The most recent issue of the Lakewood Observer, released Tuesday, described the Feb. 11 meeting of city council as follows:
Voters will have their say on whether or not Lakewood Hospital should be closed.
But city officials will keep citizens, and the Board of Elections, waiting for now.
These were the only firm conclusions reached at a special meeting of City Council on Thursday, February 11, which stretched more than three hours. Council President Sam O’Leary, Ward 2, called the meeting eight days after the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections reported adequate valid signatures on a petition to repeal authorization to close Lakewood Hospital. Faced with an eventual obligation to perform the repeal themselves, or else allow the referendum, council adjourned without doing either.
A second meeting held Tuesday evening changed little of this. According to cleveland.com, City Council “likely” will deal with the petition on March 7—a further three weeks’ delay. Presumably at that time, council will move on to the issue of when a referendum will take place; how long it will take members to conclude that decision-making process is anyone’s guess.
The Observer’s suggestion, that city officials remain wary of direct and transparent accountability to voters, appears valid.