[Music]
I'd like to call to order the city
Caucus meeting
I'd like to call to order the city
Caucus meeting for Monday April 22nd
2024 we have two public hearings this
evening if the clerk would please read
public hearing number one regarding the
Restore New York round 8 Grant
application public hearing number two regarding the
addition of Section
26411 3 of The Connect city code
regarding the regulation and location of
smoke shops vape shops hookah loues and
vape consumption businesses we have 14
items for original consideration if the
clerk would please read item number one for original
consideration resolution authorized on
the mayor to accept a
$3,588 trust building programming Grant
from the New York State Department of
Criminal Justice Services discussing
committee with objection on consent item
number two item number two for original
consideration a resolution authorizing a 2024 budget reallocation related to an
agreement between the city of skty and
IBEW Local 236 discussed in committee
with objection on consent item number
three item number three for original
consideration a resolution authorizing a
2024 budget reallocation related to an
agreement between the city of skincity
and
NRC of carpenter Carpenters Local 51
Union discuss in committee with
objection on consent item number four for original
consideration a res solution authorizing
a 2024 budget reallocation related to an
agreement between the city of skincity
and Trade union dc9 painters Brook
layers lu2 and Plum plumber
lu7 discuss in committee without
objection on consent item number five for original
consideration a resolution approving
change order number two and the increase
of okano Electric's current contract
with the city of skincity for the
Central Park Pool discussed in committee
with objection on consent item number six item number six for original
consideration a resolution authorizing a
contract with young parents United
Incorporated in the amount of
$98,000 in 2018 Community Development
block grant funding discussed in
committee with objection on consent item
number seven item number seven for
original consideration a resolution
authorizing the mayor to amend schedu a
of the cooperation agreement with the
concy urban renewal agency and the land
reutilization Corporation of the Capital
District to list additional properties
discussed in committee without objection
on consent item number eight item number
eight for original consideration a
resolution authorizing and amending
resolution
20248 authorizing the granting of a
license for a vacant lot on 902 McCullen
Street for
$2,500 discussed in committee with the
objection on consent item number nine for original
consideration a resolution authorizing a
settlement of a claim by duk T Ro
discussed in committee with objection on
consent item number 10 item number 10
for original consideration a resolution
authorizing settlement of a claim by
Pamela labre discussed in committee with
an objection on consent item number 11 for original
consideration a resolution recognizing
Friday April 26 20124 as Arbor Day in
the city of
SKC um discuss the committee without
objection on consent this item will be
presented at an Arbor Day celebration on
February excuse me on April 26th at Bale
community garden item number 12 item
number 12 for original consideration a
resolution recognizing John kuchu for
his 35 years of service to the city of
SKC discussed in committee with
objection on consent this item will be presented at a later date item number
13 item number 13 under contract and
Supply a resolution awarding the bid and
contract for the purchase of solar
powered radar speed signs discussed in
committee with objection on consent item
number 14 item number 14 under contract
and Supply a resolution awarding the bid
and contract for the Gulf Road water
main replacement to Newcastle Paving LLC
in the amount of
$310,100 consent if there's nothing more
to come before the city council caucus
I'd ask for a motion to
adjourn move by m Patrick second by Mr M
Baron all those in favor I we are
adjourned I'd like to call the city
council meeting to order for Monday
April 22nd 2024
and I'd like to call on Pastor gnap from
the Deeper Life Assembly to uh lead us
in the prayer
invocation come to you in no other name
but the might name of Jesus and Lord
today God we lift up our cities connect
before you I pray God that you will make
this city oh God the head in this are oh
God that you have placed oh God great
leaders our mayor our president oh God
and those who are working diligently oh
God to make connect a better place I
pray my God that scnc will be a place
that is set upon a hill Oh God that
cannot be hidden I pray God that good
things will come out of connect I pray
God that Every curse that is placed upon
connect God will be broken in the name
of Jesus J I take authority God over
every Spirit oh God that is ruling and
reigning Inc and I cast it out in the
name of Jesus uh Lord today I lift up
our leaders before you I pray God that
you will give our leaders wisdom
knowledge and understanding oh God that
they will able to rule oh God in this
city I pray father that this city will
be a place of Peace of joy of happiness
Lord where people will live oh God in
the freedom the grace and the favor of
you Lord I speak oh God that connect
will be a place oh God where the light
will shine and many will come oh God to
live in Connect Lord I pray God that
your spirit will move you will reain oh
God you will open up the windows of
heaven and you will bless connect God
Lord that great buildings oh God will be
put up and people oh God will inherit
the benefit of this place father I pray
today God that your favor will fall your
joy your happiness and your peace will
move in the lives of your people Lord I
pray God that you will bless our mayor
oh God Lord that he will make right
decisions oh God for our city I pray God
that you will send the right people that
will surround His Life uh that will back
him with his vision Lord I pray that you
will send great men and wom that will
surround him God I pray God that you
will cover his life under your blood
cover every leaders our president to God
you will cover every local member under
your blood I give you praise and I give
you thanks bless everyone that is
present here God in no other name but
the mighty name of Jesus I ask amen and
amen praise the
Lord amen um I would ask Chief Marino to
please Le Us in the Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge
alleg United States of
America
stand thank
you if the clerk could please complete
the Roll Call
Mr
Soro Mr Farley is absent Mr
manini Mr
muon Miss
Patrick Mr
Williams M Porterfield here we have two
public hearings this
evening and just a reminder that we've
extended the public comment period for
the public hearing to four
minutes want to read it number one
public hearing number one regarding the
Restore New York round eight Grant
application I have eight people signed
up to
speak the first person is Gloria
Kishon good evening uh my name is Gloria
kishan I'm the chairperson of SKC
heritage Foundation which is a historic
preservation advocacy group that covers
all of SKC County and we uh first of all
want to thank all the government
agencies that helped us to get to this
point where we can even apply for a
restore New York grant for the Masonic
group of buildings at the corner of
State in Erie uh that includes the
historic district commission which we
started advocating with and then it went
on to the Planning Commission and
finally it went on to you the city
council and with our vast amount of
research that was done on these
buildings and what they represented in
skc's history we're very happy that you
all of those groups supported this
initiative and um we hope that you will
go on to support applying for a restore
New York Grant um it's a critical part
of getting the funding together for a
project like this um you can see kitty
corner from the Masonic temple building
the wedgeway building being restored
right now and the uh Masonic group of
buildings will be a similar situation
where it's a historic building um
designed by a very important architect
in New York state and with a a rich
history of the Masons and SK going back
all the way to George Washington's time
um they have incredible archives that uh
perhaps some of these will will come
back to the building and be displayed so
we're really counting on your support
for this grant thanks so much thank
you Sylvie
Brier hi good evening I'm Sylvie briber
and I just want to Simply support the
efforts towards the restore uh grant for
the Masonic
buildings thank
you Todd Todd
garold my apologies for my
handwriting hi I'm uh Todd Gano
executive director for discover skty uh
we're the County's official tourism
promotion agency uh and you really can't
talk about tourism without talking about skc's history so I'm very pleased
to support this Grand application I
think um having this really important
Corner uh both with the wedge uh way
building and now uh this corner as well
restored will do so much just for the
beautification of uh of downtown you
probably saw recently we uh uh dino
alive uh launched at Armory Studios just
over five weeks ago in just those 5
weeks uh we've had 32,000 tickets sold
so 32,000 people coming to this downtown
um which is incredible and you may have
seen the story about um our current
state of tourism in uh in skincity
County last Sunday in The Gazette it's a
very positive uh story there's people
coming to SKC like never before so to
have uh projects like this and the
opportunity to restore and talk about
our history is very important to us we
hope you'll support that as well thank
you thank
you Ray yen
evening Ray Gillan I'm the commissioner
of planning and economic development in
Sky County I also chair Metroplex and
I'm a proud City resident want to thank
the council for working closely with us
in the city Development Department to
put in an application working closely
with the mayor for ReStore New York
round eight Restore New York is a
program to help renovate uh vacant
buildings distressed properties in the
heart of downtown to try to bring them
back to life and as glorious said with
your support we were really successful
at getting the wedgeway project underway
it's a $20 million development but you
look across the street you've got the
empty Masonic building got the empty
chamber building and the one that's most
painful because I spent a lot of time
there shopping as a kid is the empty
rednick building which had a terrible
fire those three buildings are vacant
we're blessed to have a state Grant in
hand for the large building the Masonic
temple it's under contract with
developer who plans to renovate the
building we are applying for a $600,000
grant to renovate their former chamber
and the former RX Building Hope to bring
that resolution forward at the next
Council cycle and submit the Grant
application in uh late May so we really
appreciate everyone's support these are
three critical buildings downtown and
we're really excited that we have a
developer in hand we have an opportunity
to compete for these State funds and um
we are really excited to move this
forward and appreciate everyone's time
and attention thank you thank you Sam
clay bu City business you would like
that change to yes sir Moren
[Music]
Nel good evening I'm Mor newfeld I'm the
executive director of the downtown concy
Improvement Corporation uh thank you for
the opportunity to come here and uh
express my support of the revitalization
of these properties and downtown
skincity uh as we all know the dsc's
business is to help promote downtown
skty as a vibrant vibrant community and
a lot of that goes into uh just how safe
walkable presentable our city is and the
restoration of these buildings will
really help in that uh the situation is
they're situated right between a very
vibrant Community for Arts uh culture
restaurants shops uh and also a
Transportation Hub that is a great
opportunity to connect the two really be
a a vibrant part of this community for
residents for new developments for the
historic district uh and also to help
boost the local economy in providing all
of that Commerce as a as a connector
along these busy streets so uh thank you
for the opportunity and uh I'm voicing
my support for this
thank you Frank
[Music]
Wicks well here's the fourth time we'
been here talking on behalf of a SE fire
in Gaza excuse me Mr Wix th this is for
the public hearing on the restore Grant
okay I will move your name I'm not the
wrong list yes I'll move your name to
City business okay thank
you suzan
anger hi um my name is Suzanne anger I'm
the former president of the stock a
Association I'm a member of the board of
the SKC Heritage Foundation of which
Gloria is the president and I'm about to
join the board of the sked County
Historical Society so clearly I have an
interest in history
but um I'm very pleased to stand up here
in favor of this proposed application
for ReStore New York funding um that's a
wonderful program that really makes the
difference between success or failure
with these older buildings this
intersection is probably one of the most
prominent ones in connec thousands of
cars go by there every day and for years
they've looked at two
deteriorating neglected forgotten
appearance appearing so anyway buildings
the fact that the wedgeway building is
now being restored is so exciting and uh
this would just be a wonderful
compliment to that project so um we've
lost so much of our downtown already
nicla building um I think it's time that
we save what we have left thank you
thank
you I have no one else signed up to
speak so I declare the public uh public
hearing number one closed
public hearing number
two public hearing number two regarding
the addition of section 264-1111 of the
connect city code regarding the
regulation and location of smoke shop
vape shops hookah lounges and vape and
consumption businesses I have one person
signed up to see speak Robert
Sanders good morning madam speaker good
morning council members mayor protm I'm
here to talk about the vape shops cigar
shops and other places if this was
constitutionally legal I might go along
with it but I see you you left
cigarettes out of here when cigarettes
are taxed at
55% cigars are taxed at 75% a piece and
marijuana smoked tax at
16% but the second highest offender
there cigarettes steuarts other plac
that Salem you're not counting that in
okay it is illegal to do this okay just
for the fact that it's constitutionally
a legal substance stolen Sten in connec
the next thing you're going to do is
move all the bars into one section that
you think are good for you but alcohol
is legal it's the 18th Amendment
now all I got to say about this is you
know this is just going a little bit too
far because I don't know what the
council will do
next okay we went down this rapit Hall
once and then Mr muda might know with
councilman koser when he ran for
assembly he tried moving all sex
offenders in one spot that was found
illegal you cannot do that so they got
sex offenders got spread out all
throughout the county and the city to do
this is illegal if you like it or don't
like it I understand that I completely
can understand it I understand not
smoking in parks and things like that
but when you go and you start affecting
someone's personal ability their
freedom you cannot do that okay so I ask
you to vote no against this if you don't
vote no and I'm not threaten you I will
follow file a referral for judicial
intervention in the county of conc and I
will bring you to court thank you thank
you I have no one else signed up to
speak for public hearing number two so I
declare this public hearing
closed ask for approval of the minutes
from April 8th
2024 move by Mr Williams second by Mr
Mancini all those in favor I if the
clerk could please read read any
Communications and petitions
Communications presented to the city
council for Monday April 22nd 2024 under
official from the Mayor Gary R McCarthy
a list of appointments dated April 22nd
2024 under General from Robert S Alby of
the concy veterans of World War 2
Incorporated a letter dated March 24th
2024 thanking the city of skty for Don
ated funds to help maintain their home
from Teresa crane an email regarding
parking issues at her home on Union
Street and asked the city to place a
sign at the end of her driveway from
Allison Williams an email regarding the
need of signage to prevent big trucks
from going down her street citing safety
reasons and concerns under petition
there were none thank you I'll call on
council members to provide any committee
reports not we uh next we have privilege
of the floor related to uh the
legislative agenda and I have 15 people
signed up to
speak just a reminder it's three minutes
for this particular portion Imam Jamal
sha thank you Madame President honorable
council
members uh I was here last month was
here two weeks ago uh guess I did make
the call list but in any case I come to
you tonight just to remind you guys of a
few things over the last two months
we've had two children small
children die murdered in SKC for one
baby Halo Bron 11 months old died due to
the freezing cold temperatures on the GE
Campus number two 5-year-old Charlotte
buski was killed due to starvation
don't have to ask you guys how you feel
about that I already know because we're
all human beings and we all have good
intentions and we all principled these
children died right here children are
dying for the same reasons 7,000 Mi
across the world just as we look at the
children who are murdered in our own
neighborhoods as abhorent and evil the
actions that were taken to take their
lives we also want our city council our
elected officials there's no one better
to speak on behalf of the residents of
this city other than this body I speak
on behalf of not just the Muslim
Community but the general community of
residents within this city not talking
about Albany not talking about nkuna
talking about the city of
skty we would like to see the ceasefire
resolution that was proposed be passed
and for what it's worth
myself I've been convening with
Community leaders all over the city
Faith leaders General Community Action
leaders
and I have yet to come across
anyone that takes a stance against a
simple principle upon which this
resolution is based all life is worth
preservation and it's a symbolic gesture
to pass the resolution but it's been
done in 70 cities Across America as of
February we're now sitting in April so
even more cities have signed on this is
an effective tool to demonstrate to our
federal government what the people on
the ground myself yourselves what our
sentiments actually are so that way they
can act accordingly I will also mention
that for some of
you we've heard responses as to indicate
that this is something not meant for the
city council we've also heard it from
other people speaking in the public
forum I will say
again it's not that we can change the
world just by passing a resolution but
more so to demonstrate the principles
that we share this is a United call for
peace and Justice and I would say I
would
really be difficult and dumbfounded it's
difficult for me to to comprehend how
any anyone can interpret it as anything
other than that and again in this room I
don't have to ask and I don't want to
ask because I would like to assume
everyone is on the same page every life
is worth the same there is no one group
that's worth more than the other there
is no one body that's worth more than
the other as human beings as residents
of a diverse City and diverse Community
this is our call to action to
demonstrate that near or far this is The
Stance of this city and its residents as
echoed by the elected officials chosen
by the residents of this city to speak
on their behalf we can pray and we can pray but we do need
something formal and symbolic from our
elected officials to formally recognize
a shared principle that exists within
all of our hearts thank you very much
thank you
[Applause]
ladies and gentlemen I need to step back
um we I'm sorry we didn't have anyone
signed up but I need to um we we have we
should have had the legislative agenda
but no one signed up that name was
crossed off so I have no one signed up
to speak for the a public comment on the
legislative agenda so that's open and
now closed so now I need approval of the
legislative
agenda moved by Mr Williams second by Mr
mudaron all those in favor
I okay then I will call the next person
for General City
business Edmund Leen
Jr not
here
okay FMA
Isa
oh good evening good evening
the death and destruction in Gaza have
continued unabated the horrors are
unprecedented Gaza is hungry and Gaza is
thirsty and it is you and I who are
responsible there is blood on our hands
a great deal of blood there are those
who say Gaza is not our problem that
Gaza is too far away that nothing that
we say or do is going to stop the Terror
and the pain that is currently being
experienced over
there I would like you to remind you
here
today that there was a time when the
same was said about South
Africa I remember my own Uncle
saying there is no way white South
Africans are going to give in to the
African National
Congress well as we all know now
apartate South Africa is no more this
Saturday April 27th will be the 30th
year of South Africa's first ever
democratic
election an election which resulted in
the African National Congress coming
into power and Nelson Mandela becoming
the president 30 years I cannot even
believe it myself I lived through it
seemed like just the other day students
at campuses all over South Africa were
rallying protesting
boycotting organizing and fighting to
dismantle the aparted regime today right
here in New York state at the University
of Columbia in New York City American
students are fighting for an end to the
genocide and the
brutality by demanding that their
University Diest from aparted state of
Israel this morning the university
cancel in person classes more than 100
students have been arrested and now
students at other campuses across the
country are settling are setting up
encampments in support of the students
of Colombia today at Yale 47 students
were
arrested there is no going back the
world has not only seen the sheer
brutality of the
IDF but it has also seen how the
departed state of Israel manipulates the
media and tells outright lies to gain
the sympathy of the
world it took them only one Theory which
was a false claim about rape on October
the 7th to get immediate support from
the world without any
evidence in fact it was the Israeli
forces themselves who recently raped a
pal a pregnant Palestinian woman in
front of her children husband and
relatives at ashifa
hospital they threatened the family with
death if they closed their
eyes then they killed the woman and her
unborn
child there is a great darkness that has
overcome the world the very least that
we can do is say please stop ceas fire
now thank
[Applause]
you Maybel
Leon Maybel
[Music]
Leon good evening
my name is Mabel Leon I sent a letter to
city council a month ago and I spoke at
the last city council meeting two weeks
ago to support a resolution calling for
a ceasefire in
Gaza now what's happened uh in Gaza
since I was here
last the bombs supplied by the United
States continue to fall on Gaza
with civilian deaths reaching more than
34,000
77,000 people are
wounded and
14,000 children have died these are
numbers but each of these numbers
represents a human
being the famine continues for babies
and the most vulnerable
while the delivery of humanitarian Aid
continues to be limited and not
sufficient to stem the tide of
famine the United States is not a
bystander in this war in this conflict
it is implicated in this continuing
Carnage our president asks the leaders
of Israel to lessen civilian casualties
increased humanitarian aid but our
government continues to send
bombs and offer no consequences to the
Israeli government when they pay no
heed there must be decisive action no
more bombs to the Israeli government
until humanitarian Aid increases there's
a ceasefire and there are efforts to
lessen civilian
casualties the American people do not
want to see babies and their mothers
dying and opposition to this madness
grows with each day is seen by spreading
protests and unrest on college
campuses my message to President Biden
from his
wife stop it now
Joe message to city
council do your part and pass the
resolution for a ceasefire now thank
you Imam Montas
Madame
speaker beloved
counselors it is an honor and pleasure
to be here this evening I'm Imam mtas
Ali I represent the
gyes the last count we had was
33,000
and I'm no stranger to the city council
because this city council
believe in
God and once we put our trust in God
everything will go good say
Amen I'm here this evening to represent
the
gyes
and I'm no strange as I told you to this
city council to this city because I have
been
presented with the from the mayor our
beloved mayor as s
certificate from honorable Paul tono a
certificate and from the city council
because they recognize me as an Imam it
is said those who have God have
everything those who don't have God has
tell me
nothing and I put my trust in this city
council this this this is a the Beloved
or we have one of the
most honorable and beautiful Mia he has
a lot of respect for elders and and the
and so so I
before I leave I want to make a special
prayer for all of us and for the city of
connected in the name of God most
gracious most merciful oh almighty God
I want you to
have to people must respect one another
I want you that we must have peace and
love in our
families I want we must have peace and
love in
Connected we want peace and love around
the
world amen amen thank you thank you
Karine
carmelli hi my name is uh Karen carmelli
and I'm not a resident of the city of
sked I'm a resident of Albany and so I
didn't really think that it was
appropriate for me to come I've been
following the ceasefire resolution uh
proceedings very closely but I was
watching previous meeting where uh there
were lots of folks here who who made a
particular claim that um an organization
that I belong to called Jewish voice for
peace uh did not represent Jews and that
in fact its members were not Jewish and
our opinions did not uh factor into the the broader Jewish conversation so
um I felt a particular need to come here
tonight to talk about that um like I
said I'm a member of the organization
called Jewish voice for peace and um
what we advocate for is a world where
all people from the US to Palestine live
in freedom justice equality and dignity
like generation of Jewish leftists
before us we fight for the liberation of
all people we believe that through
organizing we can and will dismantle the
institutions and structures that sustain
Injustice and grow something new joyful
beautiful and life sustaining in their
place um I also want to acknowledge that
tonight is the first night of passover
and so I I had Passover with my family
last night so that I could be here today
Passover is a holiday where we talk
about un oppressed people who yearned
for freedom and achieved their own
Liberation um and we've also heard about
the student protests that have been
taking place all over the country there
is a valedictorian at the University of
Southern California she's a Muslim woman
and she has been barred from speaking
even though she is top of her class at
USC USC also has something called the
USC showa foundation and uh that was a
initiative to collect the testimonies
from Holocaust Survivors show us
survivors one of those people that gave
testimony was my grandfather his name is
ysf his his given name was ysf invent he
then changed his name to carmelli when
he immigrated to Palestine in the
mid-40s um I watched his testimony the
other day and if you're interested I'm
happy to share it's a three-hour
testimony and it's very moving to me but
I watched it the other day and and um I
was so struck by the similarities of his
experiences in the ghettos near
Warsaw uh and the comparisons to what
people are experiencing in Gaza right
now and just to share one small story um
when he was 10 years old in
1940 um there was a a a German uh
dignitary who was assassinated and so
the Nazis rounded up 200 intellectuals
and Business Leaders and the the people
from his community and they disappeared
um right before he was taken away my
grandfather's father his name was pesak
interestingly enough which translates
into
Passover he came to him and kissed him
goodbye and that was the last time my
grandfather ever saw his father in 1984
40 years later he learned that his
father was shot in the palmir forest
outside of
Warsaw and buried in a mass grave and
just yesterday a mass grave on a
additional Mass grave was discovered at
the Nasser Hospital in um in conun in
Gaza and they pulled up hundreds of
bodies from this Mass grave so I want
you to understand that there are Jews
like myself who are advocating for
Palestinian rights for a ceasefire
specifically because of our experiences
of genocide it is exactly because of my
family story that I stand with a
ceasefire and I think you should too
will this make a difference no but would
have would I have appreciated if the
city of skty said something about the
Nazi Holocaust while my family was being
exterminated I would have please pass
the ceasefire resolution thank you thank
you Michael zephy Michael
zephy honorary Chief city council Mrs
pfield president good evening Mike
Superior
there's just a couple things I want to
say first of all I've listened to the
last two Council meetings I want to say
that every person that has come up up
here I respect for what they say they
have they're entitled to their opinion
they're individuals how they feel is how
they feel I respect that I
do my feeling and what really touched me
was October
7th I stood by and I watched Hamas
Fighters parachute into a music
festival
killing innocent Israelis killing
children I watch ATV's barricade into
that country killing innocent people
killing innocent
children my heart breaks
today my heart also breaks what ha what
is happening in
Gaza there are so many innocent people
in
children out there that that are in in
the in the midst of this that are
getting killed and are getting hurt and
it's
terrible my god when is this going to
stop our world and our country right now
we are not in a good
place I pray to God every day we can we
can find some kind of peace I'm
so sick of hearing the rhetoric on the
news it's it's just breaking me it
breaks so many of us that talk about it
I'm sorry I'm lost for my words right
now but I'm just I just want peace I
want peace in this country in this
world it's just a travesty that's going
on right now it's just awful the
innocent children both sides it's awful
I see Iran bombs Israel Israel bombs
Iran when's it going to stop is it ever
going to stop we're ever going to have
peace in this world in this
country we need to every every day I
pray to God and I just every day I say
please make this stop make it stop I'm just sick of the Lost lives the
children break my heart the innocent
people break my
heart I I I understand everybody's
opinion we're all entitled to it but God
we need peace in this country in this
world it just got to stop I hope it
stops soon thank you thank
you Jamaica miles
good evening I wasn't actually quite
sure if I was going to speak tonight so
I didn't write anything you're getting
me off the
cuff we are in a moment in
history and I hope that at this point
everyone's able to see
it for those of us that actually study
history
Civil Rights era the fight against
slavery there are reoccurring
themes college campuses across the US
are standing up and boycotting and
protesting we saw that during the Civil
Rights era we saw that the call to end a
part tide in South
Africa we are facing many challenges in
this country and there is a
convergence just like we've seen in the
past we're fighting for women's rights
again
just like we did then we're fighting for
an end to a part tide just in someplace
else just like we did then we're still
fighting for housing and workers rights
and all of these things yet
again so my question to each and every
one of
you which side are you
on which side are you
on because the books will be written the
stories will be
told and where will your name fall on
that
ledger thank
you thank you Paul
Milton Madam president I'm going to
change topics a little bit just for a
second I'll be brief sure um my name is
Paul Melton I'm the president and CEO at
Ellis medicine uh I do want to do two
things tonight uh one I went to the
website and looked at the committee
agenda for last week and there was a an
item that said encouraging St Peter's
Health Partners and Ellis medicine
Administration to settle a fair contract
with uh Nisa I just want to make it
clear for you that Ellis and St Peters
are separate entities
uh they're not working together on this
topic here uh we have a management
agreement approved by the state
department of health of the state of New
York uh Ellis gets a chief medical
officer and a chief operating officer
from that we have three things we're not
allowed to talk about one we're not
allow allowed to do joint programs
together and message that to the public
number two we're not able to talk about
rates with insurance companies that's
off limits and number three we're not
allowed to talk about wages that would
be collusion so those are three things
that are very specific that we're not
allowed to talk about in a management
agreement we are two separate
entities um so I want that to be clear
wasn't represented correctly in the
media as well but I wanted you to know
that the second is and this goes back to
co I thank you and our team thanks the
uh Council for all of your support uh
it's a privilege for us to take care of
the people of skincity and try to meet
their health needs and it's the whole
team it's Tech it's therapists it's Food
Service workers it's nurses and doctors
it's the board it's the management team
so I really appreciate your interest to
support Ellis as we take care of people
in this community in addition to the
nurses I do orientation with new
employees every two weeks and one of the
first things I say is that the nurses
are the backbone of Ellis they're the
backbone of any Hospital in this country
every every hospital in this country is
struggling to find enough nurses we're
very proud of the blander School of
Nursing we have our largest class coming
in this year 91 students we also in the
last 8 18 months have had 50 nurses
return to Ellis to work that had left
we're proud of the wages we pay which
are some of the highest in the region
and we're very proud of the benefit
package that we have which is also very
competitive and highest in the region so
I just want to clarify that for the
record as we go forward and thank you
for your support of Ellis as we take
care of people in this community thank
you thank you
Tom
Kennedy good
evening Chief Marino City Council
Members I said I would be back um to
talk about an issue
um of garbage along with W Street and
Strong Street I've been meeting with the
residents of Wy and uh they've told me
uh quite a few stories about the ongoing
dumping that's been going on there the
different problems that they're having
on their street uh interesting enough I
received the call yesterday that uh Miss
Porterfield you've been interested in my
whereabouts on Wy Street and talking to
people funny um I I thought that was
kind of interesting you could have
called me if you were wondering who I
was meeting with and when but you chose
not to and I understand that uh but one
of the things
that well not one there's a few things
that would resolve this problem very
quickly video surveillance more lighting
and enforcement when people see people
dumping
on that street pretty simple stuff um
there's been some talk and Mr Williams
contact he's here tonight Williams
contacted me to want to talk about this
we haven't had finished those
conversations yet but um one of the
things that I disagree with this is not
a resident issue uh we agree with mayor
McCarthy mayor McCarthy very clear is
that could be dangerous this garbage has
been dumped there for years and years um I would not send any
Resident down on that embankment or
anywhere around there because we don't
know what's down there um the residents
tell me there's all kinds of huge rats
running around uh we don't know what's
been dumped there whether it's hasm
material whether it's uh dangerous to
people uh trying to pick it up so it's
not as simple as rolling in these roll
tops and filling them up full of crap
you know it's it's garbage and it's it's
dangerous some some damage carment so um
I would say that as we advocated before
uh you have money in the leftover from
arpa I know you have some pet projects
you're trying to get across the board
however um I really believe that this
could be money spent that would help all
of city of skincity whether it's you
know the the the look coming into our
city in the winter as you as we all know
it's going to be overgrown pretty soon
and people aren't going to see it but
that doesn't mean the garbage ain't
there and not only that that um
the the people on Wy Street deserve a
decent place to live as well as strong
Street and tomorrow we're going to be
releasing some more pictures of that
area um to the media and
uh I just think that if there is a ways
and means of fixing this we do it now we
have the funding let's get it done and
I'm calling on this city council to put
aside their pet projects and put the
people of sanctity first thank you thank
you Dr
shakima good evening um just like
Jamaica I don't have anything uh
pre-written uh but I would like to bring
all the faith together and this is
something that we believe in as Muslims
God says and whoever Saves a Life as if
it save the entire humanity and this was
stated by one of our previous speakers
who happens to be a Jew and then I'm
going to quote Dr May who happens to be
the executive director for the churches
for Middle East peace she said it seems
that we're not winning the battle of the
hearts and she calls it the prophethood
message meaning the clear message that
we're all here trying to save lives some
people
unfortunately in the political
Arena the heart is not there the
conscience is not there I mentioned this
before I said this resolution will tell
us who are the representatives and who
are the
politicians and as we are here the third
time it seems like we are getting a
better image and I'm going to paraphrase
what was mentioned earlier it's very
interesting that people came here and
spoke at the podium and refer to saving
what we have left of
buildings yet this is the third time
we're coming here talking about saving
what we have left of human lives our
message is clear we are here asking for
the lives to be saved and I'm going to
mention this it's an honor to work with
everybody from all walks of life but one
thing that has been a little
bit hijacked I would say but some who
are still saying this is not our call
and they're saying this is a one-sided
thing let's pretend that there are no
Palestinians in Gaza you have Israeli
hostages who are starving you have
Israeli hostages who are being
bombed can you dare and stand and say
this is not my
business to the Jews to the Israelis and
dare I say even to the zionists who say
we are here more interested in the
hostages who are being held in Gaza
because if there's no ceasefire these
same hostages have been and will
continue to be sharing the same fate as
the Palestinians who are being killed in
the
thousands and for anyone who is using
the Border as an excuse that's the most
cowardly call to say
this is not a connected issue this is a
very connected issue because we as
taxpayers we are paying for the bombs
that are being used to kill everyone in
Gaza Palestinians and Israelis who are
being held hostages our tax money is
being used to blockade and Siege Gaza
where we have Palestinians and Israelis
sharing the same fate
and this impacts each and every one of
us in this same city because when we
preach we tell people to care about
everyone and if you say that the Border
makes somebody
different I don't know where Humanity
will be thank you thank
[Applause]
you Melissa
McKennon Melissa mcon
good evening and thank you um I am here
tonight just to offer an appreciation
for the Arbor Day resolution and um the
Arbor Day event that's coming up this
Friday I work as Farms Outreach
coordinator for the Sycamore
collaborative uh so I'm part of veale
urban farm and um we're happy to have
people come by Friday between 5: and 700
p.m. in into Veil Farm which is right
off of Brandy Wine Avenue you turn into
veale Cemetery so I'm we're excited the
city will be there DEC relief will be
there retri SKC EOS SKC Soil and Water
SKC Master Gardeners and we'll be
talking to people about how to take care
of trees what to think of when planting
trees answering people's questions will
have people doing tree
identification and I guess I was just
thinking about two in light of what
folks have been sharing
tonight uh you know trees are important
for so many reasons and our fruit and
nut Orchards they're Community Orchards
so they're fairly newly
planted and we are an Interfaith
organization doing this work and we've
seen how powerfully it can be when we
work together growing far um on these
farms and raising fruit and nuts in The
Orchards the opportunity ities for
building uh
conversations um and for providing space
for that too so thank you and we're just
we're looking forward to
Friday thank
you Robert
Sanders good evening Madame President
good evening council members my name is
Robert Sanders um I just want to touch
on a couple things one gentleman who
spoke was very eloquent about what's
happening over in the Middle East and
two weeks ago you might have heard me
speak and one gentleman who just got up
who's talking about the Border over a
million us people have died from drugs
coming across that border and he said
that's not an issue that's an American
issue okay and then I hear about
genocide how this is genocide okay okay
now I know if we go into Africa and
Sudan and to other countries we got a
half a million people dying right now I
don't see America pledging Aid going
over there I'm not for aid for Russia
for Ukraine for Israel or for Palestine
anyone that money needs to stay here in
the United States you know we had 20,000
people die in one day in
Normandy okay and I know there's
terrible things happening and I
understand that but I do understand that
this is the United States of America
people came here because they wanted to
be free they wanted to have their right
to speak their you know their own choice
if you want something in Palestine if
you want something in Israel Ukraine or
Russia go there help them that's how a
lot of people feel about it we have
problems right here in this very Country
and you
know that that's the root to everything
is I don't want to see anyone die nobody
wants to see War I'm totally against War
I don't know why people just can't live
in peace and like one gentleman said you know just put this in God's hands I
mean God has always helped us through
things and no matter who you are what
color you are race color creed or
religion you know God will be the
determining Factor here but it goes to
the bar back to every everything here I
pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of
America okay and I don't have to say the
whole thing we already did that but we
know what's what I do believe that
everybody has the right to speak but
America is and connecti needs to put
itself first thank
you thank
you Sam clay
hello city council my name is Sam CL
lifelong resident skty former employee
of
skincity I was uh unjustly terminated
back in 2003 after a cooworker struck me
with a truck in 2001 I've been putting
applications getting no responses from
anyone
um I had a u my last application I put
in was
in October 20 on October 20
2023 I had a brief interview with uh
Chris who's the acting um commissioner I
think he is we had a brief interview
haven't heard anything back from him
I've called the mayor I've come to the
mayor's office and left messages for him
to contact me no response from him
either I've spoken to
um I think it's his direct secretary
Michelle Carr and she told me the city's
not
hiring and I said I put my application
in last year I was here two weeks ago I
didn't get a chance to speak CU I was
late but I went over to the finance
department they still have a posting for
the position that I appli
to
so I would like someone to contact me
and let me know what's going on why I
keep getting to runaround about getting
employment with the city that unjustly
terminated me they also told me Carl
Olen to be exact back in uh
2004 he told me I was returning back to
my employment with the city never gave
me a a start date back to work so what
am I supposed to do just sit and wait
for somebody to call me my life doesn't
stop no one's life
stops so I have to keep moving forward
but at the same time I will keep
applying because I could have retired
after 20 years working for this city but
I would have continued because I was not
of age to retire then
so all I'm asking is for someone to call
me back whether it's City Council
Members the mayor someone in the uh
Department there and we sit down and
have a meeting discuss everything thank
you thank
you Frank
Wicks okay yeah thank you and appreciate
the ability to be
here uh ear October 7th could not have
happened if Israel had know guarded the
wall that they built to enforce the
apartheid uh better security would keep
it from happening again so this entire
war in Gaza is a blood bath that's not
necessary uh
the the the the war in Gaza is is
actually to steal all the
territory from the uh Jordan River to
the Mediterranean which requires just
killing uh the Palestinians or forcing
their forcing them to live somewhere
else where they have nowhere to
go just additional comments here uh
here's the fourth time I've been here at
this meeting no calling for the uh unit
for concy to be on the right side of
History to support a ceasefire in uh in
Gaza and
Palestine mean we've written four
letters to The Gazette and over things
keep on getting
worse and note I'm I'm not Jewish I'm
not Israeli I'm not Muslim I'm not
Palestinian
uh is more a matter of no right it's a
matter of right or
wrong and I I've been active in
connecting for 62 years I say
anti-Semitism may happen here but in my
62 years here I've never observed it
know I think find people and disconnect
to get along with each
other okay so the opposed resolution to
stop our country from supplying the
weapons and support to Israel for
killing and starving and forc relocation
of innocent Palestinians and murdering
the courageous members of the press and
peacekeepers uh should be should be
simple uh in fact our Jewish no
secretary leader of the Senate is now
noted that Israel has lost its way
uh and
uh so I'd say and I also say the most
effective you know persons for resolving
the situation are the uh members of the
Jewish Community the uh Jewish voices
for peace uh not in our name there a 16
anti
Zion
uh Jewish organizations listed in
Wikipedia so there the people that know
best what know the situation and what
they're saying and finally the the
future ought to be ultimately take down
the wall what is what happened in
Germany and what happened in South
Africa okay thank you thank
you I have no one else signed up to
speak so I declare the public comment of
City business
closed this time we'll have any
miscellaneous business of the council
Mr
Williams thank
you just for
tonight
statement thank you to everyone who
shared their thoughts opinions and
concerns tonight I'd like to take a
moment to address the ongoing comments
related to calls for a ceasefire within
Gaza from
body this is one that has deep religious
and emotional connections with many
residents in our community requiring
attention in detail when identifying and
appropriate and effective course of
action from the onset divides have
lengthened amongst pro-israeli and pro
Palestinian supporters often
categorizing opponents as antic
respective there is undeniably true pain
being Afflicted on innocent lives whose
suffering I can't I can't
capture and yet that statement alone
solicits varying responses based on your
personal connection and
recents let me be clear I emphatically
stand with the preservation of life
especially those of innocent children
and it's apparent that there is immense
suffering on both sides in the
conversations that I've had with local
Advocates I've recognized that third
party accounts and our inability As
Leaders to move Beyond st's positions
toward the point of civil discourse has
not
been whatever respons as a community it
must the dialogue dialog crafting a true
resolution persective of our diverse
Community or dialogue and calling for
Progressive conversations from our
faith-based leaders that protects the
sanctity of life for all
santies the ongoing conflict within the
Middle East is one of immense complexity
and although my words counter resolve
this International tragedy my position
remains with those actively engaging to
forge a path of
thank
[Applause]
you any other council
members hey chief Marino is sitting in
for the mayor
tonight
Chief I would like to just uh talk a
little bit about an event that will be
happening on May 18th of this year it's
called sound the alarm and sound the
alarm is uh sponsored by the Red Cross
red C uh the SKC fire department will be
working with the Red Cross and with many
volunteers on that day going to a couple
of designated neighborhoods in the city
to people that have signed up uh to have
us go to their homes do an assessment of
their home to see if they have the
proper number of smoke alarms and then
we will install free of charge smoke
alarms to those homes and then also sit
with the residents to have a little uh
education of fire safety this year we'll
be going to the Hamilton Hill
Neighborhood and the veale neighborhood
it is a great event I encourage anyone
that is interested in
participating either as a
volunteer or someone that would like
their home to be evaluated to uh uh
check the connected fire department's
Facebook Facebook page within the next
week we'll have more information or go
directly to the Red Cross page and
they'll have information on sound the
alarm now we are doing the two residents
the two neighborhoods Hamilton Hill and
Vale but that doesn't mean that other
families in the city are not eligible
they can contact the uh Red Cross
directly and they will make an
appointment to come specifically to that
home
so smoke alarms save lives fire doubles
every minute so it is extremely
important for anyone that has an issue
in their home to be notified
quickly you have an adequate number of
smoke alarms your chances of getting out
of a home that's on fire increase
tremendously so
please go to the Red Cross check out
connected's home page or Facebook page
and if you would like to volunteer
please do so if you need a smoke alarm
please go there and sign up thank you Chief uh first of all I have a
few Community announcements as was uh
previously said there's a Arbor Day
celebration at the veil Farms on Fair
Avenue from 5: to 7: where our
resolution will be presented and also on
Saturday there's multiple cleanups
across the city uh there's four
neighborhoods that have sent in
information so I'm just going to provide
you with that uh Goose Hill Neighborhood
um cleanup will start at Simon's park at
8:00 a.m. for you early risers they'll
be there from 8 to two the Hamilton Hill
Neighborhood will be doing a cleanup as
well that starts at 10: and ends at 2
and the meeting place is Jerry barell
Park the boulevard appreciation
neighborhood association bana uh will be
cleaning up the centeral alley east
alley and west alley and that begin the
they begin at 10:00 a.m. and their
meeting place is the Cal Calvary
orthodox presid larian Church on Rugby
Road and then finally the Upper Union
Street will also be doing a cleanup from
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and they are
going to be meeting at BR breuggers
Bagels on uh Union Street and that will
be rain or shine so anyone can come out
to help with that that would be great
and uh then I'd like to thank everyone
for coming out to tonight to speak to
whatever the um topic was that you came
to speak about and we some of us in any
case have been talking and meeting with
members of the community regarding the
proposed resolution and first of all I
want to make one thing clear it was
stated by people from uh both
perspectives that we were open or I I'll
speak let me speak for myself that I was
open to only speaking to one group
versus the other well that in fact is
not true and so I am open and have been
having those conversations with
individuals who represent uh different
viewpoints on this particular issue it's
what I said from the beginning it's what
I'll continue to say that I'm always
open for
conversation and what I will say also is
I'm if you haven't already are you
speaking to your federal Representatives
your congressmen your two senators I
believe that all of us locally don't
want any more bombing we want the
release of
hostages and we definitely want human
humanitarian Aid there was a speaker
tonight that talked about President
Nelson Mandela and what he was able to
do and part of the reason that he was
able to to do that was because he spoke
to the people who would have been
considered his
enemies so what I am asking and
imploring you to do you've asked us to
sign a resolution for um for a ceasefire
and just so you know I did read through
the resolution entirely and a lot of it
calls for humanitarian Aid every council
member was sent that um was that sent
that resolution it called for
humanitarian Aid and many things there
are some amendments to it that I would
make and and um but at this point in
time we're not there where uh the
resolution has actually been presented
as to go on the agenda of of the
council more
locally through the these discussions it
seems to me there's a very large divide
in our community something we have
worked for over the years that I've been
a member of the council and even a
member of the community even before that
when my mother was working in the
community and that's went for that goes
a number of years back where the
community collectively were working
looking for a common
goal and what is what's going on right
now I'm seeing a more of a divide in our
community
locally which is troubling because after
it's all said and done we're all going
to still live here and we're all going
to have to start still work
together so as you as I often say how
you see it depends on where you sit and
from where I sit I'm
imploring individuals who have the
different perspectives I can't I can't
force you in the room together but I
implore you to really try to um have
those discussions there that is creating
this deep divide
locally I spoke to uh an individual here
this this afternoon who's working with
clergy against hate and I know that all
of you know that group uh who said that
they are trying to uh and have spoken
with the Imam as well as the rabbi in in
order to try to bring people together to
discuss
this I know that you're looking for a
resolution from the city
council I know that there are there is
some consideration of if if the
resolution spoke to ending violence and
giving humanitarian Aid which is
something actually that pres excuse me
that Congressman tono um was asking for
in a press release that he recently sent
out sent out I cannot commit to you that
there will be a um resolution that will
specifically speak to ceasefire I cannot
commit that commit um to that from this
Council based on just the input all of
you most most of you have spoken to
someone and have made your positions
clear
so um we if you want to continue to come
and I know that Imam Jamal said they
will continue to come and we will
definitely um continue to listen but
again if I if there would be an opportunity and I
know the city council can't convene this
and I think it needs to be convened
among Faith leaders to actually have
this conversation so locally we can work
together to come to um a common
understanding and I and you know I'm not
saying that
um that it's going to be perfect but I
definitely think we have to try to work
together right now because I feel like
our community is becoming more and more
divided as we try
to come to a place where we can
understand each other's pain because
there's a lot of pain right here there's
a lot of pain locally there's a lot of
pain overseas but I can't ask you enough
that we really have to come together and
have this these discussions to try to
come to a a consensus of what we are
willing to provide in terms of
support for the for what is going on in
Gaza in the Middle East so um I I had
some uh remarks that they had prepared
however this is from what I'm hearing
today what is in my heart that we really
have to work together people um I I I
don't know what else to say about that I
um again welcome any the continued
conversations and to see what we can do
to work through this as a council
because I think maybe we should have
discussions as well um and see you know
where where it I don't want to say where
it ends up because that's probably not
the best use uh the best term but what
we can do collectively to support our
local community and support the people
who live here who are feeling the pain
as we are of what's going
on and with that um I'll entertain a
motion to adjourn move by Miss Patrick
second by Mr Williams all those in favor
I we are adjourned thank you