Lawrence Wilson
This and the next one may be a bit long as I would like to get the last meeting covered before the next one. Hopefully more clarity on some points going in?
Council Comments began with
Mr. Elam: How much are the B&O arrears?
Mr. Skogstad: Under a couple of thousand dollars. Some businesses are struggling, but have to do what you don't want to do.
Mr. Leach: The remaining structure at the J.M. site is on the ground. Steel is going to Pittsburg.
Mr. Conley: On the agenda for the 27th, want the reduction of the PD Fee to $2.02 for every Citizen. I asked for this on this meeting and it did not happen. (This is where if true, Ms. Smith is again not doing her job. She does not have the authority to decide what does or not go on the Agenda. This holds for Mr. Rapp also. It need go on the Agenda and the Council as a Whole is supposed to determine validity/ value of the item? One could call this incompetence or maybe Socialism, you make your pick)?
Mr. Conley than noted the arrears at the 12th St location? (It is interesting that nothing has come up before on this as the only occupant there is supposedly OVU with its water testing site? The supposed Solar Panel Company never seemed to materialize? So who is in arrears)? Than a comment I believe by Mr. Rapp that they are going to pay in full. If not, the Atty., ready to take action. (Somewhere, something is not right? We continue to be in the Rental Business and the Real Estate business. Neither with very good results).
Mr. Conley: Teamwork, get along. But there is always an attempt to silence my voice. You (Mr. Rapp), tried to tell me that I had to get on the Agenda to speak. Got that fixed, but an attempt to tell me not to go to Ami (Finance Director), for Finance questions? Instead am supposed to go to Mr. Leach? He is Finance Director (No, he is Budget Committee Head, Ms. Roberts is as noted above the Finance Director.) So that is the way it is. This week asked a simple question that had nothing to do with Finance. Told that you had directed that Department Head to go through Leach? You tell us to work with Department Heads, scolded us because we don't got to them? But than told to go to Leach. You are the Mayor, Leach just one member of Council like the rest of us. He is not any higher than the rest of us. Just one Vote like any of us. This is not P'burg with Mayor and a Council President. Last week, you made a comment to make my point so we can move on? Other people speaking more than I did?
But you singled me out to say "make your point, so we can move on". I am scolded because I call Derrick Hancock to get information that we still don't have. (When one is "scolding", it is when speaking to a child, not an Adult Male and for sure a Man. This might well show the maturity of several members of Council?)Two weeks ago, what was thought to be an update turned out to be more as a Political Ad than an update? The paper says JM passed muster? But what are the results? Every time I bring something up, you shut me down? Make me go through hoops.
Mr. Leach: JM is now at the Public Comment phase. Has been drafted and circulated to DEP. It has to be published in paper for 30 days than a meeting has to occur.
As for the questions being directed to me. That has arose just recently as a result of a decision in an Executive Session. (Now in that little four minute Exec. Sess., they came out stating no decisions had been made. It was a Personnel Matter. This seems a disclosure of that secret meeting and very possibly a violation of the Open Governmental Meetings Act)? I hope it is going to be a short term situation? If we do not treat our Dept. Heads with respect, we can say we agree with this or that we don't. Once the Council decides, than we move on. The request from Conley was answered the same day. Reasons are there is an expense to everything and if we are parsing every penny and I am just as entitled to look at as anyone. (The above is absolutely incorrect. In Government, not everyone is supposed to see, read, hear and know everything going on. There are times when too many knowing something is going to be a limiter on what is in process. All come together at various points to determine a process and what will be done and if so when? The above reference Executive Session is a prime example of eight people knowing the chaos that is going on in the City Administration and not all of us, until now)? I would like to work with everyone else.
Mr. Elam and I are going to sit down and talk about some things (Mr. Elam will get sandbagged the same way Mr. Conley did with Mr. Skogstad- you can bet on that.). With the JM issues, I felt blind sided on the NTDES (?). Don't want us to not come to Council Meetings because they are contentious. (I can say with almost 6 years of watching, that it would not happen if Mr. Rapp would be more Truthful and let some transparency in on his shenanigans).
To have the Department Heads feel they are being targeted, It is right at Council to question function of the City. Need to be respectful and not use pejorative terms (Definition by Miriam- Webster: Pejorative definition is - a word or phrase that has negative connotations or that is intended to disparage or belittle.) No one here from the NEWS tonight. This is our business, we will meet you half way Roger.
Mr. Conley: I think if we have good enough Dept. Heads, that if I have a question as you have always said Mayor, to go to the Dept. Head and ask the question? Without having to have my question screened? I don't work that way. If we have Dept. Heads not capable and I don't think that we do, who are not able to answer my questions, than we have the wrong Dept. Heads?
If I have a question of a Dept. Head, I am not going to go through another Councilman to do it. If she can answer it, than Mr. Leash is right. He has as much right to see it as I do. Whatever her answer is, I have no secrets. When I put the questions out, I will respond too all of you, if that is what you want?
Mr. Skogstad: Lets' not go down a side issue. I don't want you doing E-mail or Texts. Cannot have conversations with them. Are violations of the Open Meetings Act. Passing info back and forth is okay.
Mr. Conley: But nothing wrong with me using an E-mail to ask a question from a Dept. Head?
Mr. Skogstad: There is not unless it is a policy. I am not going to get into that. Right now, you have an issue with one Dept. Head.
Mr. Conley: I am talking about a totally different Dept. Head., not that one.
Mr. Skogstag: The Mayor will dictated the Policy on how he wants Council to interact. If policy now is to go through a Council member, than that is Policy. I don't comment on wisdom of Policies. Dept. Head has no obligation to speak with any Councilman except when Council is meeting. It is up to the Mayor, if a person has to go through liaison, than that is it.
Mr. Conley: So you are saying that Mayor can tell a Dept. Head to not talk to a Council Member?
Mr. Skogstad: Until that is changed, it is the Policy.
Mr. Conley: We have a lot of things we need to work on and change in the very near future.
Mr. Leach: First thing is our ability to communicate as a Council. It is not in our interest to deny information to anyone.
Mr. Conley: Everything I do is with complete transparency. Don't like meeting with one person than another. I don't like idea of FOIAs. We should just thank one for being interested and tell them what they are after. (Mr. Conley is so naïve'). What we are doing now looks black. Nothing transparent about it, it is just black.
I see the Agenda for the 27th Council Meeting is out about 3:30 PM today- Monday 24th.
Will try to finish this up tomorrow- Wednesday. 'nuff said'