclosure statements submitted to the Ohio Ethics Commission by the city’s mayor and council members show they were not the recipients of any significant gifts.

The mandatory statements are intended to allow citizens to become aware of potential conflicts of interest and increase confidence in government integrity and openness.

The OEC has not yet received a report, which was due April 15th, from either former Ward 1 Councilperson and current Law Director Kevin Butler or At-Large Councilperson Monique Smith.

Overall, the statements contain data that’s generally consistent with what was disclosed in 2008 and 2009. The recently appointed council representatives each had a typical number of investments, income sources and creditors.

Aside from his primary residence, interim Councilperson David Anderson (Ward 1) disclosed ownership of three other Lakewood properties at 17723 and 17800 Franklin Blvd., and 2077 Morrison Ave.

Councilperson Brian Powers (At-Large) listed the greatest number of employment income sources. He worked at Beachwood-based League Park Advisors, consulted for four different entities, and was an adjunct lecturer at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Interim Mayor Michael Summers disclosed the greatest number of investment sources, with involvement in 40 different mutual and equity funds and six 401k funds. He had no credit card debt of over $1,000, and most of his creditors were related to his business, Summers Rubber.

Incidentally, former Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald, who could be a little thin-skinned on the topic of financial disclosure, once again disclosed that he did some legal work for Collins and Scanlon. Between being a parent, running for a higher office, and moonlighting at a law practice, one wonders how much time he was actually able to spend at 12650 Detroit Ave. working for the people.

Check out the disclosure statements below in .PDF format:

Interim Mayor Michael Summers

Former Mayor Edward O. FitzGerald

Mary Louise Madigan (Ward 4)

Shawn Juris (Ward 3)

Thomas Bullock (Ward 2)

David Anderson (Ward 1)

Kevin Butler (Ward 1) – Update: Filed June 15th

Brian Powers (At-Large)

Ryan Nowlin (At-Large)

Nickie Antonio (At-Large)

Monique Smith (At-Large) – Update: Filed July 29th