Letter to Residents from Lakewood Councilman Tom Bullock

Of all the places I’ve visited or lived, Lakewood is special. There’s a palpable sense of community and possibility here. It’s not just the houses and the Lake—it’s the people: we’re neighborly, committed, talented and welcoming. It’s where everyone can find a home and a rich life—families, retirees, and young people just getting started. And it’s in places like Lakewood where I believe our country’s problems get solved. We can’t do everything, but we can get started on a lot—solve it for ourselves and share a ripple of hope with others.

And I know many of you feel this, too.

That’s why every day I’ve served, I’ve felt inspired and privileged, and it’s why I’m as energized today as when I was first sworn in three mayors ago to keep working on behalf of our city.

I’m committed to our town, and I am working every day to:

• keep Lakewood safe, clean, family-friendly and welcoming to people of all ethnicities, religions, races, and backgrounds;
• continue investment in our parks, including sports fields, so every square inch is beautiful, functional, and highly used;
• care for our historic buildings and improve neighborhood quality;
• build on our strength as a walkable streetcar town to make our city green and healthy—a place where health happens in neighborhoods;
• keep our commercial corridors vibrant and support our unique, artisan shops and small business entrepreneurs—the envy of other cities; and
• attract and shape major commercial development so it adds vitality, new residents, and new customers while fitting within Lakewood’s context.

Over the last ten years, Lakewood has flourished, but we can’t take it for granted that our community will always grow and improve. We have to work at it: be disciplined, diligent, and continuously improving.

I’m running for reelection to protect and continue Lakewood’s momentum. City Hall has recently undergone enormous turnover in leadership, and experience on City Council plays a vital role in maintaining our commitment to fiscal discipline, core city services, well-maintained infrastructure, and quality neighborhoods. It's upon this foundation that we can also innovate so our city is improving and adding vitality every year.

We can keep Lakewood moving forward with the right mix of experience and vision: not looking backwards, but always practicing the smart government that brought success to Lakewood and always learning from the best cities, implementing their ideas fit to Lakewood, and tapping the expertise of our skilled and dynamic citizenry--who have always answered the call and are Lakewood’s true strength.

I love our city. And I love all of you. I look forward to continuing our work together to make Lakewood the best city in Ohio.

Your neighbor,

Tom Bullock