[6:24] okay to convert gas light into electric

[6:27] and whereas his son Donald served as

[6:30] president CEO from 1982 to 1993 he grew

[6:34] a residential business and expanded into

[6:36] Light commercial industry grandson Larry

[6:38] stepped into lead from 1993 to 2008

[6:42] under his leadership the company grew to

[6:44] become the largest electrical

[6:45] contracting firm in the area and whereas

[6:48] the business is now located as at 135

[6:51] Area Boulevard and the current president

[6:54] CEO Chris has been driving the business

[6:56] Forest since 2008 and like his presor

[6:59] cessors is leaving his mark on some of

[7:01] the Region's most significant buildings

[7:03] and whereas for a 100 years connecti

[7:05] hardware and electric has been lighting

[7:06] up the capital region as a premier Union

[7:09] El electrical contractor four

[7:12] generations ofans have proudly been at

[7:14] the home of SKC hardware and electric

[7:16] and each generation has put its mark on

[7:18] the community the business has evolved

[7:20] immensely over the past 100 years and on

[7:22] October 25th they celebrated their 100y

[7:25] year

[7:27] anniversary now therefore resolve that

[7:30] SKC city council and Mayor Gary R

[7:33] McCarthy do by hereby paus into

[7:34] deliberations to graduate SKC hardware

[7:37] and electric on celebrating 100 Years of

[7:39] business in the city of concy and to

[7:41] wish them contined success for many

[7:43] years quite the accomplishment you so

[7:46] this resolution was previously passed at

[7:48] a earlier council meeting so there's no

[7:50] motion recom needed would you like to

[7:58] congratulations no it's been an honor

[8:00] working in the city my whole career and

[8:03] uh being with everybody in this room

[8:04] working together and uh keeping our

[8:06] business our employees our customers

[8:08] happy um it's very appreciative of city

[8:11] council recognize our efforts and uh I

[8:14] love being a part of the community in

[8:16] the city's connectivity

[8:18] so thank you another 100

[8:23] years I don't know about that but uh

[8:25] thank you so much for the honor we we so

[8:27] appreciate it it's been a long journey

[8:29] and um here we are 2023 100 years

[8:34] later no I guess what more could be said

[8:38] after another 100 years right like to

[8:40] present

[8:45] this take

[8:52] picture thank you

[8:58] again

[9:00] item number eight is the resolution

[9:01] recognizing breast cancer awareness

[9:03] month and I'd like to call on council

[9:04] member Patrick to present this

[9:06] resolution and if I could ask you two to

[9:08] please join us up here Madame President

[9:12] may I have the floor you have the floor

[9:13] thank

[9:15] you

[9:19] hello so breast cancer awareness month

[9:21] was actually in October um but we're

[9:24] going to recognize that uh this evening

[9:27] whereas breast cancer affects one in

[9:29] eight women in the United States every

[9:31] year and 2.3 million women worldwide and

[9:34] whereas about 30% of early stage breast

[9:37] cancers eventually metastasize spread to

[9:40] parts of the body away from the breast

[9:42] and there is a need for more research

[9:44] about Med metatastic

[9:47] disease and whereas according to the

[9:49] Centers for Disease Control and

[9:51] prevention breast cancer is the most

[9:53] common form of cancer diagnosed among

[9:55] women and the second highest cause of

[9:57] cancer death among women women and

[9:59] although not as common men can get

[10:01] breast cancer as well and whereas

[10:04] regular breast self- exams and annual

[10:06] medical exam and mammograms are

[10:08] important Tools in breast cancer

[10:09] detection especially early detection

[10:12] when cancers may be more treatable and

[10:15] whereas me mamography an x-ray of the

[10:17] human breast is recognized as the single

[10:20] most effective method of detecting

[10:22] breast changes that may be cancerous

[10:24] long before physical symptoms can be

[10:26] seen or felt and whereas in May

[10:30] 2023 the US preventive Services Task

[10:33] Force issued a draft update to its

[10:36] mamogram recommendations proposing that

[10:38] women at average risk of breast cancer

[10:40] start mammograms at age 40 and have a

[10:43] mamogram every other year and whereas if

[10:47] you are at higher than average risk for

[10:49] breast cancer have dense breast or have

[10:51] had breast cancer in the past your

[10:53] doctor May recommend that you also get

[10:55] other breast Imaging tests such as

[10:57] breast MRI or ultrasound

[10:59] and whereas in order to facilitate early

[11:02] diagnosis and prompt treatment of breast

[11:05] cancer in women and men public education

[11:08] awareness and understanding of the

[11:09] disease is necessary now therefore be it

[11:12] resolved that the connected city council

[11:15] and Mayor Gary AR McCarthy hereby pause

[11:18] in their deliberations to remind

[11:20] individuals to speak to their health

[11:22] care providers about breast cancer

[11:24] screening and in remembrance of those

[11:26] who have lost their lives to breast

[11:28] cancer and in support of those who are

[11:30] currently fighting this disease and of

[11:32] the more than 3.5 million breast cancer

[11:34] survivors in the United States um we

[11:37] pause to recognize breast cancer

[11:39] awareness month and I want to just

[11:41] mention that our skanect fire department

[11:43] has a uh Cancer Foundation our our two

[11:47] officers here are representing uh that

[11:49] here this evening and I'd love to ask

[11:51] you if you would uh take the microphone

[11:54] uh may I uh get a motion to pass this

[11:57] resolution you make the motion I'll make the motion okay and may I have a

[12:00] second second by Mr Farley all those in

[12:03] favor I motion passes

[12:11] congratulations uh tonight we're here on

[12:13] behalf of disc connected firefighters

[12:15] Cancer Foundation as everyone knows in

[12:17] this room cancer does not discriminate

[12:19] specifically breast cancer um we are

[12:22] very honored and proud to be the

[12:23] recipients of this award so thank you

[12:25] very much thank you would you like to

[12:28] see

[12:30] thank you so

[12:35] much thank you thank you thank you very

[12:37] much thank you again

[12:43] okay I'd like to ask for approval of the

[12:45] minutes from October 23rd

[12:48] 2023 mve by Mr

[12:52] Williams moved by Mr Williams second by

[12:55] Miss Patrick all those in favor I

[12:59] the clerk could please read any

[13:00] Communications and

[13:04] petitions Communications presented to

[13:06] the city council for Monday November 13

[13:08] 2023 under official from the mayor a

[13:11] list of appointments dated November 13th

[13:13] 2023 under General there were none and

[13:15] under petitions there were none thank

[13:18] you I'd like to call on council members

[13:20] to provide any committee

[13:22] reports any committee

[13:25] reports this time we'll have privilege

[13:27] of Flor related to the legislative

[13:29] agenda and I have one person signed up

[13:32] to speak Robert

[13:41] Sanders good evening mayor council

[13:44] members

[13:46] um I see uh number two original

[13:49] consideration for public hearing on uh

[13:52] the Upper Union Street um I understand

[13:55] this great leaders businesses and you

[13:57] always got to do your thing up there but

[14:01] how however where I live in woodon okay

[14:05] there's Kings Road and I'm sure you've

[14:06] heard a lot about that there's you know

[14:11] where I live in saraphi apartments

[14:13] there's Megan Gardens there's Court

[14:15] Royal there's a lot of traffic going

[14:17] down that road it's just not the traffic

[14:20] but we don't get anything like this one

[14:23] bit at all now I don't know if the wood

[14:25] laon leader has to apply for that but

[14:29] why is your union always getting it you

[14:32] know um that's my main

[14:36] question uh haven't spoken in a while so

[14:39] I'm a little bit

[14:40] nervous but it's important that on Kings

[14:44] Road there's been some things and I know

[14:47] this is

[14:48] about you know about Union Street but if

[14:50] there was another

[14:51] egress for you for the people going down

[14:55] Kings Road there would be no speeding

[14:57] problem I said that to the president at city council I texted her

[15:00] and I told her that so I wanted to say

[15:02] that and Mr parley lived over woodl for

[15:05] some time he knows what I'm saying so

[15:07] it's not woodon it's not you know Union

[15:10] Street it's bellw it's the starcade

[15:13] everybody has an issue I just wanted to

[15:15] say that it's a good idea and next year

[15:18] I think everybody should get on the

[15:19] action thank you thank

[15:23] you I have now no one else signed up to

[15:25] speak so I declared the public comment

[15:27] on the legislative agenda

[15:30] closed I'll ask for approval of the

[15:32] consent leg legislative consent

[15:36] agenda motion by Mr Farley second by m

[15:39] Mr mudar all in favor I thank

[15:57] you

[16:10] to provide information on how the number

[16:12] and location of tobacco retailers

[16:13] matters to Community Health in August I

[16:16] spoke about the disproportionate

[16:18] presence of tobacco retailers in

[16:19] low-income neighborhoods with Hamilton

[16:21] Hill having more than five times the

[16:23] tobacco retailers per capita as nkuna in

[16:27] September my colleague presented on the

[16:28] fact that low in communities have a

[16:30] higher proportion of tobacco retailers

[16:32] located near schools increasing youth

[16:34] exposure to Tobacco marketing and

[16:36] promotion and increasing the likelihood

[16:39] of tobacco use among youth in October I

[16:42] spoke about the importance of

[16:44] considering all retailers that sell

[16:45] tobacco and vape shops in the city not

[16:47] just vape and smoke shops that primarily

[16:50] sell these products today I bring you

[16:53] preliminary data gathered in the city of

[16:55] SKC that supports the fact that the

[16:57] location and density of all licensed

[16:59] tobacco retailers including convenience

[17:01] stores gas stations discount and grocery

[17:04] stores influence young people to start

[17:06] and hinder young adults who want to quit

[17:08] from

[17:09] quitting our team just completed visits

[17:12] to 31 licensed tobacco retailers located

[17:15] within 1500 ft of one or more schools

[17:18] and the highest poverty ZIP codes in the

[17:20] city of

[17:21] sken we observed an alarming number of

[17:23] violations of state law 16 were related

[17:27] to the sale of flavor Vapes containing

[17:29] nicotine which was banned by state law

[17:32] in um last year and then 19 related to

[17:36] the display of exterior tobacco ads

[17:38] which are also banned by state law

[17:40] within a th000 feet of schools all have

[17:43] been or 1500 feet of schools I'm sorry

[17:45] all have been reported to the concy

[17:46] County Public Health

[17:48] Services we also observed an alarming

[17:50] amount of marketing and promotion that

[17:52] were perfectly legal legal legal but not

[17:55] necessarily good and actually not good

[17:57] for Public Health and we observe tobacco

[18:00] displays that take up one half or more

[18:02] of the space behind the checkout counter

[18:04] in 75% of the stores we visited and

[18:07] that's important because everybody has

[18:08] to come to the checkout and that's where

[18:11] young people and people who are trying

[18:12] to quit um have to go in order to check

[18:15] out of the store we also observed

[18:17] exterior and interior ads that were

[18:19] disproportionately for flavored cigars

[18:21] and cigaros which are increasingly

[18:23] popular among high school students

[18:25] particularly among African-American male

[18:27] youth

[18:28] we also observed that all the stores

[18:31] almost all the stores sold flavored

[18:33] cigars and cigaros in packages that sell

[18:35] for $150 or less this leaves tobacco

[18:39] products that are all too affordable for

[18:41] young people and they're very sensitive

[18:44] to price and that's very

[18:46] affordable uh we're currently compiling

[18:48] a document that will provide details and

[18:50] photos of what we observed in the field

[18:52] and at a future meeting we plan to take

[18:54] you on a visual tour of that tobacco

[18:56] marketing and promotion and what

[18:58] actually looks like in the highest

[19:00] poverty neighborhoods in the city of

[19:01] skty and why it has such a profound

[19:04] impact on the people who live there we

[19:06] look forward to sharing our findings in

[19:07] more detail and welcome the opportunity

[19:09] to Dialogue on the various ways in which

[19:11] other communities across the state and

[19:13] the nation have been addressing the

[19:14] health inequities resulting from the

[19:16] abundance of tobacco marketing and

[19:17] promotion in lower income neighborhoods

[19:20] thank you so much thank

[19:23] you Robert

[19:27] Sanders

[19:31] good evening my name is Robert Sanders I

[19:32] live in the city of

[19:34] SKC

[19:35] um I would just like to follow up on the

[19:38] last speaker because uh myself I smoked

[19:41] four cigarettes my whole life long I

[19:43] don't drink it anymore I haven't drank

[19:45] five years um but cigarettes cigars all

[19:51] these things are probably no good for

[19:52] you I I smoke cigar every now and then

[19:55] but it's constitutional okay no matter

[19:58] what you think no matter how you do it

[20:00] it's constitutional you can do this now

[20:03] I'm not saying that we should put out

[20:05] ads they put out ads for gambling at the

[20:07] casino it's not the most healthiest

[20:09] thing for you but everybody has a

[20:10] freedom of choice I always hear my body

[20:13] my choice okay that's for everybody okay

[20:17] now besides just that I want to go on to

[20:21] another thing

[20:23] um you gave the uh resolution away for

[20:27] breast cancer awareness month um that

[20:29] you said was last uh month it was this

[20:33] month is for epilepsy EPS epilepsy

[20:36] awareness month okay you have the right

[20:38] colors

[20:39] on that's the color you know so um I was

[20:43] trying to find a tie that color I

[20:44] couldn't do it but I wanted to let you

[20:46] know that because so many people suffer

[20:48] from this ailment and well there's a

[20:50] month for everything and I'm sure you

[20:52] guys know it because you hand out the

[20:53] resolutions be St Patrick's Day for the

[20:56] Hibernians epilepsy is something that's

[21:00] uncontrollable okay and when I say that

[21:02] I mean it like this myself they had me

[21:04] on all this medication they had and now

[21:07] I'm down like just two pills and I've

[21:09] told them for 25 years that I was being

[21:12] overdosed not until I saw something by

[21:14] Angel Santa Barbara when he held out a

[21:16] Nar narcon thing that I know that I was

[21:20] taking too much medicine so I feel so

[21:21] much better today I am so much better

[21:24] today but it's just a stigma around

[21:27] epilepsy people neurological conditions

[21:30] you know we tend to shake a little more

[21:31] get a little nervous odd things like

[21:34] that but it is something that's major

[21:36] not only in New York state but you know

[21:39] I should have hit the lottery because

[21:40] one in a million get it one in a million

[21:42] get the lottery but it's something

[21:44] that's this month the color is purple so

[21:46] in two weeks I'll be back okay I'll see

[21:49] you all in purple have a good day thank

[21:56] you I have no one else signed up up to

[21:58] speak so I declare the public comment of

[22:00] City business

[22:01] closed this time we'll have

[22:03] miscellaneous business from the

[22:06] council Miss

[22:08] Patrick I just want to thank everyone um

[22:12] who came out to vote last week it's very

[22:14] important in our democracy that folks do

[22:16] vote so for everyone that did cast their

[22:18] vote uh thank you very much and um hope

[22:22] everyone will continue to do so in

[22:24] upcoming elections uh as the years go by

[22:27] and I just want to wish every everyone a

[22:28] Happy Thanksgiving uh coming up next

[22:30] week as well uh thank you thank you Mr

[22:35] Farley thank you madam president I just

[22:37] want to again Echo thank everyone for

[22:39] coming out to speak I think um some

[22:41] information uh that we heard today was

[22:43] uh pretty compelling that and you know I

[22:46] urge uh my uh council members and the

[22:49] broader Community to just think about

[22:51] ways that we can um increase the

[22:53] likelihood of having a healthy Community

[22:55] I for one and all I'm all about freedom

[22:57] of choice for people I also know that um

[23:00] depending on the proximity um of

[23:03] available things in your community that

[23:06] can increase your likelihood to make a

[23:08] unhealthy Choice by just mere proximity

[23:10] and we want to make sure that we're

[23:11] being mindful um that we are uh

[23:14] designing um because city is in

[23:17] continual in design more designing

[23:18] Healthy Communities by uh increasing the

[23:21] likelihood of healthy choices and um

[23:24] decreasing the likelihood of unhealthy

[23:26] choices and any time you have a

[23:28] community that it's easier to get um uh

[23:31] tobacco product than is a Apple then

[23:34] that's not really uh the type of

[23:36] community that's not the setting

[23:37] conditions for a healthy Community um

[23:39] and with that respect understanding that

[23:41] we all make unhealthy choices from time

[23:43] to time because that is with our

[23:44] prerogatives but um just being mindful

[23:46] of the setting conditions for healthy

[23:48] Community thank

[23:50] you

[23:54] mayor thank you Madame President

[23:56] appreciate everyone that came out uh

[23:58] also want to thank everyone who uh came

[24:00] out on Tuesday and voted encourage

[24:03] everyone to come out next Saturday for

[24:05] the holiday parade as we kick off the uh

[24:08] season in downtown skty come out enjoy

[24:11] the parade uh and then come back during

[24:14] the season to take advantage of the

[24:16] venues and the different activities that

[24:18] are happening not only in downtown but

[24:20] throughout the city of SKC thank you

[24:22] madam president thank you I'd also like

[24:25] to thank everyone that came out tonight

[24:26] and also to all of the voters that came

[24:28] out to uh take part in doing their civic

[24:31] um Duty and I'd like to congratulate uh

[24:34] the reelected council members as well as

[24:36] our council member elect Joe manini and

[24:38] also it's the mayor to uh on being

[24:40] reelected so um as we move forward we

[24:43] have other things to do and for those of

[24:45] you are watching earlier I'm just going

[24:46] to mention that we are still in our

[24:48] budget

[24:49] talks and uh we do have another meeting

[24:51] coming up but we anticipate that it will

[24:53] be done within the week that's that's

[24:56] our anticipation I have to to say we are

[24:58] much closer than we've been in weeks so

[25:01] uh keep I know that people have been

[25:03] sending at least to me comments and you

[25:05] know what things they're they have to

[25:08] say about how we're doing on the budget

[25:09] so you know continue to do that um but

[25:12] you know our goal is to do the absolute

[25:14] best budget for our city residents our

[25:17] businesses that are here and also to

[25:20] make sure that we um we are able to

[25:22] carry on the business of the city so uh

[25:24] just know that we are continuing to do

[25:26] that work and i' just like to say Happy

[25:29] Thanksgiving to everyone and with that

[25:31] I'll ask for a motion to adjourn move by

[25:34] Miss Patrick second by Mr M all in favor

[25:38] we're adjourn thank

[25:42] you have nice

[25:56] Thanksgiving

Schenectady City Council Meeting, November 13, 2023

Transcript