The View from Ward 2: Issue #27

New Planning and Development Director

At the Committee of the Whole meeting we were introduced to Mayor George’s appointment to the position of Director of Planning & Development, Shawn Leninger. Mr. Leninger shared his experience and vision for the department. He is a certified planner, previously served as the Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and has a broad range of experience. I enjoyed getting to know him. am confident that Mr. Leninger will competently lead the Planning Department and I look forward to working with him.

Face Covering Resolution

At tonight’s City Council Meeting, we will be debating a resolution that would require the use of face coverings and reduce interior occupancy of our businesses by 50%. The purpose of this resolution is to provide the ability of our safety forces to better enforce the State’s recommendations and make violations a civil penalty (a fine) rather than a criminal one.

You can find the proposed resolution on page 34 of the agenda. This resolution will likely see changes prior to adoption. There are two sections of this resolution that I would like to see modified. First, I would like to see the face covering mandate to be effective for the duration of the emergency. In its present form, the face covering mandate is only effective if Cuyahoga County is at Risk Level 3 or 4. Second, I would like to see the blanket 50% decrease in interior occupancy replaced with language making it mandatory for business to follow the “mandatory” requirements enumerated in the State’s Sector Specific Operating Requirements. Many Lakewood businesses have invested in safety measures to comply with these requirements. For example, some restaurants have installed plexiglass dividers between tables, allowing for physical separation without eliminating as many tables.

Citizens for a Sustainable Lakewood

Last Thursday, I participated in a townhall hosted by Michael Fodor, Glenn Campbell, and Maggie Sullivan of Citizens for a Sustainable Lakewood. Councilmembers Sarah Kepple, Tristan Rader, Tess Neff, and I listened to the participants recommendations and answered questions about how Lakewood plans to reach our goal of 100% clean, renewable energy by 2025 for the city government and by 2035 for the city overall. My colleagues and I were encouraged by the engagement and will work to enact policies that will help us meet Lakewood’s sustainability goals.

Paid for by Friends of Jason Shachner

Email me at:
Jason.Shachner@lakewoodoh.net

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