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like

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happy new years's and welcome to this
January the 8th

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2024 special meeting of Gaston County
Board of Education I'm Jeff Ramsey

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chairman of the board and to my left is
Doc chair or vice chair I would like to

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call this meeting to order and welcome
everyone for being here today before we

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begin I'd like to ask the members of our
board to introduce themselves Lee

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deadmond Gastonia Township Josh Chris
Dallas Township Robbie LEL Cherryville

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Township Todd kinlaw South Point
Township doc Guth Gastonia Township I

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Stevens Riverbend Township Brit Moore
Crow Mountain Township thank you our

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next next order of business is adopt the
agenda do I hear a motion to adopt the

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agenda Mr Moore second Mr Deadman all in
favor that's unanimous the agenda is

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adopted our next order of business will
require the board to go in the close

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session for personnel because there are
so many in the audience we decided to

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have our closed session portion in our
conference room and leave y'all

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here and hopefully we'll have some great
music for

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you
when when that has concluded we will

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return to the boardroom for this some
exciting news related to our

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superintendent search thank you for
being here and for your patience for the

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next few minutes so now I need a motion
to go into close session Mr chair I'd

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like to make a motion to go into CL
session under North Carolina General

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statute 1433
18.11 A6 for personnel second second Mr

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Steven all in
favor that's unanimous we'll go in close

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session we'll be

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back

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we're back in Open Session thank you for
your patient as we conducted that

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portion of the meeting in the closed
session we're now ready to move forward

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with the next item on the agenda the
appointment of our new superintendent

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this is an action item and I do need a
motion Mr chairman I move that we

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appoint Dr Morgan whoar to Ser
superintendent of g county

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SCH

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[Applause]
a

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second
I I didn't finish let me start over I

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move we appoint Dr Morgan hoard to serve
as superintendent of Gaston County

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Schools effective February 19th 2024 and
that we approve the contract discussed

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in close session I second okay um any
discussion U Miss L yes I would like uh

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to say for public record that my vote
this evening uh is simply a reflection

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on the fact that I was not present
during the time that that this was uh

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discussed and decided upon however going
forward I would like to say that I will

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be supporting Dr hushard 100% in the
future because I'm sure that everything

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he does will be the best decisions for
Gaston County schools for the employees

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as well as for the students thank you
okay anybody Mr Ken um Todd kenlaw South

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Point Township I'd like to read my
statement the statement has no ill will

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or anything to do uh with the actual
person who is to be named superintendent

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only the process as my colleague said of
which this board used I want to go on

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record that this board was hijacked by
members the process was not flawed and

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unfortunately this board handled this
matter in an unethical way as far as I'm

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concerned this has been the biggest joke
I've ever been associated with as I

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remember it takes five people to make a

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majority
and we didn't do it in good faith as a

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board there was a majority in the
initial process but we had members of

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this board who created controversy and
Hoodwinked some of us and took advantage

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of people not being present during our
meeting it can be better called a dirty

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process or I can call it
underhanded I will not have any a part

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of it I'm not voting in favor of the
superintendent for the

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record
to

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show the flawed process like I said four
of

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us hijacked the process I'm not voting
tonight for the person because of the

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students and teachers of Gaston County
deserve this board to be held to the

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highest standards the employees already
have had to endure many issues created

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by this board of which I'm a part of I
ran on transparency and credibility of

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my actions we have failed at our job to
have credibility in this process it's

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not because that the superintend that
has flaws it's because the flaws were

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created by this
board I share this so that each one of

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you be held accountable for the actions
you took the corners cut and the

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downright despicable process of hiring
this

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gentleman our students our employees in
this County deserve the best and we

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settled because there were some who
didn't get your way the old take your

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ball and go
home this way this process was hand the

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way this process was handled was not
okay last month not okay last week not

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okay
tonight when you refer to one of

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us um the old adages uh we haven't been
here long enough to make this

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decision I take offense to that I'm
going to stand up and I'm going to let

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you know I'm voting no this appointment
tonight because not because of Thee the

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superintendent of record because simply
the process was not

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followed okay I don't like getting my
way is what was taken out of this and so

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we take our ball and go home as I said
so that's why Mr hoard I will back you

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once the process but I wanted folks to
know that I was hired on transparency

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and truth and credibility I wish you all
the best and I'll stand with

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you m
cther i value

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leadership and I hope that leadership
values the community it

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serves I want want the community to
know not just the person whom we are

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going to vote on tonight or have voted
on

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already but leadership is knowing the
community knowing the needs the

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community reaching out into the
community to make assessment to truly

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serve our population of families to
truly understand the needs of our

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children and where they are from and how
to

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effectively communicate with all parents
all children as you assess those

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Needs Trust is a very important
word

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leadership is embedded in that
trust and I hope

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that you will start DR
hashad start off knowing the community

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Gaston County not just a special
population but the population of Gaston

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County and sir I am willing to support
you

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100% but I W to know that our families
are going to be supported by you thank

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you thank you Miss cther anyone else for
a call for the vote just want to say

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real quick that um I share some of the
other concerns that other board members

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have we did have a majority prior to uh
a work session where our decision as a

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as a majority had been made and then
hijacked that decision um but I will

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tell you this I'd be a lot more upset if
it wasn't Morgan hoard I know he's going

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to do a fantastic job for County schools
and uh I don't like the process that

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they they took to get there but I like
the man that they chose and I'm excited

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to work with him and I know he's going
to do what's best for Gaston County

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Schools okay anyone else okay all in

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favor I
oppose

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okay well congratulations Dr Huard you
have been

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[Applause]

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selected

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[Music]
before we give uh Dr hhar opportunity to

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share some remarks with us I would like
to say how fortunate

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we are to have him as the next leader of
Gaston County schools during his

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successful career in public education Dr
hushard has proven time after time that

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he possessed the knowledge skills and
the expert expertise to serve us as

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superintendent he's been a classroom
teacher assistant principal a principal

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a central office administrator with
experience in academic mics curriculum

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accountability Personnel Transportation
School nutrition technology facilities

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school safety and student service and
others I think it I put bus driver and

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cafeteria worker so having experienced
all these areas makes him well-rounded

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in our School District Operations he's
always has significant knowledge of

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Gaston County Schools Dr hushard is the
ideal person to serve as our

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superintendent and we are confident that
he will take us in a new directions and

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began moving us forward right away so at
this time I would like to give Dr

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hushard the opportunity to say a few
words well thank you

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everyone thank you chairman Ramsey Vice
chairman Cherry members of the board I

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would like to begin by expressing my
gratitude and appreciation to the board

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of educ ation for giving me this
opportunity and believing in my ability

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to serve as a superintendent for Gaston
County Schools I truly honored I look

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forward to working with you
all and I'm committed to doing

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everything I can to make our school
system even

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stronger because I believe having strong
schools is directly connected to the

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strength of our community and our
nation when my daughter wife and I

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packed up our things to move to Gaston
County Schools 8 years ago we were

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excited but we didn't know what to
expect we did not know what would we

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find with Josie's teachers her school
the school system or our new

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community I want to take a minute to
tell you what we

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found we found teachers who deeply cared
about their students and the teaching

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and learning that goes on in their
classrooms we found teachers who

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challeng their students with high
expectations and then worked to help

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them be successful and we found teachers
who embraced their

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communities we found staff and school
leaders who went above and beyond to

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help ensure that schools were safe and
orderly for a learning

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environment they made teaching and
learning the priority and the center of

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all things we found an active
relationship with the community

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involving parents as a genuine part of
the school culture and we found school

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pride we found the 10th largest school
district in North Carolina that still

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felt and treated us as if it were one of
the

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smallest we experienced District
leadership and a board of education that

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worked hard to ensure schools were
supported in their work by providing the

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best educational experience for students
one were rigor relevance and Equity were

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Center of discussions and all
decisions and we watched as parents

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community members partners and all
stakeholders were involved in that

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process and we found a community that
embraced us as Citizens and welcomed us

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to our new
home I am so proud to be a part of the

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gon County schools and truly honored to
be its next

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superintendent I want to thank you the
Board of Education once again for your

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trust and the opportunity to lead this
District I want students faculty staff

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administrators parents and the community
to know how I'm how excited I am to be a

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part of the Gast and County Schools
family I look forward to be able working

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with you all in the years to come thank
[Applause]

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you

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as we close our meeting thank you for
sharing this exciting time with us as we

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share with you a selection of our Gaston
County Superintendent we look forward to

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the February the 19th when Dr whoar will
take the lead until that

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time we remain grateful to Dr Steve
L we can't get rid

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of
[Applause]

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well the I I was getting ready to say Dr
fer too is agreed to stay with the

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night

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so they'll be here until we get through
the transition of February 19th our

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regular meeting will be in con our next
regular meeting will be in conjunction

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with our board retreat will be held on
Friday January 26

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2024 while we have you here thank you
for your support for this board and

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Gaston County school for what you do for
our children in Gaston County y'all go

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the extra mile every day and we know it
and we appreciate it so now I'd like to

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ask for a motion to adjourn Mr La Mr
Chris

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second uh also we're going to have a
little reception where y'all can meet

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with Morgan and everything thank y'all
for being here all in favor recogniz

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Tam Tamar's here she's gonna be oh
actually I'm

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sorry more you want to introduce your
wife for

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[Laughter]
us

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[Applause]

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language well all in favor for
adjournment that's unanimous thank

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you