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[14:15] like to call to order the city Caucus
[14:18] meeting for Monday July 24th 2023
[14:22] we have four items for original
[14:24] consideration if the clerk would please
[14:26] read item number one item number one for
[14:29] original consideration a resolution
[14:30] calling for a public hearing on a
[14:32] moratorium on smoke and vape shops and
[14:35] similar uses in the city of Schenectady
[14:37] for purposes of developing modifications
[14:39] to the zoning ordinance regarding such
[14:41] uses
[14:42] discussed in committee with objection on
[14:44] consent item number two item number two
[14:47] for final consideration a resolution
[14:49] authorizing the abandonment of a portion
[14:50] of large Street
[14:52] this will be Mr palomini roll call
[14:55] be a roll call vote
[14:58] item number three for original
[15:01] consideration a resolution authorizing
[15:03] an amendment to the collective
[15:05] bargaining agreement 2021-2025 between
[15:07] the city of Schenectady and afscme
[15:10] Council 66 local 1037a
[15:13] discussed and committee without
[15:15] objection on consent item number four for original
[15:19] consideration a resolution amending
[15:21] resolution
[15:22] 2023-136 regarding an endorsement of the
[15:26] Schenectady Inner City
[15:30] clinical conservation for the Southern
[15:32] Pine Community recovery program Grant
[15:34] discussing committee with objection and
[15:36] our consent
[15:39] if there's nothing else to come before
[15:40] the city council caucus I ask for a
[15:42] motion to adjourn move Aaron
[15:54] Reverend James konicky for the prayer
[15:56] invocation
[16:04] Heavenly Father we come before thee in
[16:07] our need grant that we welcome the
[16:10] stranger the Immigrant for we once were
[16:13] as well Strangers In a Strange Land
[16:16] grant that the scourge of addiction and
[16:19] addiction-related deaths be removed from
[16:21] our city provide healing where needed
[16:23] and comfort for survivors as well in thy
[16:27] great grace help us in accomplishing our
[16:30] common mission of service to your people
[16:32] give us always thy Abundant Blessings
[16:34] amen
[16:36] like to call council member Patrick who
[16:38] is the Pledge I pledge allegiance to the
[16:41] flag of the United States
[16:45] [Music]
[16:47] one nation under God indivisible with
[16:52] liberty and justice for all thank you
[17:01] if the clerk would please read the I'll
[17:03] call the roll
[17:06] Mr muchiveran
[17:08] Mr Farley
[17:12] absent Mr Williams is absent Miss
[17:15] Patrick
[17:16] Mr palamini Miss Porterfield here
[17:22] the clerk would be please read excuse me
[17:24] I've asked for approval for minutes of
[17:26] July 20 July 10 2023.
[17:31] mobile Miss Patrick second by Mr
[17:32] musubair all in favor thank you
[17:36] the clerk would please read any
[17:37] Communications and petitions
[17:46] Communications presented to the city
[17:48] council for Monday July 24 2023 under
[17:51] official there were none under General
[17:53] an email from Mark Baker president of
[17:56] the soft lights Foundation regarding the
[17:58] health hazard of LED street lights and
[18:00] under positions there were none
[18:02] thank you as council members for any
[18:05] committee reports
[18:09] we have announced privilege of the floor
[18:11] related to the legislative agenda and I
[18:14] have no one signed up to speak
[18:18] so I will declare the public comment on
[18:20] the legislative agenda closed
[18:23] ask for approval of the legislative
[18:26] consent agenda
[18:28] so
[18:30] moved by Mr motiver and second by Miss
[18:32] Patrick all in favor
[18:35] we do have a roll call vote
[18:37] we have a resolution
[18:40] if the clerk would please read item
[18:41] number
[18:43] two for final consideration
[18:46] a resolution authorizing the abandonment
[18:48] of a portion of large Street
[18:55] I'd like to move that make a motion that
[18:58] we table this item so that the language
[19:00] could be updated
[19:03] second all right all those in favor
[19:05] excuse me roll call
[19:11] Miss Patrick
[19:12] all right aye
[19:15] all right the motion path
[19:20] privilege of the floor regarding General
[19:22] City business
[19:23] I have seven people who are signed up to
[19:25] speak
[19:26] just to remind speakers that
[19:29] the time limit is three minutes
[19:32] first person is Ed Levin Jr
[19:39] good evening Mr Mayor Cherry woman at
[19:41] Porterfield council members Mr Mayor you
[19:43] are responsible for reinforcement of the
[19:45] law in the city and to ensure Justice
[19:47] you are mandated by your oath of office
[19:49] and the Constitution look into my
[19:51] complaint of obstruction of justice and
[19:54] treason by these three judges
[19:56] you and these council members are
[19:57] obstructing justice by covering up these
[19:59] crimes committed by these corrupt judges
[20:02] keeping me out of the newspaper on my
[20:04] ethics complaint is not ensuring Justice
[20:06] it is a cover-up
[20:08] and a conspiracy would probably be my
[20:10] constitutional rights it is also a crime
[20:12] committed by everyone in front of me
[20:14] please don't look into this I want you
[20:17] all to go down with valetico because you
[20:20] are all corrupt and you all belong in
[20:22] jail for obstruction of justice
[20:25] judges oath of office include the
[20:27] undertaking to uphold the laws and
[20:29] Constitution of the United States any
[20:32] judge violating such undertaking loses
[20:35] jurisdiction resulting in his orders
[20:36] being void and he himself commits a
[20:39] reasonable offense against the United
[20:40] States
[20:43] federal offense in the United States
[20:45] mispersion of treason is a federal
[20:47] offense committed when someone who has
[20:50] knowledge of the commission of any
[20:51] treason against the United States
[20:52] conceals such knowledge and does not
[20:54] inform the president federal judge State
[20:57] Governor or a state judge
[21:00] which none of you have done
[21:02] thank you
[21:05] Wayne Harper
[21:09] Mr Harper
[21:11] okay Matt nelligan
[21:17] okay Mr Harper is here
[21:25] I'm not up to speed
[21:27] hey John
[21:30] look I'm going to ask Gary there to give
[21:32] me a hand
[21:34] I want to talk to the folks that do the
[21:37] grass seeding
[21:38] where that hydrant was taken out months
[21:40] ago
[21:41] it needs some attention and I don't want
[21:44] to I want to speak to the people that
[21:45] actually do it
[21:47] so that we can have a discussion about
[21:49] it
[21:51] um so you could tell Donna
[21:55] I don't know I don't want him to just
[21:57] come I want him to call me I think
[21:59] that'd be the proper thing call get a
[22:02] hold of me we'll set up a time and then
[22:04] I can meet with the people that actually
[22:05] do the work
[22:07] what do you think you just can nod your
[22:09] head
[22:10] no you can't say nothing
[22:13] uh
[22:15] yeah I think I'll leave it there I've
[22:17] had a rough day
[22:19] okay thank you thank you
[22:23] Matt nelligan
[22:31] thank you president Porterfield
[22:33] right up the street at this very moment
[22:35] the skanky County Legislature is finally
[22:37] declaring a state of emergency regarding
[22:39] the New York City migrant crisis that's
[22:41] been going on for months now in the
[22:42] state of New York
[22:43] exactly two months to the day I called
[22:45] upon mayor McCarthy to put forward a
[22:47] resolution declaring a state of
[22:48] emergency here in the city
[22:50] he did nothing
[22:51] hundreds of undocumented immigrants now
[22:53] sit on our doorstep at the Super 8 hotel
[22:54] they came as I predicted they would
[22:56] courtesy of the Democratic mayor of New
[22:58] York City Eric Adams
[23:00] still mayor McCarthy did nothing
[23:03] Glenville passed a resolution calling on
[23:05] the county to act on this matter still
[23:07] we did nothing
[23:08] doing nothing it seems is what we do
[23:10] best at this point some of the city did
[23:12] do something however a gentleman named
[23:14] Danny alasha he owns the Schenectady in
[23:16] the Suites
[23:18] or on the same time the Rotterdam Hotel
[23:19] displaced American citizens some of them
[23:22] homeless some of them destitute
[23:25] to replace them with undocumented
[23:27] immigrants Danny was offered the same
[23:28] deal by the city of New York
[23:30] he said no
[23:32] the only reason we're not in the same
[23:34] position today is Rotterdam tonight is
[23:36] the courage of Danny alasha if our
[23:38] do-nothing mayor had his way we would be
[23:40] dealing with the same crisis that
[23:41] Rotterdam is right now
[23:43] this will not be a new Schenectady until
[23:45] we have a new mayor thank you
[23:49] Tom Kennedy
[23:52] [Music]
[23:57] good evening everyone
[24:00] my name is Tom Kennedy I live in
[24:01] Woodlawn
[24:02] you know I watched uh with some trepidation in the last committee
[24:10] meeting we had
[24:11] and maybe you had I'm sorry and
[24:16] there was discussion about changing
[24:19] the zoning laws for the new
[24:22] location of the Cannabis place
[24:25] now
[24:26] for those of people who aren't familiar
[24:29] with it there are
[24:31] a lot of residents that are
[24:33] don't like where it's at now
[24:36] there's nothing we can do about that horse is out of the barn
[24:40] I was just at my doctor's today and he
[24:42] told me that there's some people and he
[24:44] lives he's a doctor on Union Street
[24:46] there's some people that won't walk on
[24:48] that side of the street because they're intimidating this is usually the
[24:53] older uh older residents
[24:55] uh
[24:58] if you take a look at right next to it
[25:00] there's a picture
[25:01] there's a dance studio there and then
[25:04] there's a salon on the other side you
[25:07] can't see it but there's an elementary
[25:08] school very close to there
[25:10] so I think
[25:13] for those people who were in this
[25:16] Council
[25:18] who kept talking about lenses
[25:20] there's only one lens that we should
[25:22] have and that lens should be the
[25:25] residence of Schenectady
[25:30] the problem that we have is that every
[25:32] time I come in this place we're looking
[25:35] at the wrong lens
[25:37] the lens here is that we have to make
[25:39] sure that the kids
[25:41] that the older people
[25:44] that people have businesses in Union
[25:46] Street
[25:48] Unfortunately they have to live with
[25:50] that there
[25:52] but let's not have that again and I'm
[25:54] being told the next place is downtown
[25:55] Schenectady
[25:57] and I don't care if some council member
[25:59] here watch one of those buddies to have
[26:02] a place down on on State Street that's
[26:05] not where it should be that's for
[26:07] families and for residents
[26:10] and businesses
[26:12] and I tell you
[26:13] well we better start looking at is the
[26:16] nuisance that this marijuana is causing
[26:19] in this city because I don't think
[26:20] anybody could walk around here on summer
[26:22] league it was absolutely disgusting you
[26:25] couldn't go anywhere without smelling
[26:27] marijuana
[26:28] and that you had kids with babies you
[26:30] had a young uh girls with babies in
[26:33] their hand that had to suck in that
[26:35] smoke is ridiculous
[26:37] so I understand that you know that the
[26:41] Democrats you know thought it would be a
[26:43] good idea to do uh marijuana as a recreation thing
[26:50] I only have to find some way to spend
[26:51] you know find money to spend on their
[26:53] spending tax
[26:55] agenda
[26:57] but I would hope that this city council
[26:59] would put the residents of a city of
[27:02] Schenectady first
[27:03] and make sure that the next place if God
[27:07] forbid there is a next place
[27:09] that it's in a position where it doesn't
[27:11] impede business or affect children
[27:15] and or older residents
[27:18] and that's my only message tonight thank
[27:20] you thank you
[27:23] Rod Huber
[27:30] hello everybody I was here for maybe
[27:32] about a month ago and I talked about
[27:35] some things and I didn't get a call back
[27:37] from anyone am I chaplicker or what you
[27:41] know it's just awful
[27:44] my main concern is the roads
[27:46] nobody does anything
[27:49] you get 10 million dollars for a pool
[27:52] that you're going to use three months
[27:55] where are the taxpayers what are we
[27:58] going to get out of it anything and they
[28:01] call this new Schenectady really all
[28:04] they care about is at the casino and
[28:05] maybe Upper Union Street and whatever
[28:09] but I wish somebody would call me maybe
[28:11] we can get a plan in place and another
[28:14] thing it's too bad that these Council
[28:16] meetings aren't televised anymore
[28:18] because then the rest of the taxpayers
[28:22] would know what is going on
[28:24] it's very sad
[28:26] everybody have a good night thank you
[28:29] I'm sorry I know that you're leaving but
[28:31] I just want you to know that the council
[28:32] these Council meetings are televised
[28:35] they are televised
[28:39] um
[28:40] yeah it is but it's not 16 anymore but I
[28:42] if you leave your name and a phone
[28:45] number I can tell you how you can get it
[28:47] okay
[28:48] all right thank you
[28:52] Robin Barnhill
[29:01] good evening everyone
[29:03] um this is I'm Robin this is my husband
[29:06] Jerry
[29:08] um we live in Schenectady over 25 years
[29:10] and we own a house on Locust Avenue a
[29:14] beautiful home
[29:15] we spend a lot of money updating it and
[29:19] the reason why we're here because and
[29:21] I've been fighting this battle for over
[29:23] a year because we have a huge tree which
[29:26] is the city tree and it's overgrown and
[29:30] it's
[29:31] leaning on top of our roof and also
[29:35] I've lived in eight we live in 803
[29:37] locusts so 801 is actually that bad
[29:42] where the tree the limb of the tree is
[29:46] hitting
[29:47] the neighbor window and when it's a
[29:49] windy day out right and that's where her
[29:52] son bedroom is it's actually hitting the
[29:55] glass window
[29:56] and um I'm not asking for the treat if
[30:00] you cut down because I was told I went
[30:02] to General Services out on the first
[30:04] floor and like in the corner and I was
[30:06] told that it was a healthy tree that
[30:08] they would not put it down we're not
[30:09] asking for the city to cut down the
[30:12] healthy tree what we are acting is for
[30:14] them to at least trim it
[30:17] you know I'm like past the retirement
[30:21] age so I'm still working and I want to
[30:24] retire within the next year and I don't
[30:26] want to have to worry about
[30:28] the damage from the roof
[30:32] so I'm asking the city to please trim it
[30:35] and like I said I've been going back and
[30:38] forth over a year
[30:41] so that's what I'm asking
[30:43] thank you thank you
[30:49] Jamaica miles
[30:59] good evening I'm happy to have this
[31:01] opportunity to come and speak tonight
[31:03] and there are so many things to talk
[31:04] about but I'm gonna try to keep it brief
[31:05] one I'd like to remind folks I'm a proud
[31:08] business owner here in the city of
[31:09] Schenectady as a matter of fact our
[31:11] office is right across the street
[31:13] um and as a business owner it has been
[31:17] an interesting journey to recognize what
[31:19] it means to be a business owner here in
[31:20] the city of Schenectady and I appreciate
[31:22] that on Union Street there has been
[31:24] increased traffic and so I imagine that
[31:26] business owners want increased traffic
[31:28] for the individuals to come and stop at
[31:30] their shops and know what's happening
[31:31] going on there because we look for
[31:34] opportunities for individuals to invest
[31:36] in Schenectady and to open businesses so
[31:38] I hope that we can continue to do that
[31:40] with any multitude of businesses as it
[31:43] comes to the safety of our children we
[31:45] have bars and restaurants all throughout
[31:46] this city
[31:48] also people smoke cigarettes I don't
[31:51] like the smell of smoke not even one
[31:52] little bit not any cigarette or any type
[31:55] of smoke but I recognize that when we
[31:57] are in public places outside of our
[31:59] parks where children are and no one is
[32:01] supposed to smoke anything that we've
[32:03] not come to a position where we can just
[32:05] stop people from smoking walking down
[32:07] the street unfortunately that's not
[32:09] where we are but more importantly I want
[32:12] to talk about what's happening on Becker Street between Brandywine and
[32:16] Snowden it has long been known that
[32:19] speeding and aggressive driving happens
[32:21] down that street
[32:22] constantly on a daily basis Sean Young
[32:26] sent an email he's unfortunately not
[32:28] able to be here this evening talking
[32:30] about the most recent accidents that
[32:32] have happened one in June a child from
[32:36] Central Park was hit by a car
[32:39] child was hit by a car the good news is
[32:42] that child recovered she was able to
[32:44] return to school it was not just the
[32:46] trauma of that child but also of her
[32:48] friends who then were in fear oh my
[32:51] goodness is she going to be okay are we
[32:53] going to be okay and then let's go back
[32:55] just a couple weekends ago where at the
[32:58] corner of Linden and Becker two cars
[33:00] collided ended up on the property of a
[33:03] home at the corner of Becker and Linden
[33:05] inside that home less than 20 feet from
[33:08] where the cars were
[33:10] laid
[33:11] Roman miles Malia miles a mean Lane
[33:15] Aaliyah Lane and Emilian Lane five
[33:20] children were inside that building just
[33:23] feet away from two cars that crashed
[33:27] through a gate destroying the property
[33:29] just inches from the front door
[33:34] individuals have asked that speed humps
[33:36] be added onto Becker Street as well as
[33:39] additional stop signs there are plenty
[33:41] of police that police that area on a
[33:43] regular basis they are not stopping the
[33:45] cars at all hours of day but the humps
[33:48] that exist over about MLK they stop cars
[33:51] from going quickly we need those same
[33:53] humps on Becker Street and I am sure
[33:55] there are countless other streets in
[33:56] this city that would benefit from those
[33:58] humps as well so if safety of our
[34:00] children and our community and the
[34:02] property is a priority for this Council
[34:04] and our mayor please look at how quickly
[34:07] we can add speed humps to Becker Street
[34:10] as well as additional stop signs thank
[34:12] you
[34:17] I have no one else signed up to speak
[34:20] so I declare the Public Public comment
[34:23] on City business closed
[34:26] miscellaneous business of the council
[34:31] no one okay mayor it's all you
[34:36] thank you madam president I appreciate
[34:38] everyone when they come out in their
[34:39] thoughts and comments for the city I
[34:41] just want to remind people that uh we
[34:44] are preparing to hold an open
[34:46] competitive exam for police officers in
[34:49] the city of Schenectady both the
[34:51] generalist and then Spanish-speaking
[34:53] officers the last day to file for that
[34:56] exam is July 31st and the exam is going
[35:00] to be held on September 9th so we
[35:03] encourage individuals who are interested
[35:06] in a career in law enforcement working
[35:07] for the city to file for the applic or
[35:10] file the application for the exam take
[35:12] the exam and hopefully that we'll be
[35:15] able to hire him and they can join our
[35:17] Police Department thank you madam
[35:18] president thank you mayor I also would
[35:20] like to thank everyone for coming out
[35:22] tonight to voicing your concerns and I
[35:25] did mention at the last committee
[35:27] meeting about we all did get the email
[35:29] regarding the speeding and the accidents
[35:31] plural that happens on Becker street so
[35:35] um as I said then I'm not sure exactly
[35:36] what we could do about because the our
[35:38] city Engineers says that we have have to
[35:40] have traffic studies and all of that but
[35:41] I think we're in a very crucial time
[35:43] right now because we're seeing speeding
[35:45] all over the city so
[35:47] um I have to look into what can be done
[35:49] more immediately and definitely that's a
[35:51] conversation with the mayor I would like
[35:53] to miss um Mrs Barnhill I will refer the
[35:57] your concern onto the department that
[36:01] would take care of that and we could see
[36:03] hopefully we can get that taken care of
[36:07] just want to again thank everyone for
[36:09] coming wish you a good evening
[36:12] oh yes
[36:15] fifth Monday next Monday so there will
[36:17] be no meeting so everybody gets the
[36:19] Monday off and of course we'll be back
[36:22] here in August
[36:24] with that ask for a motion to adjourn
[36:28] Ed by Mr motiveran second by Miss
[36:30] Patrick all those in favor I we are
[36:32] adjourned have a good evening