CITY OF LAKEWOOD NEWS RELEASE
September 26, 2010
NEW SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON SEPTEMBER 27TH
The new Social Security Office in Lakewood is hosting an Open House on Monday, September 27, 2010 at 1:30 PM to showcase its new building. In July, the Social Security Office moved to the newly constructed building located at 17512 Detroit Avenue.
In March of 2009, Mayor FitzGerald and Congressman Kucinich announced that the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office stay in Lakewood after the office announced a regional search. Congressman Kucinich and Mayor FitzGerald strongly advocated for them to stay in Lakewood, and worked with federal administrators and developers to find a site in Lakewood.
Their advocacy retained more than 100 jobs and keeps the $4.4 Million payroll in Lakewood, with plans to expand the local workforce. In addition, the sale of the former church site turned this non-taxable property into a taxable property. Lakewood will gain from more than $120,000 in new property tax for the city and the schools.
“This is a good day for Lakewood,” stated Mayor Ed FitzGerald. “We worked hard to keep the Social Security Office here in Lakewood and it paid off. Keeping the Social Security Office in Lakewood meant keeping good-paying jobs in Lakewood – those are our constituents and paying customers to area businesses. The schools benefit too, by turning this once-untaxed property into a site that helps to fund our schools.”
In 2002, the Social Security Administration announced that they would be seeking a new location to meet their needs and they would be searching the entire west side of Cleveland. Congressman Kucinich persuaded the Social Security Administration to strictly adhere to Executive Order 12072, giving local officials greater influence in locating federal offices, and limiting their search to Lakewood. They searched for 7 years to find a suitable location in Lakewood and were having difficulty finding a location to meet all of their needs. In early 2008, the City of Lakewood’s Planning and Development Department made it a priority to find the Social Security Office a new home within Lakewood. Within six months, the City found three potential sites which met the needs of the Social Security Administration and would be beneficial for Lakewood.
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For more information, contact Nathan Kelly, Director of Planning and Development, at (216) 529-6630.
