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Greetings, everyone. Are we on, Nancy?

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Yes? Okay.

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Welcome to our town board meeting tonight.

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A lot of people here. I think we've used up all the chairs we can, but please make yourselves

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comfortable. And I hope you'll get copies of the resolution, which I'm willing to guess

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is the topic of high interest tonight, which is on the back table. If you would join us,

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Next we start every meeting, excuse me, with a Pledge of Allegiance.

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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the Republic for which

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today, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

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Thank you, everyone, for coming to our meeting tonight.

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I have one announcement to make.

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We're inviting everyone to the Delaware Ave Complete Streets public meeting.

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This will be Thursday, February 16th, right here at Town Hall, 6 to 8 p.m.

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Delaware Ave. Complete Streets is a study of the section of Delaware from Ellesmere,

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basically, to the line of the city of Albany.

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It involves ways to improve transportation on that corridor, including automobiles,

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mass transit, also bicycles and pedestrians, how we can best solve all those needs.

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It's something we're doing in concert with the Capital District Transportation Committee.

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but we'd really like a lot of input, so I hope you get a chance to come to that meeting.

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If you want to learn more about it, there's some material on our website.

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You can go to community news and get to it from there.

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Any other announcements from members of the board?

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Okay, so the first thing we do is every meeting is public comments

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and being that we have a rather large crowd tonight,

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most of whom I expect are going to want to talk about agenda item number one,

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consideration of a resolution affirming Bethlehem's practices with regard to citizenship, immigration,

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and protecting against threats or violence targeting national origin, race, religion,

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or citizenship.

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That resolution and several related memorandum are on the back table.

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I hope we still have copies, so I hope you get a chance to look at that.

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So what I'm going to ask first, if we could, is there anyone who would like to

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address the board on a topic other than that, and you would get to come up first.

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Good evening. I would like to address open space planning, totally unrelated to what

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the majority of people are here. We are ruled by a republic form of government in which the

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Constitution guarantees certain individual rights, which elected officials are sworn

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to uphold so that the minority is not completely overridden by the majority.

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Once again, the town is hiring a consulting firm to make land use decisions which

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significantly affect those individuals who own larger tracks of land within the town.

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Well let's review how the last few consultants the town has hired fared for the rural land

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owners in this town.

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Saratoga Associates was hired to draw up a comprehensive plan that was to guide development

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within the town.

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In verbiage the plan was to utilize flexible land use regulations and creative land development

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techniques to retain the economic value of rural land.

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At that time, on many occasions, we ask that the town not just take this plan as written,

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but to make it specific to our town. As many of the supposed smart growth principles,

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we're not applicable to the more rural parts of town. But of course the consultants are the experts,

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and what do we know of land use just because our livelihoods depend on being good stewards of the land?

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So we fought for every opportunity to be able to retain the economic value of our rural lands,

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only to have the town board recently vote to limit everyone in rural light industry

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in order to stop one apartment complex being proposed in the town.

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The irony, of course, is that this multi-use and multi-family housing options

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were proposed by Saratoga Associates as smart growth in our comprehensive plan

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in an effort to keep our town from being overdeveloped with single-family homes.

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Next, VHAN & Associates was hired to work with the Citizens Advisory Committee on Conservation.

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There are documents on the town's website and it's called

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recommendations on open space needs and opportunities, and it lays out the next approaches for open

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space planning, including short, medium, and long-term goals.

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This document says, as a result of evaluating the issues, needs, and opportunities surrounding

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open space, it is clear that in the case of Bethlehem, voluntary cooperation from those

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who control the open space resources will be necessary if the town is to preserve

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an open space system of any substance.

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Essential premise of this report is that implementation of the town's open space preservation program must occur in the context of voluntary participation by willing landowners.

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The irony here is that the objectives dealing with the rights of the landowners and their issues relating to retaining the land is open are clearly the ones that have not been approached by the town.

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The next consultants hired by the town were from American Farmland Trust.

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They also produced a document that can be found on the town's website titled

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Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan. Its executive summary states

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this plan is to encourage the continuance of town's semi-rural

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setting. This plan presents several goals and recommendations for the protection

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of agriculture and farmland. The term protection should be perceived as

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an opportunity to support agriculture as a business, and on a voluntary basis

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is protect farmland as a land use in the community.

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I have concluded below a list of the recommendations.

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The irony is that very few of these recommendations

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have been implemented.

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The town likes to think that it is friendly to agriculture,

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and indeed I think the idea of having picturesque farms

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within the town is appealing to most,

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but letting loose on land use controls

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and allowing additional complementary uses and flexibility

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so that agricultural business can actually be profitable

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and survive is not something the town is comfortable with.

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The cumbersome system of approvals for any additional land use results in rural lands

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are being put up for sale, as we have seen with several large parcels within the town

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the past few years.

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The town would like the idea of quaint farming without the dirty sights, smells, or sounds

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of agriculture, so stepping up to implement these recommendations has not been a priority.

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The most recent consultant hired by the town was to reassess the values of properties

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within the town, particularly larger parcels which the town felt were significantly

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undervalued.

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I'm sure you remember the fiasco. That was for, in particular, agricultural lands.

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It's consultants value them based on lands in Skahari County, one of the most fertile soils in the country,

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and Saratoga with its affluent horse farms. This all resulted in a significant amount of work for rural landowners

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to have to find suitable comparable sales to give a realistic agricultural comparison.

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I am sure you noted the increased amount of logging done on parcels around the town

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in an effort to pay these increased tax birds, as well as several property owners

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being forced to re-evaluate whether to keep these parcels was cost effective, hence several

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being sold and the owners relocating to other towns.

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So based on our...

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I'm sorry, we're a little short for time, but we have a lot...

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Okay, I'm almost done.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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So based on our prior experience, as you can see how the prospect of our tax dollars

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going to get another open space expert is not appealing.

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This town has basically taken the approach that come hell or high water, we will

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have an open space plan, so much for willing landowners.

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The town hasn't even satisfied the goals of the previous documents, but since there's

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the desire for more control of the remaining lands, we are once again embarking on forwarding

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on an agenda for citizens who want more open space being put ahead of the needs or rights

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of actual citizens paying taxes on the open space. Our reticence of partnering with the

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town and any type of open space preservation is that the rules of the partnership are

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always controlled by the town. They are only too quick to change the rules at

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their will. Just look at the definition of a land division. This change puts

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additional costs on, instead of being able to do four GLAND divisions all in one year,

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they have been now spread out over 10 years, so you can only do one per year.

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So this brings us back to the introduction, and that is elected officials, that is your

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duty in our republic to protect the rights of the individuals who are in the minority

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from being overrun by the desires of the majority.

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As was noted in the media last night, the town representatives plan to stand up

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for the immigrants and refugees of this town, because sometimes, and I paraphrase

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Mr. Clarkson, you just have to stand up for what is right.

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So that is what we ask of you. Stand up for our rights.

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Thank you. Could you e-mail us? We didn't get a chance to.

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We will try to get to any questions of that as they come up.

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There are a tremendous number of people here who I'm sure want to be heard on the resolution issue.

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Anyone else with other issues to discuss with the board?

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However, I'm going to have to hold you to one to two minutes, if you could.

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Thank you.

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Good evening.

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My name is David Hostick, and I'm the managing partner of Normanside Country Club.

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I come here tonight because we're going on 22 months since the landslide of the

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Normanskill that happened on our property.

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John, you went on record saying that you felt confident,

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attorneys and insurers felt confident that the town would prevail if lawsuits

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were ever brought.

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I know the majority of the board members here were not on the board when the

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landslide happened and may not be privy to all the information regarding it, but the town

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has now lost three motions in lawsuits regarding the landslide.

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So my question is, when, as you claim that we were going to do, are we going to sit

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down and work together to find a solution?

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Because I am personally tired of wasting my money, and I would assume you'd be tired

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of wasting the towns as well.

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Mr. Hostic, just to be clear, those were motions for summary judgment.

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the court said there are issues of fact that have to be determined.

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Town remains confident that it ultimately is going to prevail in these lawsuits.

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Now, in terms of trying to work out a solution, not more than a month ago,

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I was speaking to your attorney about whether we could find a way to move things along.

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I'm still waiting to hear back from him.

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I know these are not easy way things to resolve, but there is an open dialogue.

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Okay. I would not consider it open, but we can go for that.

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Thank you.

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Good luck.

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Anyone else with other issues other than the resolution tonight?

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Okay. So we want to hear from you all, or all who want to speak, but seeing the large

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number of people, we are going to have to put very tight time constraints on it.

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We can't be here forever.

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So I want to give you the general rules.

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We can hear you for up to one to two minutes.

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I know it's a short amount of time, but think what you most want to tell the board.

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Tell us your name, where you live.

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If you're representing a group or organization, that's fine too.

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And this is an opportunity to give us your general views on this issue, but it's not

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a question and answer back and forth.

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If you do have a question or someone want to raise, just say it.

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We'll write it down.

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We'll try and get it to get there, but we can't go back and forth during this

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period.

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So, and also just because it helps, because sometimes people tell us, you know,

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are you for or against the resolution of what you think, or if you'd like it changed.

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Give us a brief message.

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So, with that as introduction, and I don't enjoy being the timekeeper,

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but I will remind you if you're running over, please,

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whoever would like to address the board, come up, approach the microphone,

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tell us your name and where you live, and any other information.

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And just make sure to speak clearly into the microphone. We were getting feedback

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earlier that not all of our messages are being recorded.

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Joshua Shulman, Marcus Del Mar.

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I was one of the citizens who contacted the town

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board advocating for a statement regarding refugees and immigrants.

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I want to praise the board and the police department for taking up this issue

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thoughtfully. I fully support tonight's proposed resolution. I think the

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resolution strongly affirms the spirit and core principles we want in Bethlehem.

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I hope it serves as an inspiration to others.

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Thank you.

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John Flanagan, I live in Selkirk 33 Peel Street.

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I'm giving you my information.

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I wish we were able to get information from illegal immigrants that are going to be coming here.

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What does sanctuary city town mean for Bethlehem?

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What do we expect from this?

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We all have constitutional rights here, yet they don't.

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And we're being discriminated against.

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If I get pulled over, I don't have my license with me, I get ticketed.

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Why can't we ask them?

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I have apartments.

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Am I going to be in trouble if I ask somebody who wants to rent my apartment?

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Any information where they're from so I can do a background check?

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Am I going to be against the town rules?

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Are we going to get rid of the code enforcer?

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Why do we have laws?

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This is a federal law.

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Is this board going to be on record of saying that they defy federal law?

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How about the police department?

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Are they on record saying that they are going to defy the federal law?

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Are they going to be ignoring their oath to serve and protect all of us?

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There's a lot of questions here.

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Who's paying for this?

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On the news last night, they said that there's going to be a big welcome sign in Bethlehem.

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But welcome to our schools that we're going to pay for, draining the resources, rents we're

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going to be paying for.

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Why are we always being under attack here?

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I really think this board really should look into this much deeper, listen to the constituents

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behind you.

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You work for us and to unilaterally go about and say we're going to make this a

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sanctuary town is a slap in the face to everybody in here that holds constitutional rights.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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And we will try to address all those questions that we want to hear from people first.

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My name is Harriet Jeffey.

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I'm a Bethlehem resident for 20 years and I'm in favor of the resolution.

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Thank you.

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Hi.

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My name is Kristen Locas.

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I'm a resident of Delmar.

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And I would like to say that this resolution makes me proud to be a resident of Del Mar.

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Dan Locas-Rain, resident of Del Mar, and just as speaking as a private citizen tonight,

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I want to thank Supervisor Clarkson and the board members for bringing this resolution forward,

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and very, like my wife, I'm proud to be a Bethlehem resident when these kind of resolutions bring

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forward. We're a nation of immigrants. We're a community, a diverse community that needs

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to be welcoming and accepting, and strongly in favor of the resolution, and as I read

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in the Supervisor Clarkson's memo, it's not asking the town employees or police department

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or anybody to do anything illegal.

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So I certainly support it widely.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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My name is Mary Baker.

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I'm a town resident.

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I am supportive of the resolution.

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It makes perfect sense and it doesn't really change anything that we're doing.

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It's just affirming that the rights of all people is important and vital.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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All right.

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My name is Bob Egan.

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I live in Hamlin of Selkirk.

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And I'm against the resolution I've heard today and read in the paper yesterday that

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this is not a change to what's going on currently, but if it's not a change, why make it a public

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resolution?

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The public resolution has the effect of putting a shingle on the town's city limits,

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the town limits saying, come in.

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And so if Gildland doesn't do it or Voriceville or Revena,

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those illegals are going to come from those towns

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because they're going to feel more comfortable here.

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The effect on our property values,

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and maybe even worse, the personal effects

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of some of these illegals or criminals,

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is going to be devastating.

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And the presidents will have no recourse

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if their property values or other harm comes their way.

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At least I'm not aware I'm not a lawyer,

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but I don't know that we would have any recourse.

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So my concern is about my property.

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If we have to do this, maybe do it a year,

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five, ten years out so some of us can sell our homes before this takes effect, but it's

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kind of been sprung on us and we haven't had opportunity to play in for it and I think

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that that's difficult for us residents.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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I'm Carol Northrup and my family's been here since 1926.

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My grandparents came in the legal way.

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They came in with the process that's in place.

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You do have stuff up a little.

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Sorry.

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Just get closer to the microphone.

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Okay.

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So I'm asking why – I'm not against this resolution. Why this – why are you passing

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this resolution? How does it benefit the town? Who is paying for this? Is our taxes going

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up? As you know, we just went through, as the First Lady said, about the lands through

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open space. There is already a procedure in place for immigrants coming into this

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country. I've known many families that have gone through the process. It's not an easy

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one, but it's one that's in place. So why violate the – and go on record – violating

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the federal law? They can go through the channels like past immigrants and who's vetting the

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undocumented immigrants in our town. What about helping our own town residents that

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may need assistance.

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What impact will this have on our community, our schools, and strange

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entitlements? I really think the Board should really talk about this quite a bit more. And

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if it's not going to change anything, then why make it a sanctuary city or community?

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It's more harm than good.

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Good.

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Thank you.

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Hi.

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My name is Thomas Goodfellow, and I live on Brookside Drive in Del Mar, and I support the

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resolution.

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And I support it because I think it's a good idea for the town to go on record.

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First of all, we're not violating any existing laws or statute.

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And second of all, it shows that we are a humane community.

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The federal government must give us a clear and humane plan for addressing illegal immigrants.

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Until there is reform, we as a state, county or town should not be complicit in any ad hoc action

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that disrupts families, interferes with normal law enforcement, that discourages the flow of legal immigration,

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or that provides cover to a Congress and an executive who, quite frankly, I don't think

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have any idea of what they're doing on this issue.

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The resolution puts the county and the state and the federal government on notice that

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that we need comprehensive, humane immigration reform.

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It is long overdue.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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I'm Dr. Robert Gordon from Slingerlands.

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I support the resolution.

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I think it's important that the town send a message that we support the ideals

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that this country was founded upon.

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And it's not a time to look at anyone's selfish interests or even to be paranoid about it.

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So thank you.

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Thank you.

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Gary Fish.

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I feel like I'm against this.

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We are a nation of laws.

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People coming here illegally are violating the law.

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And yes, we are a nation of immigrants.

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My relatives came here from Germany in 1832, but they did it legally.

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Nobody is calling for mass deportations.

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We want the policies followed.

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And this seems like it's just following on the heels of San Francisco, a sanctuary city.

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This appears like sanctuary light to me.

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And San Francisco is in direct violation of federal law,

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where they are allowing criminal immigrants out of prison and not notifying the proper

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authorities that they are going to be cut loose into society. I'm for human rights,

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but I'm also for rights of citizens of the country, and I don't feel that the town should

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be making unilateral decisions relative to this proclamation. Thank you.

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Thank you.

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00:22:17,190 --> 00:22:17,950
Good evening.

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00:22:19,030 --> 00:22:20,470
My name is Maureen Cunningham.

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I'm a resident of Del Mar.

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As I see this, I am in strong support of this resolution, and I do think it stands strongly

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on American values.

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I think this resolution is a continuation and an affirmation of what the Bethlehem Police

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Department is already doing and doing their jobs well.

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This is an affirmation of that, and I support the police department in that

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effort.

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I also support this resolution because it uses language directly from the New York State

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Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, and you can find those guidance materials on his website.

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I also want to mention that data suggests that when local law enforcement focuses on

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community safety, rather than trying to get entangled in federal immigration efforts,

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The data shows that communities are safer and people are more engaged in the local economy and that's what I want for this community of Bethlehem.

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These policies, this resolution is based on common sense rather than on fear mongering and I thank the board for considering it. Thank you.

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Thank you.

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00:23:36,990 --> 00:23:45,930
I'm Carmelo Triolo, and I live in Delmar, New York, and I'm here to oppose this proposal

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as a daughter of an immigrant and a manual laborer.

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I really think this is an economic issue, and people want to – there are people

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people that want to keep access to a large pool of labor, labor pool, that are unable

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to defend themselves and are open for exploitation. I think that there are people that want to

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exploit these illegal immigrants and that the sanctuary proposals aid in this. As a

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daughter of an immigrant, I remember my father telling me how he would be exploited by the

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criminal element within the immigrant community. And I think a lot of people, they have very

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kind, good, well-intentioned motives, but they're being used.

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This is not good for immigrants. We need a change in the laws. That's true.

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But we need to see that the laws are carried out, and we can't ignore what's happening in our community.

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Bethlehem is on the – we know from prior experience that drug dealers use Bethlehem.

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as to get to bring heroin and other drugs to Albany, Schenectady, and Pointes North.

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And for our police to be told that they can't ask questions, they shouldn't use due diligence,

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I mean, it's irresponsible to the communities around us.

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And I was very surprised to hear that we're doing this.

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I really think we're giving our police the wrong to make them fearful to ask questions,

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to do due diligence. I really think, too, if someone is hurt in this community, if I find

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out that some member of my family is hurt because the police did not do due diligence,

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Well, now I have evidence that I really think the town will be liable.

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Come on, I appreciate it. I'm afraid we're running.

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00:26:18,470 --> 00:26:20,250
We will have Commander Hornet here later.

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00:26:28,620 --> 00:26:28,980
Thank you, sir.

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00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,700
Don, I think you turned it off. You have to throw the switch up.

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Push it toward the front.

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Okay. Good evening.

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00:26:34,740 --> 00:26:39,580
My name is Donna Gilberto, and I'm a 20-year resident of Glenmont in the town of Bethlehem,

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and I am in support of this resolution.

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First, I would like to thank the town board and Supervisor Clarkson for proposing the resolution.

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I understand that the process outlined in the resolution has already followed in the

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town by the police department.

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Some people would say, why do we need this resolution?

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My response to that is codifying the intention to continue the process of non-discrimination

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and welcoming refugees and immigrants to our town is worth the effort.

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It's worth the effort so that future town boards will adhere to this policy.

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Second, while this may seem like a small step to many, it is a huge statement.

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Making sure that the welcome mat is firmly affixed in the town of Bethlehem encourages

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unity and community spirit.

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It says we are decent to others and that we care.

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Many of us have been despondent since November and more so since January 20th.

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This resolution identifies us as a sanctuary town and expresses our intention to protect

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a population that is at risk because of the administration in Washington.

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Third, this action follows the spirit of our governor, New York City Mayor de Blasio,

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the mayor of Boston, and other mayors and municipal officials around the country in showing acceptance

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and support for our refugee and immigrant brothers and sisters.

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And lastly, I am proud, like so many others, to live in a town that has made a statement

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of solidarity and unity.

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Resistance begins with a small step and must be followed by love, acceptance and

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continued acts of kindness.

395
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The rest of the country is watching what you are doing here tonight.

396
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So on behalf of my teenage daughter, I want to thank you.

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And I support the adoption of the resolution before the board.

398
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Thank you.

399
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:24,740
Thank you.

400
00:28:32,510 --> 00:28:35,370
I'm Karen Harmon, and I live in the town of Glenmont.

401
00:28:35,470 --> 00:28:38,090
I've been there over 25 years longer than I care to admit.

402
00:28:38,450 --> 00:28:40,430
And I want to second everything that Donna said.

403
00:28:40,550 --> 00:28:43,630
She was extremely elegant, went far more so than I can be.

404
00:28:43,950 --> 00:28:46,950
And I really appreciate what the board is doing and John Clark said,

405
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and I'm fully in support.

406
00:28:47,950 --> 00:28:55,210
I work with undocumented immigrants every day in my capacity down at Family Court, and they're wonderful people who are just trying to have a chance.

407
00:28:55,610 --> 00:28:57,450
Thank you very much. Thank you.

408
00:29:03,670 --> 00:29:06,790
Good evening. My name is Mitch Wies. I live in Glenmont, New York.

409
00:29:08,350 --> 00:29:12,310
I'm not against refugees. I'm not against anybody coming into this country.

410
00:29:12,710 --> 00:29:18,130
My family came in the 1870s from Germany. Like the other gentlemen said before me, they came here legally.

411
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And I'm all about refugees coming here, but they need to be checked.

412
00:29:23,690 --> 00:29:27,310
You know, I invite anyone here to invite them into their homes.

413
00:29:28,030 --> 00:29:31,770
If they're so welcome, allow them into their homes.

414
00:29:32,030 --> 00:29:35,110
I served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

415
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I served in Afghanistan and Iraq two years in my life.

416
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,740
I see what these people are capable of, and I don't want that in my town.

417
00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:47,740
I don't want that with my 18-month-old child.

418
00:29:47,740 --> 00:29:49,460
I don't want it.

419
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:50,600
I'm sorry.

420
00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:52,360
Thank you.

421
00:29:58,070 --> 00:29:59,630
My name is Audrey Troy.

422
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:05,420
I live in Glenmont, but my mailing address is Selkirk, so it's New York State, what can

423
00:30:05,420 --> 00:30:16,960
I say? But anyway, I fully agree with people that are against this. For all the reasons they

424
00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:25,460
said, I've heard twice that we are a nation of immigrants. We are not a nation of immigrants.

425
00:30:25,460 --> 00:30:27,020
were a nation of citizens.

426
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,660
So just having a bunch of immigrants here

427
00:30:31,340 --> 00:30:34,260
does not a nation make.

428
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:36,980
Again, I agree with him.

429
00:30:37,140 --> 00:30:38,760
I'm not against anybody's rights.

430
00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:41,340
My grandparents, I believe,

431
00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:45,080
or maybe my great-grandparents came here

432
00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,060
as a result of the war in Germany,

433
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and I think they turn over in their graves

434
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:51,200
if they could see what's happening.

435
00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,160
I'm afraid to go to the Jewish Center.

436
00:30:54,160 --> 00:31:01,600
I know it's not Delmar, but it's close enough, little kids, and I'm not saying, oh, well,

437
00:31:01,620 --> 00:31:06,000
these people from these countries would do that. I'm just saying somebody's doing it,

438
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:11,640
and I fear for my grandchildren every single minute of every single day.

439
00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:23,780
I also want to call attention to what I think is insightful wording that you've

440
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,820
I'd like you to keep it more objective when writing to the public.

441
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,220
This is your memo, Mr. Clarkson.

442
00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:40,940
In the first paragraph, it says, other residents have asked if we would pass a resolution

443
00:31:40,940 --> 00:31:43,260
or otherwise take incidents and threats,

444
00:31:44,020 --> 00:31:47,200
steps in opposing the travel ban, executive order.

445
00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,260
And, you know, that statistically doesn't make any sense to me.

446
00:31:52,260 --> 00:31:58,220
I don't know what a lot of residents are, and I don't really care about their opinion

447
00:31:58,220 --> 00:32:00,160
in something like this.

448
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,480
I don't know what other residents want to pass the resolution.

449
00:32:06,020 --> 00:32:13,280
In the last sentence of the bottom paragraph, it says, I understand what the resolution

450
00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:19,000
is about, but then it says, additionally, the New York State Attorney General has opined

451
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:24,240
that there is no authority for the aid withholding provisions of the executive order.

452
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:32,940
One, I looked up what the word opined means because I kind of knew, but I thought it had a little more meat to it.

453
00:32:33,540 --> 00:32:37,080
It means it's his opinion, his general idea.

454
00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,400
And I don't care whose general idea it is, what is the law.

455
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,400
and I'm asking you and the board here,

456
00:32:46,140 --> 00:32:50,140
are you going to be fighting what our president is doing now?

457
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:52,420
Thank you.

458
00:33:00,970 --> 00:33:02,150
Hello, my name is Gerard.

459
00:33:02,150 --> 00:33:05,530
I live in Del Mar, actually right around the corner here.

460
00:33:06,550 --> 00:33:08,010
And in reading over the resolution,

461
00:33:08,210 --> 00:33:10,930
I found some things that were interesting,

462
00:33:11,090 --> 00:33:11,990
and actually all the paperwork

463
00:33:11,990 --> 00:33:13,330
that you provided for us tonight.

464
00:33:13,970 --> 00:33:17,250
You said that citizenship and immigration status

465
00:33:17,250 --> 00:33:23,690
were both legally protected statuses, went on and so I found that interesting.

466
00:33:24,410 --> 00:33:32,330
I went on to the Department of Justice website and they are, but only in respects to hiring,

467
00:33:32,630 --> 00:33:38,670
firing and things of employment. There is a forced stipulation that is actually protection

468
00:33:38,670 --> 00:33:45,570
for citizens and that is when there's this specific discrimination against them to which

469
00:33:45,570 --> 00:33:52,190
there are methods to file to have restitution or to have that corrected.

470
00:33:52,870 --> 00:34:00,070
In other means, there is no legally protected status for illegal immigrants, and that's

471
00:34:00,070 --> 00:34:06,230
actually my next point. Often you use the term undocumented. I looked up undocumented

472
00:34:06,230 --> 00:34:15,170
and illegal immigration and turns out except for maybe a the, an at, or an in, they're

473
00:34:15,170 --> 00:34:20,190
the same definition. So by definition all these people that you are allowing to

474
00:34:20,190 --> 00:34:25,850
town are illegal, which brings me to my third and final point. You often said

475
00:34:25,850 --> 00:34:31,190
that you, through the paperwork that you provided us, you said that you would

476
00:34:31,190 --> 00:34:38,090
uphold federal, state, and local law. If this travel ban is passed through

477
00:34:38,090 --> 00:34:42,130
through the Supreme Court or the Ninth Circuit, whichever it may be, it will

478
00:34:42,130 --> 00:34:48,390
become federal law. So you may pass it tonight, but next week, or six months from now, whenever

479
00:34:48,390 --> 00:34:55,310
it may be, this knee-jerk reaction to the travel ban should be overturned if you are

480
00:34:55,310 --> 00:35:02,590
actually true to your word in following up on federal law. It just seems a little knee-jerk

481
00:35:02,590 --> 00:35:08,790
and possibly hypocritical in the future for this town to be, to do this sort of

482
00:35:08,790 --> 00:35:13,270
thing, then either have to turn it over or be in violation of federal law later on.

483
00:35:14,070 --> 00:35:14,590
Thank you.

484
00:35:19,950 --> 00:35:20,490
Yes, hi.

485
00:35:20,610 --> 00:35:21,690
My name is Jonathan Mitcalf.

486
00:35:21,830 --> 00:35:26,150
I'm a graduate of the Bethlehem Central High School, grew up in this area.

487
00:35:26,530 --> 00:35:31,670
My sister lives a couple of blocks away with her newborn, and that lets you know where

488
00:35:31,670 --> 00:35:32,370
I'm going with this.

489
00:35:33,070 --> 00:35:34,770
I guess I'm totally against it.

490
00:35:34,950 --> 00:35:36,270
I'm strongly opposed to it.

491
00:35:37,710 --> 00:35:40,950
I would say just what the gentleman just spoke up here.

492
00:35:42,030 --> 00:35:44,730
If nothing more was said tonight, I think he pretty much said it.

493
00:35:45,170 --> 00:35:49,770
It's unvetted illegal insanity. I would call it a Trojan horse.

494
00:35:51,190 --> 00:35:55,910
And another thing I would say is those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

495
00:36:02,020 --> 00:36:05,580
A law based on a lie is still a lie. That's all I have to say.

496
00:36:06,420 --> 00:36:07,220
Thank you.

497
00:36:11,910 --> 00:36:16,470
My name is Zachary Brash. I was born in South America.

498
00:36:16,470 --> 00:36:21,130
I immigrated here when I was an infant, so I am a US citizen.

499
00:36:22,190 --> 00:36:28,430
Right now, there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants.

500
00:36:30,390 --> 00:36:32,970
And so no matter what side of the aisle you're on,

501
00:36:33,150 --> 00:36:35,850
what I'd like to point out is they're already here.

502
00:36:37,330 --> 00:36:40,370
You can support trying to deport them or whatever,

503
00:36:40,710 --> 00:36:45,150
but as we know it, 3.5% of our population are legal immigrants.

504
00:36:45,150 --> 00:36:54,530
And I think what this comes down to is it says, like, I don't think it's a bad idea to have them, you know, be able to help law enforcement.

505
00:36:54,690 --> 00:36:56,170
This is designed to help law enforcement.

506
00:36:57,570 --> 00:37:04,670
And my question to the people who are so opposed to this, would you rather an undocumented immigrant not report a crime or not prevent a crime?

507
00:37:05,650 --> 00:37:08,550
So I want to conclude with, like, I support the resolution.

508
00:37:09,330 --> 00:37:09,910
Thank you.

509
00:37:15,220 --> 00:37:19,200
I live right here in Del Mar, and I'm against it.

510
00:37:20,220 --> 00:37:25,060
Number one, one of the big issues is it's not legal.

511
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:26,040
It's illegal.

512
00:37:27,020 --> 00:37:30,120
If a legal refugee comes in, I'll do anything I could to help them.

513
00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:33,000
But you have to commit to the proper channels.

514
00:37:33,860 --> 00:37:36,660
You commit illegally. Nobody knows your background.

515
00:37:36,860 --> 00:37:38,660
You're undocumented. Who knows who you are?

516
00:37:39,180 --> 00:37:42,880
And we all know from past experience that disasters that have happened in this country

517
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:48,020
in the past 20 years. I don't want them repeated, especially around here. Thank you.

518
00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:50,100
Thank you.

519
00:37:53,260 --> 00:37:59,100
My name is Marianne Wetchret and I've been a resident of Del Mar for 23 years. I totally

520
00:38:02,580 --> 00:38:11,800
am against this proposal for a number of reasons. I fear for my safety. I fear when I go into

521
00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:20,820
to a store among any place that I'm shopping and someone comes walking towards me. This

522
00:38:20,820 --> 00:38:25,620
is just the way I am. I'm a little person. I'm a no-lady. When someone just walks towards

523
00:38:25,620 --> 00:38:31,720
me with two eyes poking out through garb, whatever you want to call the address, I

524
00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:37,740
don't know the proper name. Excuse me. I have the right to the mic at the weight.

525
00:38:37,740 --> 00:38:45,480
Please, please, everyone, please, please let everyone let the person at the microphone

526
00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:46,020
speak.

527
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:47,760
That is another rule, please.

528
00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:48,820
You may not agree.

529
00:38:48,980 --> 00:38:50,200
You may not like it, but please.

530
00:38:50,580 --> 00:38:52,360
This is the United States of America.

531
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:56,100
We are all protected to speak here like anybody else.

532
00:38:56,940 --> 00:38:59,560
I'm only speaking what I feel as a taxpayer.

533
00:39:00,420 --> 00:39:05,360
I pledge my allegiance to the United States of America, no matter who the president is.

534
00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:07,140
I respect my flag.

535
00:39:07,580 --> 00:39:11,760
I respect anyone who comes into the United States of America legally.

536
00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:14,500
I am an American citizen.

537
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,200
I was born in the United States.

538
00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:18,820
My mother was born in the United States.

539
00:39:19,220 --> 00:39:26,100
My father came here as an immigrant from Russia with his mother when he was an infant

540
00:39:26,100 --> 00:39:27,880
and he came legally.

541
00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:34,540
I have nothing against anyone who comes into this country legally, but please become

542
00:39:34,540 --> 00:39:38,140
a United States citizen become an American. Thank you very much.

543
00:39:38,140 --> 00:39:38,400
Thank you.

544
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:50,720
Good evening. My name is Larry Atkals. I'm a resident, a Native New Yorker.

545
00:39:51,420 --> 00:39:56,660
I lived out of the state for a while. I wouldn't know where to begin to answer some of the

546
00:39:56,660 --> 00:40:01,660
misinformation that's been quoted here tonight. I was both astonished and overjoyed when

547
00:40:01,660 --> 00:40:04,480
When I saw the resolution that came out,

548
00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:10,680
I then – I'm a retired attorney, I was

549
00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:18,440
a volunteer firefighter, and I was an emergency medical technician, and it never would have

550
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:23,380
occurred to me to ask someone whether they were legal or not legal before rendering

551
00:40:23,380 --> 00:40:24,640
any kind of aid to them.

552
00:40:25,180 --> 00:40:28,400
That would have been abhorrent to my purpose.

553
00:40:29,820 --> 00:40:34,500
I think, in my opinion, that the resolution is perfectly legal.

554
00:40:34,740 --> 00:40:38,040
I'll leave it up to the town attorney to make sure of that.

555
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:43,820
But I do, but I think some things that have been said about cost.

556
00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:45,540
I don't see any cost in this.

557
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:51,200
You know, I've lived here for 15 years and haven't had any children in school,

558
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:56,120
but I've been paying school taxes to support other people's children.

559
00:40:56,120 --> 00:41:04,480
And I've paying insurance through the state as a retired attorney.

560
00:41:06,380 --> 00:41:13,800
I pay more than other people do who are also retired simply because of the way it's structured.

561
00:41:14,300 --> 00:41:17,300
I mean, that's the nature of life in the United States.

562
00:41:17,460 --> 00:41:20,580
We all help others and we support other people.

563
00:41:20,580 --> 00:41:27,020
When I hear people lump everyone into those people, it really gets me off.

564
00:41:34,770 --> 00:41:43,350
The facts are that there have been no events caused by any of the people subject to the

565
00:41:43,350 --> 00:41:44,450
ban.

566
00:41:45,490 --> 00:41:55,910
And the fact that there are people here in the United States with or without documentation

567
00:41:55,910 --> 00:41:59,630
it's not their fault entirely.

568
00:42:00,370 --> 00:42:03,370
They're trying to escape from a very bad place,

569
00:42:03,450 --> 00:42:07,010
which all of our immigrant families did, legal or otherwise.

570
00:42:09,510 --> 00:42:14,490
And the fact that the country let them in didn't stop them

571
00:42:14,490 --> 00:42:15,670
and took no steps.

572
00:42:16,330 --> 00:42:20,710
They shouldn't preclude this town from taking some action

573
00:42:20,710 --> 00:42:22,950
to protect the people within its community,

574
00:42:22,950 --> 00:42:24,650
and it has every right to do so.

575
00:42:24,650 --> 00:42:30,510
So, one said something about learning from the past and condemned to repeat it, well,

576
00:42:30,690 --> 00:42:36,090
I got that lesson back from my social studies teacher back in high school.

577
00:42:36,530 --> 00:42:42,810
And, you know, sometimes there are lessons we forget because back before World War II

578
00:42:42,810 --> 00:42:45,150
started, we didn't let them have been sent here.

579
00:42:45,510 --> 00:42:46,350
We stopped them.

580
00:42:46,690 --> 00:42:50,410
There was a boat full of Jews that wasn't allowed into this country or any other and

581
00:42:50,410 --> 00:42:57,850
they died, and 6 million more died, and millions more of other people died, LGBT, and other

582
00:42:57,850 --> 00:43:01,510
people because no one would raise a hand.

583
00:43:02,230 --> 00:43:04,470
John Kennedy wrote a book called Profiles and Courage.

584
00:43:04,630 --> 00:43:06,310
I haven't seen a lot of courage lately.

585
00:43:06,850 --> 00:43:14,050
And I want to salute the board for taking this action, and I expect that there will

586
00:43:14,050 --> 00:43:17,290
be many, many more towns and cities taking this action in their future.

587
00:43:17,630 --> 00:43:18,010
Thank you.

588
00:43:18,170 --> 00:43:18,690
Thank you.

589
00:43:29,450 --> 00:43:39,030
Hello. My name is Sam Stewart. I am a 25-year resident of Glenmont. I've lived here my whole

590
00:43:39,030 --> 00:43:45,010
life. I support this resolution. And I'm going to be honest with you. I haven't been to a

591
00:43:45,010 --> 00:43:50,150
single-town meeting for as long as I have lived in this town. I didn't intend to come

592
00:43:50,150 --> 00:43:56,330
today, but I saw something posted on Facebook about this meeting that was very frightening

593
00:43:56,330 --> 00:44:05,550
to me. And I'm not going to read it if that person is here, but I know we all, we all love

594
00:44:05,550 --> 00:44:09,890
our children. We all want the best lives for our children for ourselves, because we're

595
00:44:09,890 --> 00:44:16,010
all decent people. Do not let fear destroy the decency that makes this country so fantastic.

596
00:44:18,340 --> 00:44:18,960
Thank you.

597
00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:36,020
Hi, my name is Amy Griffin. I'm a 17-year homeowner in Del Mar, and I've got two

598
00:44:36,020 --> 00:44:41,540
teenage daughters in the school district and I support this resolution and I

599
00:44:41,540 --> 00:44:45,500
thank the board and the police department for bringing it forward. I'm

600
00:44:45,500 --> 00:44:51,000
very proud to be a Bethlehem resident. And I love what that guy just said.

601
00:44:54,920 --> 00:44:55,100
Good

602
00:44:55,100 --> 00:44:59,460
evening my name is Jill Rifkin and America is my country.

603
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:07,360
The home that I love. And its symbol is the Statue of Liberty, on the bottom of which is written, as you all know,

604
00:45:07,940 --> 00:45:20,480
I lift my lamp beside the golden door. How are some of these desperate refugees going to be allowed to get in legally from a country like Syria?

605
00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:30,340
It could take years and most of them, the vast majority of them are perfectly decent kind people.

606
00:45:31,260 --> 00:45:39,280
I tutor a refugee from Liberia who had to leave with a clothes on his back.

607
00:45:39,720 --> 00:45:45,020
His wife didn't want to leave and she was murdered several years later.

608
00:45:45,020 --> 00:45:52,560
He married again, but you couldn't ask for kinder, lovelier people, and I know others

609
00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:53,140
as well.

610
00:45:55,100 --> 00:46:02,480
I welcome the refugees, from everything I have read, they are no more likely to be criminals

611
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:08,940
than any of the rest of us or anyone else in this country, any other group.

612
00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:17,380
I would be delighted to have them as my neighbors and I hope with all my heart that Bethlehem

613
00:46:17,380 --> 00:46:23,240
becomes a sanctuary city and I thank Supervisor Clarkson and the Board for doing this.

614
00:46:23,700 --> 00:46:24,680
Thank you, Kehle.

615
00:46:24,760 --> 00:46:26,120
It took real courage.

616
00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:31,860
Good evening.

617
00:46:32,060 --> 00:46:33,280
My name is Tom Tryan.

618
00:46:33,380 --> 00:46:34,680
I'm a resident of Slingerlands.

619
00:46:35,140 --> 00:46:40,200
I want to put the politics and the emotions beside and just kind of some financial or

620
00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:44,700
fiscal food for thought for the town board tonight. It's pretty obvious the executive

621
00:46:44,700 --> 00:46:49,900
branch of the United States government is working to revamp the immigration system where

622
00:46:49,900 --> 00:46:54,840
that will go. We have to wait and see. I do know that the executive branch is fairly

623
00:46:55,560 --> 00:47:00,140
opposed to the idea of sanctuary cities, towns, states, what have you. I would just

624
00:47:00,140 --> 00:47:04,860
ask the board to consider, financially, if the federal government were to cut funding

625
00:47:04,860 --> 00:47:10,880
to designated sanctuary town cities, how that would affect the town.

626
00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:15,000
I'm not asking to table this, I'm not asking to hold off.

627
00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:17,260
I think human rights, amen, absolutely.

628
00:47:18,160 --> 00:47:24,040
But perhaps maybe we should allow some more time to elapse before we make a decision

629
00:47:24,040 --> 00:47:26,480
on designating ourselves as a sanctuary town.

630
00:47:26,900 --> 00:47:31,040
You see what the executive government, the executive branch has to say

631
00:47:31,040 --> 00:47:32,900
and where they move forward with that.

632
00:47:32,900 --> 00:47:37,100
I think would be fairly detrimental to the town to lose federal funding.

633
00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:38,660
Thank you.

634
00:47:39,020 --> 00:47:39,740
Thank you.

635
00:47:43,420 --> 00:47:45,180
Hi, my name is Pam Skripak.

636
00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:48,100
I live at 98 Salesbury Road in Del Mar.

637
00:47:48,860 --> 00:47:55,880
I actually wanted to share with you a text I received today from a dear friend of mine,

638
00:47:56,420 --> 00:47:57,620
now a dear friend.

639
00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:01,700
He was a refugee asylum seeker from Iran.

640
00:48:01,980 --> 00:48:05,320
He was a human rights activist there and journalist.

641
00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:09,460
and was imprisoned, tortured, put into solitary confinement,

642
00:48:09,980 --> 00:48:11,320
was able to escape Iran.

643
00:48:12,420 --> 00:48:17,540
He actually went back to Iran hoping that the government there would be more reasonable

644
00:48:17,540 --> 00:48:22,000
and it wasn't, and he was informed that he needed to leave quickly

645
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:26,280
and left within four days, left his apartment, his house, his job, his family, everything,

646
00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:30,300
and arrived here and came to Bethlehem.

647
00:48:30,460 --> 00:48:35,020
A group of amazing and wonderful members of this community took Daniel in

648
00:48:35,020 --> 00:48:41,080
and helped him. And he is not here tonight because he's actually studying at Boston University

649
00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:47,380
now in the School of Theology. He's looking to get his M.Div and become a Methodist minister.

650
00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:53,260
And eventually hopes to go back to the Middle East and talk about what he's discovered

651
00:48:53,260 --> 00:48:58,900
here about love and compassion in this country. But he did want to share his thoughts and

652
00:48:58,900 --> 00:49:03,920
I want to read them to you. He says, this is Daniel Mohamed Zadeh. I'm a refugee

653
00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:09,500
from Iran. I came to the U.S. about five years ago. I was hopeless and destroyed because

654
00:49:09,500 --> 00:49:14,460
of the situation that forced me to leave my home. I came to Albany in a very long winter.

655
00:49:14,920 --> 00:49:20,360
I had no family or friend. I had no job, network or savings. Even I could not speak English.

656
00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:25,360
But a community changed the face of night for me. A community trusted me and accepted

657
00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:30,500
me. The community, Bethlehem, gave me a warm welcome in a coldest moment of my life.

658
00:49:30,500 --> 00:49:33,160
The community made the U.S. for me like my home.

659
00:49:33,460 --> 00:49:35,080
They offered me their friendship and support.

660
00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:37,860
They helped me to find a job. They offered me education.

661
00:49:38,380 --> 00:49:41,240
They offered me a place to live when I couldn't afford a room.

662
00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:43,640
They accepted me into their homes and at their tables.

663
00:49:44,280 --> 00:49:45,720
Now I feel I'm at home.

664
00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:48,220
I'm not far away from my family and friends anymore.

665
00:49:48,840 --> 00:49:50,440
I'm not hopeless or destroyed anymore.

666
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:53,860
They provided a safe space for me to find myself again.

667
00:49:54,380 --> 00:49:58,540
I ask myself every day how could I survive if the community didn't trust me,

668
00:49:58,540 --> 00:50:03,280
didn't accept me, didn't support me, and I want to tell all Americans and all New Yorkers

669
00:50:03,280 --> 00:50:07,700
who have helped me to survive and grow, thank you, for the outpouring of support.

670
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:11,760
I can't tell you how much better, unless alone it made me feel, to have your unconditional

671
00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:14,600
support and love in the darkest moment of my life.

672
00:50:15,100 --> 00:50:19,700
And I just want to say that while we have talked about this is not a change of protocol,

673
00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:26,160
I do think the symbolism of adopting this resolution is critical and makes an

674
00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:30,220
enormous difference to so many people who are suffering and not just this vulnerable

675
00:50:30,220 --> 00:50:34,680
community. I think in light of the current political situation, there are many who feel

676
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:41,640
like vulnerable populations. And I think as a gesture, this lets those people know

677
00:50:41,640 --> 00:50:43,240
we are with them. Thank you.

678
00:50:43,780 --> 00:50:44,220
Thank you again.

679
00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:56,000
Good evening. My name is Anna Campus. I've lived

680
00:50:58,110 --> 00:51:02,130
in Dalmar for 41 years. And I would

681
00:51:02,130 --> 00:51:09,910
like to offer a broader perspective. I returned from Athens, Greece, on January 28th, and after

682
00:51:09,910 --> 00:51:17,430
spending two weeks there, and I arrived at Terminal 4 at JFK just when the protest for

683
00:51:17,430 --> 00:51:23,610
the band was starting up, and I didn't realize until I got home what it was all about. But

684
00:51:23,610 --> 00:51:28,930
it seemed, it struck me as very ironic because I had just spent the last two weeks volunteering

685
00:51:28,930 --> 00:51:32,810
at an NGO, which is a non-governmental organization,

686
00:51:33,670 --> 00:51:37,570
that specifically assists refugees from Syria

687
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,350
and Afghanistan and other countries.

688
00:51:40,770 --> 00:51:43,310
We were teaching them English and Greek

689
00:51:43,310 --> 00:51:45,610
because I happened to be bilingual.

690
00:51:46,270 --> 00:51:48,510
And I just want to cut to the chase.

691
00:51:48,750 --> 00:51:51,690
I never once felt fear working with these people.

692
00:51:52,310 --> 00:51:56,290
I met children, women, and men.

693
00:51:56,290 --> 00:51:58,270
And I made many friends.

694
00:52:00,290 --> 00:52:05,510
So we know that the country of Greece is having a financial crisis,

695
00:52:06,050 --> 00:52:10,450
but this is a humanitarian crisis within their economic crisis.

696
00:52:10,730 --> 00:52:13,210
So they are really challenged right now.

697
00:52:13,570 --> 00:52:18,050
They have 60,000 refugees from Syria that are stranded in the country,

698
00:52:18,750 --> 00:52:21,190
but their population is 11 million.

699
00:52:21,770 --> 00:52:23,270
That's less than 1%.

700
00:52:23,270 --> 00:52:25,190
and they are somehow coping with this.

701
00:52:26,550 --> 00:52:30,450
We have 85,000 refugees that come every year,

702
00:52:31,030 --> 00:52:34,870
and we have a population of 300 million people.

703
00:52:35,590 --> 00:52:38,310
And I think we can take a lesson from Greece.

704
00:52:40,530 --> 00:52:43,990
The phrase Philaxonia is love of strangers.

705
00:52:44,790 --> 00:52:46,430
I think they have something to teach us,

706
00:52:46,910 --> 00:52:48,530
and I welcome the resolution.

707
00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:01,260
I'm Leah Walsh, and I'm a resident of Del Mar

708
00:53:01,260 --> 00:53:03,100
and a business owner here in town.

709
00:53:03,640 --> 00:53:06,040
I own and operate Bluebird Montessori,

710
00:53:06,220 --> 00:53:08,140
which is a Montessori school that serves

711
00:53:08,140 --> 00:53:10,040
children ages two and a half to six.

712
00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:15,180
And peace education is a pillar of Montessori education,

713
00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:18,640
and we teach children to become citizens of the world.

714
00:53:19,820 --> 00:53:23,700
My colleague, Rebecca and I, who is an E&L teacher,

715
00:53:23,960 --> 00:53:26,480
are starting an initiative for immigrant families

716
00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:29,620
to welcome a couple of families into our community

717
00:53:29,620 --> 00:53:35,420
to give them a preschool education before entering into the public school education

718
00:53:35,420 --> 00:53:42,740
to really help build this community and to give them this experience before starting into the public school system.

719
00:53:43,240 --> 00:53:47,160
I fully support this proposition. I think it will make our community stronger.

720
00:53:49,700 --> 00:53:50,400
Thank you.

721
00:53:55,170 --> 00:54:02,890
Good evening. My name is Miguel Ortiz, and I feel like I have to qualify that in some way with regard to some of the folks here.

722
00:54:02,890 --> 00:54:05,970
My father came from Spain, came through Ellis Island.

723
00:54:06,530 --> 00:54:08,970
My mother was born in Arizona, Spanish parents.

724
00:54:09,990 --> 00:54:14,150
And while I always like to say my folks came in the 20th century,

725
00:54:14,270 --> 00:54:16,030
my people got here in 1492.

726
00:54:18,030 --> 00:54:24,710
But I think I'm a little confused because I think there's two issues here.

727
00:54:25,170 --> 00:54:29,910
People who are coming to the country without proper inspection.

728
00:54:29,910 --> 00:54:34,330
I should add that I'm an attorney or a retired attorney for years.

729
00:54:35,590 --> 00:54:42,190
They come through the country without proper inspection and I think that does not apply

730
00:54:42,190 --> 00:54:47,810
to folks who are coming from the Middle East because they've already been granted visas.

731
00:54:48,670 --> 00:54:56,410
In some cases those folks had green cards and had gone back to their country of origin

732
00:54:56,410 --> 00:54:57,330
to visit family.

733
00:54:57,330 --> 00:55:01,610
And when you have a green card, you have all the rights under the Constitution that

734
00:55:01,610 --> 00:55:04,190
a native-born American citizen has.

735
00:55:04,630 --> 00:55:08,770
And same thing with someone who's allowed to come into the country by the government.

736
00:55:09,350 --> 00:55:13,110
On the other hand, I think there's also, I mean, there's this other issue about 11

737
00:55:13,110 --> 00:55:19,170
million undocumented people in the country, and mostly of Hispanic origin.

738
00:55:20,010 --> 00:55:23,390
And this problem goes back 30 years.

739
00:55:23,390 --> 00:55:29,910
And if you recall when President Reagan was in office, he granted an amnesty to people

740
00:55:29,910 --> 00:55:31,750
who were here without documentation.

741
00:55:32,130 --> 00:55:34,770
A number of people became citizens, became residents.

742
00:55:35,710 --> 00:55:36,590
Changed the law.

743
00:55:36,750 --> 00:55:44,670
The law required that employers, they decided to impose what was called employer sanctions.

744
00:55:45,310 --> 00:55:51,030
So if an employer, an American employer hired somebody who was here without documentation,

745
00:55:51,030 --> 00:55:55,410
that employer could be fined and penalized in some manner.

746
00:55:56,050 --> 00:56:01,650
But the employer, all they had to do to show that it complied with the law, was to look

747
00:56:01,650 --> 00:56:06,970
at three pieces of information, like social security card, birth certificate, or something

748
00:56:06,970 --> 00:56:10,330
of that sort, a lot of documents that are forged easily.

749
00:56:10,990 --> 00:56:19,030
But what you had in the late, and some of you folks will remember, late 80s and

750
00:56:19,910 --> 00:56:25,410
hotels, housing, and a lot of things were being built, and a lot of workers came in.

751
00:56:25,670 --> 00:56:33,650
And employers were happy to have them. They were, in some instances, you know, got paid

752
00:56:33,650 --> 00:56:39,830
less than a prevailing union wage, and they were also, as someone pointed out, a very

753
00:56:39,830 --> 00:56:45,970
docile workforce because they could be threatened with deportation if they got out of a hand

754
00:56:45,970 --> 00:56:50,190
or tried to do something, and in fact, there's a case that went to the United States Supreme

755
00:56:50,190 --> 00:56:55,190
Court where an employer in Chicago did exactly that. His workers were organized in a union,

756
00:56:55,630 --> 00:57:00,270
so he called in the Immigration and Nationalization Service, and many of them were taken out

757
00:57:00,270 --> 00:57:05,810
of the plant, and the Supreme Court said, what he did was unlawful as a matter of

758
00:57:05,810 --> 00:57:13,570
U.S. labor law because he, you know, used that information to deprive them of the

759
00:57:13,570 --> 00:57:17,710
right to unionize. However, most of those workers, because they were undocumented, had

760
00:57:17,710 --> 00:57:22,690
to leave the country. So there's been a number. This is not a new, this is a problem that's

761
00:57:22,690 --> 00:57:27,590
been in the making for 30 years. And it's like anything else. If you have a leaky roof

762
00:57:27,590 --> 00:57:31,870
and you don't take care of it for 30 years, the problem just magnifies and gets worse.

763
00:57:32,310 --> 00:57:36,770
So I support this resolution. You're doing the right thing because folks who have come

764
00:57:36,770 --> 00:57:42,510
here 30 years ago have had children who were born in the United States. They go

765
00:57:42,510 --> 00:57:47,490
the churches that you go to, that your children go to schools with your children, you probably

766
00:57:47,490 --> 00:57:51,170
know them, and you probably think they're good people.

767
00:57:51,410 --> 00:57:52,390
In fact, many of them are.

768
00:57:52,470 --> 00:57:53,050
They just want to work.

769
00:57:53,630 --> 00:57:56,730
So I support the resolution, and I thank you for bringing it forward.

770
00:57:57,070 --> 00:57:57,630
Thank you.

771
00:58:03,400 --> 00:58:04,940
My name is William Stewart.

772
00:58:05,280 --> 00:58:06,620
I'm from Selkirk, New York.

773
00:58:07,100 --> 00:58:09,180
I just want to say something briefly.

774
00:58:09,820 --> 00:58:11,740
I have a good friend of mine I work with.

775
00:58:11,740 --> 00:58:19,180
He came to this country and he became a United States citizen and he worked hard and I honored him.

776
00:58:20,260 --> 00:58:24,640
And I think that, you know, a lot of people are upset because of a lot of different things going on here.

777
00:58:25,340 --> 00:58:29,920
But the thing is there's the right way and the wrong way of doing things.

778
00:58:31,600 --> 00:58:36,760
And the right way is to get in line just like everybody else and do the right thing.

779
00:58:37,580 --> 00:58:42,560
I mean, that's what we were supposed to be teaching our kids, doing the right thing.

780
00:58:43,120 --> 00:58:48,120
And if we don't do the right thing, then everything is going to just explode on us, you know.

781
00:58:48,800 --> 00:58:51,740
And I believe that this is a country of laws.

782
00:58:53,340 --> 00:58:55,280
If I break the law, I don't get rewarded.

783
00:58:57,420 --> 00:58:58,240
I get in trouble,

784
00:59:00,330 --> 00:59:02,510
you know, and I feel that's wrong.

785
00:59:05,020 --> 00:59:07,820
People out here, a lot of them, they just want people to do the right thing.

786
00:59:08,660 --> 00:59:13,500
I mean my mother my my grandfather came from Spain my mother's main name was Martinez

787
00:59:13,500 --> 00:59:17,120
So it's not like I'm just any anybody. I mean

788
00:59:17,840 --> 00:59:23,400
My parents and my grandparents they came here a certain way, and they did it the right way

789
00:59:23,400 --> 00:59:27,120
And we're just saying listen just do the right thing

790
00:59:28,780 --> 00:59:31,920
It's the wall just I don't understand it

791
00:59:32,420 --> 00:59:37,340
We're supposed to do the right thing in this country. We're not supposed to get rewarded for doing the wrong thing

792
00:59:39,290 --> 00:59:40,850
That's why I think a lot of people are mad.

793
00:59:41,510 --> 00:59:42,210
They're upset.

794
00:59:42,890 --> 00:59:44,210
Let's just do the right thing.

795
00:59:45,830 --> 00:59:46,470
Thank you.

796
00:59:46,830 --> 00:59:46,970
My

797
00:59:52,440 --> 00:59:58,120
name is Rebecca McElvain and I grew up here and chose Del Mar Trees, my own children

798
00:59:58,120 --> 00:59:59,900
And I, too, want to-

799
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:06,460
I want to teach them what is right. And what is right is this resolution. I thank you, Supervisor

800
01:00:06,460 --> 01:00:12,540
Clarkson. I thank the board and the Bethlehem Police Department. I am disturbed by some of

801
01:00:12,540 --> 01:00:20,600
the rhetoric. I want to remind people that no human is illegal. And I also want to remind

802
01:00:20,600 --> 01:00:28,340
people that a lot of these families are fleeing terrorism. And I think that our community

803
01:00:28,340 --> 01:00:34,160
community is doing the right thing with this resolution, and I'm very, very proud to be

804
01:00:34,160 --> 01:00:35,060
a longtime resident.

805
01:00:35,560 --> 01:00:35,880
Thank you.

806
01:00:44,340 --> 01:00:44,620
Hi.

807
01:00:44,860 --> 01:00:46,100
My name is Meredith Moriarty.

808
01:00:46,260 --> 01:00:46,980
I live in Delmar.

809
01:00:47,360 --> 01:00:48,280
I grew up here.

810
01:00:48,720 --> 01:00:53,380
I left for 10 years, and I came back because I love this town.

811
01:00:53,580 --> 01:00:57,860
I love how supporting and welcoming it is, and what a wonderful place it is to raise

812
01:00:57,860 --> 01:00:58,340
our children.

813
01:00:59,300 --> 01:01:01,020
I support this resolution.

814
01:01:01,020 --> 01:01:07,820
One aspect of it that has not yet been discussed is that this resolution is simply affirming

815
01:01:07,820 --> 01:01:11,860
our town's policy to refrain from racially profiling our neighbors.

816
01:01:12,720 --> 01:01:18,740
I'm hearing statements against illegal immigrants that are hateful, but this resolution is

817
01:01:18,740 --> 01:01:20,320
not just about illegal immigrants.

818
01:01:20,620 --> 01:01:25,800
It protects all of those who may be suspected of being illegal immigrants.

819
01:01:26,060 --> 01:01:27,280
It protects them from harassment.

820
01:01:27,920 --> 01:01:34,020
The woman who spoke earlier of being scared of someone because they wore a hijab has no

821
01:01:34,020 --> 01:01:38,920
idea what that other person's immigration status is, yet she felt as though this resolution

822
01:01:38,920 --> 01:01:40,280
would somehow put her in danger.

823
01:01:42,740 --> 01:01:43,280
We

824
01:01:46,320 --> 01:01:52,700
must protect our neighbors from being harassed, and we cannot let fear dictate our policies.

825
01:02:02,920 --> 01:02:06,280
Hi, my name is Kathy Manzela-Sasso.

826
01:02:06,500 --> 01:02:07,200
I grew up here.

827
01:02:07,480 --> 01:02:08,640
I brought my family back.

828
01:02:08,640 --> 01:02:14,440
And I'm raising two daughters in this community and I'm very proud to be standing here while

829
01:02:14,440 --> 01:02:16,100
you're considering this proposition.

830
01:02:16,940 --> 01:02:20,040
My job is teaching immigrants.

831
01:02:21,140 --> 01:02:25,140
I'm an English as a second language teacher at Hudson Valley Community College and at

832
01:02:25,140 --> 01:02:25,860
Hackett Middle School.

833
01:02:28,420 --> 01:02:35,500
And the people I work with are amazing beautiful people and my husband is an immigrant and

834
01:02:36,220 --> 01:02:41,380
I can't imagine if he were pulled over and questioned about his immigration status.

835
01:02:41,820 --> 01:02:45,140
He's a citizen because of his heavy accent.

836
01:02:45,940 --> 01:02:51,180
So I applaud the town for considering this resolution, and I just want to read something

837
01:02:51,780 --> 01:02:53,840
by Ronald Reagan of all people.

838
01:02:54,040 --> 01:02:57,000
I never thought I'd be quoting Ronald Reagan, but here we are.

839
01:02:57,960 --> 01:03:02,720
All of the immigrants who came to us brought their own music, literature, customs, and

840
01:03:02,720 --> 01:03:03,100
ideas.

841
01:03:03,100 --> 01:03:09,280
And the marvelous thing, the thing of which we're proud is they did not have to relinquish

842
01:03:09,760 --> 01:03:11,920
these things in order to fit in.

843
01:03:12,220 --> 01:03:18,660
In fact, what they brought to America became American, and this diversity has more than

844
01:03:18,660 --> 01:03:19,400
enriched us.

845
01:03:19,580 --> 01:03:21,180
It has literally shaped us.

846
01:03:22,000 --> 01:03:27,780
The other thing is I want to say that if somebody says their family came in 1870 legally,

847
01:03:28,320 --> 01:03:29,160
that's false.

848
01:03:29,160 --> 01:03:34,220
We didn't have immigration quotas until I want to say the 20s, but I couldn't verify it. So

849
01:03:45,370 --> 01:03:48,490
Hi, good evening, my name is Alyssa Swiback. I've

850
01:03:49,010 --> 01:03:50,170
lived in the town

851
01:03:51,590 --> 01:03:52,590
since 1997

852
01:03:53,550 --> 01:04:01,050
But I've lived in the capital region since 1991 and when I first came up here and lived in Albany

853
01:04:01,990 --> 01:04:05,730
One of the things that bothered me almost nightly was on the news

854
01:04:05,730 --> 01:04:11,430
how it would be reported that so much of the crime that was in this area was coming from

855
01:04:11,430 --> 01:04:19,170
New York City and the downstate area. And having just left that area, I can pretty much

856
01:04:19,170 --> 01:04:24,530
tell you that wherever you go, there's good, there's bad. There's good and bad down there,

857
01:04:24,610 --> 01:04:28,670
there's good and bad up here and whatever country you go to, there's good and bad

858
01:04:28,670 --> 01:04:33,770
there. Though I have often called myself a transplanted downstater, I could have

859
01:04:33,770 --> 01:04:39,990
never have been prouder than I was last night when I saw the posting on Facebook that this

860
01:04:39,990 --> 01:04:45,730
town was looking to make this a sanctuary town. It makes me proud to live here, and

861
01:04:45,730 --> 01:04:55,570
I support it. I consider, I raised my daughter in the town, and I consider myself an extremely

862
01:04:55,570 --> 01:05:04,590
a lucky mom that on 9-11, when the social studies teachers in the middle school were

863
01:05:04,590 --> 01:05:11,790
telling children about what had occurred that day, and we were all petrified.

864
01:05:12,850 --> 01:05:19,310
My daughter was lucky enough to have a teacher whose family was of Muslim descent.

865
01:05:19,310 --> 01:05:31,210
So he was able to explain who people in general are, no matter what your background might be,

866
01:05:31,730 --> 01:05:34,090
probably better than anybody else.

867
01:05:34,650 --> 01:05:40,870
And our conversation that night was so much better than it could have been

868
01:05:40,870 --> 01:05:45,610
and probably wasn't almost every other home around the country that night.

869
01:05:47,790 --> 01:05:57,830
I welcome people from any country, but I can tell you that what I have found to be true

870
01:05:57,830 --> 01:06:02,930
is that people who have come here from other countries, no matter if they are undocumented

871
01:06:02,930 --> 01:06:09,610
or not, are more appreciative of the lives they are able to live here than most of

872
01:06:09,610 --> 01:06:11,810
the rest of us, and we should learn from them.

873
01:06:12,310 --> 01:06:12,690
Thank you.

874
01:06:12,690 --> 01:06:13,630
My

875
01:06:18,590 --> 01:06:24,830
name is Peggy Kowalski. I've lived on Louis Street since 1978. I strongly support

876
01:06:24,830 --> 01:06:29,670
the resolution in principle, and I'd like to look at it since I think we've gotten a

877
01:06:29,670 --> 01:06:35,250
little away from it. It says that the Bethlehem Police Department does not engage in activities

878
01:06:35,250 --> 01:06:40,250
solely for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws. It won't inquire about

879
01:06:40,250 --> 01:06:46,250
or request proof of immigration status when providing services, and it won't – instances

880
01:06:46,250 --> 01:06:51,750
of persecution, et cetera, will be responded to in appropriate fashion.

881
01:06:52,250 --> 01:06:58,510
Then I'd like to look at the letter from our chief of police, and I think we all can support

882
01:06:58,510 --> 01:06:59,130
our police.

883
01:06:59,310 --> 01:07:01,230
I think they do a great job here in Bethlehem.

884
01:07:06,070 --> 01:07:10,990
The chief of police says, we do not want undocumented people to be afraid to contact

885
01:07:10,990 --> 01:07:12,390
the police if they need help.

886
01:07:12,530 --> 01:07:15,050
We do not want them to be afraid to report crimes.

887
01:07:15,050 --> 01:07:21,010
And this is why, as well as supporting it in principle, I support it for my own safety.

888
01:07:21,410 --> 01:07:21,790
Thank you.

889
01:07:22,710 --> 01:07:23,590
Thank you.

890
01:07:28,500 --> 01:07:29,080
Hi.

891
01:07:29,300 --> 01:07:30,240
I'm Jennifer Byrne.

892
01:07:30,360 --> 01:07:33,120
I've lived in Delmar for almost 50 years.

893
01:07:33,820 --> 01:07:40,140
And I support this because immigrants are regular people.

894
01:07:40,600 --> 01:07:45,660
They're not some rampaging hordes that are going to do more crime than anyone else.

895
01:07:46,300 --> 01:07:53,700
They don't – they are more likely to be victimized and discriminated against than other people.

896
01:07:54,200 --> 01:07:59,780
But they just want to work and pay their rent and buy things in the stores the same as other people.

897
01:08:00,440 --> 01:08:01,040
Thank you.

898
01:08:02,020 --> 01:08:02,680
Thank you.

899
01:08:06,910 --> 01:08:07,330
Hi.

900
01:08:07,490 --> 01:08:12,190
My name is Pilar Gerasitano, and I am an immigrant, a proud naturalized citizen and

901
01:08:12,190 --> 01:08:13,290
a resident of Del Mar.

902
01:08:13,790 --> 01:08:18,570
I'm in a strong support of this resolution, which leaves federal enforcement activities

903
01:08:18,570 --> 01:08:21,830
to federal agencies instead of the local police department.

904
01:08:22,450 --> 01:08:27,270
I chose the United States to be my country and I am so proud to have chosen Bethlehem

905
01:08:27,270 --> 01:08:27,950
to be my home.

906
01:08:28,070 --> 01:08:28,450
Thank you.

907
01:08:28,930 --> 01:08:29,450
Thank you.

908
01:08:36,820 --> 01:08:37,780
I'm Sarah.

909
01:08:37,920 --> 01:08:41,260
I'm Sarah Burr and I've lived here since 1966.

910
01:08:42,000 --> 01:08:48,280
I support the resolution and I support the speaker from Louise Street who had the resolution

911
01:08:48,280 --> 01:08:50,980
in her hand and had read the papers.

912
01:08:50,980 --> 01:08:59,000
My only problem with the board's presentation tonight is there weren't enough copies of the

913
01:08:59,000 --> 01:09:06,020
resolution on the table and nor of the police letter.

914
01:09:06,600 --> 01:09:14,440
I think many of the genuine fears and questions we have had raised here tonight are because

915
01:09:14,440 --> 01:09:19,740
people didn't have, hadn't read exactly what the resolution does.

916
01:09:20,220 --> 01:09:24,540
And I'd hope that it could be spread more widely.

917
01:09:26,160 --> 01:09:27,220
Thank you for money.

918
01:09:27,320 --> 01:09:27,680
I'm sorry.

919
01:09:27,780 --> 01:09:29,760
I printed more as I saw the side of the crowd.

920
01:09:29,920 --> 01:09:33,940
Mary, if I could ask you my office, the computers on, it's on the screen.

921
01:09:34,060 --> 01:09:38,660
If you could print out at least 50 more copies of the resolution and the police.

922
01:09:39,600 --> 01:09:41,680
Oh, they were gone when I came in.

923
01:09:41,960 --> 01:09:42,620
So that's terrific.

924
01:09:43,200 --> 01:09:45,160
As I sat down, more people were coming in.

925
01:09:45,380 --> 01:09:46,360
I printed out more.

926
01:09:47,000 --> 01:09:47,500
Thank you, Mary.

927
01:09:47,500 --> 01:09:54,760
I think, in addition, this is a common-sense resolution that has nothing to do with the

928
01:09:54,760 --> 01:10:03,120
Bethlehem police availability to investigate criminal activity or even stop someone and

929
01:10:03,120 --> 01:10:04,760
ask for the driver's license.

930
01:10:05,240 --> 01:10:11,740
This is merely showing that they will not use town resources, police resources, to

931
01:10:11,740 --> 01:10:19,080
to do the federal job, which ICE is supposed to do in this country. And further, it does

932
01:10:19,080 --> 01:10:26,300
not want to prevent people from calling the police or fire department. I think someone

933
01:10:26,300 --> 01:10:33,080
else mentioned the problem. We have a serious immigration problem, and this resolution is

934
01:10:33,080 --> 01:10:38,660
an indicator to the nation and to Congress to fix the problem. Thank you.

935
01:10:38,660 --> 01:10:39,700
Thank you sir.

936
01:10:45,710 --> 01:10:50,130
I'm Norman Moran. I lived at 52 cars that drive in Sloan, so I've been

937
01:10:50,130 --> 01:10:56,130
there for 37 years, and I'm the veteran of the Korean War, and I'm a strong believer

938
01:10:56,130 --> 01:11:04,030
in laws. As far as I'm concerned, sanctuary cities are breaking the law. They are encouraging

939
01:11:04,590 --> 01:11:11,170
and not discouraging illegal immigration. I have a friend of mine who was in Florida.

940
01:11:11,850 --> 01:11:13,410
He had a heart attack down there.

941
01:11:13,530 --> 01:11:14,370
He went to the hospital.

942
01:11:14,850 --> 01:11:17,670
I went down and brought him back home eventually.

943
01:11:18,910 --> 01:11:20,290
But when John was in the hospital,

944
01:11:20,550 --> 01:11:21,610
I had to get out of the hospital.

945
01:11:21,730 --> 01:11:23,590
He went to get a video.

946
01:11:24,550 --> 01:11:25,110
And guess what?

947
01:11:25,790 --> 01:11:28,490
The new legal turned around, stuck a knife in his back,

948
01:11:28,630 --> 01:11:29,810
and when he was going back to his car,

949
01:11:30,510 --> 01:11:31,890
and he threatened them to kill him.

950
01:11:33,170 --> 01:11:34,310
John gave him the car.

951
01:11:36,170 --> 01:11:40,390
And he took, and several weeks later, they called him

952
01:11:40,390 --> 01:11:44,230
They said we have picked a guy up. We think did it. She's fine

953
01:11:44,230 --> 01:11:46,650
so I sent photographs up to

954
01:11:46,650 --> 01:11:50,870
This green a police department John one looked picked out the right person

955
01:11:50,870 --> 01:11:56,590
Notified him just a attorney down Dade County said, okay, we'll take care of this

956
01:11:57,350 --> 01:12:02,270
It's about a month or by and John called up in center. What's happening at the case? Oh

957
01:12:02,270 --> 01:12:03,090
well this

958
01:12:04,530 --> 01:12:10,370
Immigration group got him out on bail fifty five hundred dollars bail and just

959
01:12:10,390 --> 01:12:18,410
what he skipped. We got Kate Steiner out in California who was walking along the beach

960
01:12:18,410 --> 01:12:24,530
with her dad and Neil Ego, who had been picked up and was supposed to be turned over to ISIS

961
01:12:25,270 --> 01:12:29,630
and the police department out there decided they wouldn't do that. So they let him go.

962
01:12:30,130 --> 01:12:36,490
He got a hold of a gun and he killed Kate. Kate fell in her father's arms. How would

963
01:12:36,490 --> 01:12:41,950
everybody like that. Everybody talks about the good side of illegals, but there's a lot

964
01:12:41,950 --> 01:12:49,010
of bad side to it, too. And we should not encourage sanctuary cities, because you're only going

965
01:12:49,010 --> 01:12:54,170
to attract me to this community. If they can feel like they can come here and be safe,

966
01:12:54,410 --> 01:12:55,170
they're going to move here.

967
01:12:56,190 --> 01:12:56,690
Thank you, Norm.

968
01:13:02,600 --> 01:13:08,740
I have Bruce Bushart, Livendelmar. I've lived here for 30 years. I have not had illegals

969
01:13:08,740 --> 01:13:14,040
coming up as criminals into my driveway have not been threatened or had any bad experiences

970
01:13:14,040 --> 01:13:18,360
from that. What I have been is the director of the Bureau of Refugee and Immigration Affairs

971
01:13:18,360 --> 01:13:25,020
for some long time. In that capacity, we've met many, many refugees, immigrants, and

972
01:13:25,020 --> 01:13:30,220
built with those issues. We've had visitors into our home, and mostly what I've learned

973
01:13:30,220 --> 01:13:35,020
is the commonality among all of us, and that I've learned at the discussions

974
01:13:35,020 --> 01:13:39,520
questions where you thought it might be about internal issues within Iraq or Iran or whatever,

975
01:13:40,080 --> 01:13:46,380
or about where can I get a good iPhone at Best Buy. And so it just struck me how much common

976
01:13:46,380 --> 01:13:52,560
we are. I respect all the comments made tonight. It's a very difficult, emotional subject,

977
01:13:52,820 --> 01:13:58,680
and I think it's so easy to throw fear into the middle of us and divide our community.

978
01:13:58,980 --> 01:14:03,860
We need to fight that. We need to learn everything we can about each other, including

979
01:14:03,860 --> 01:14:08,880
undocumented, illegals, and the rest of us. If I was going to be fearful, it might be

980
01:14:08,880 --> 01:14:12,020
regarding some orange thing in PC. Thank you.

981
01:14:22,980 --> 01:14:28,140
Good evening. My name is Maureen McLeod. I've lived here in Delmar for over a quarter of

982
01:14:28,140 --> 01:14:34,900
a century. I am a sociologist, but more importantly, I am a criminologist. And as a social scientist,

983
01:14:35,180 --> 01:14:44,180
I believe in evidence and data. I understand that many people are concerned about crimes

984
01:14:44,200 --> 01:14:48,960
about being victims, I understand that none of us want to be victims of crime.

985
01:14:49,660 --> 01:14:56,040
I'm very concerned this evening that we've been hearing people blur the lines between

986
01:14:56,040 --> 01:14:59,300
refugee status and criminal behavior.

987
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:01,020
I am appalled

988
01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:12,520
that our president today lied saying that the murder rate is at the highest

989
01:15:12,520 --> 01:15:18,940
rate that it's been at in 47 years. It's a blatant lie, and all data refutes what he said.

990
01:15:19,620 --> 01:15:26,740
So I would just simply ask us, first of all, you do fully support this resolution, that

991
01:15:26,740 --> 01:15:32,040
we remember, as several people ahead of me have said, that those people who come to us

992
01:15:32,040 --> 01:15:39,300
as immigrants with refugee status are significantly more likely to be victims of hate and crime.

993
01:15:39,960 --> 01:15:45,960
They are not people who are sure. I mean, I'll grant. There are some people, no matter what their status,

994
01:15:46,340 --> 01:15:52,180
who might engage in criminal behavior. But refugees and immigrants are much more likely to be victims

995
01:15:52,180 --> 01:15:58,900
than criminals. And those that we view as looking just like us are more likely to be the criminals in our society.

996
01:16:05,640 --> 01:16:14,520
Hi, my name is Matthew Lorsella. I'm 23 and I've been in Del Mar for 18 years now. There

997
01:16:14,520 --> 01:16:19,620
was a gentleman before that spoke about the right way and the wrong way of doing things.

998
01:16:20,000 --> 01:16:24,960
I completely agree with that sentiment, which is why I think it's so ironic that in 2016

999
01:16:25,580 --> 01:16:29,700
we're having a debate about people coming to this country without warning anybody

1000
01:16:29,700 --> 01:16:35,240
else in the country to live here because I don't know what that gentleman was taught in

1001
01:16:35,240 --> 01:16:44,760
history class, but in 1492, I believe Christopher Columbus came over here on a boat to a country

1002
01:16:44,760 --> 01:16:51,660
where there were people that had already established a civilization and they were actual,

1003
01:16:52,500 --> 01:16:59,240
what did that woman say before, rampaging hordes? Were they murdered, raped, and pushed

1004
01:16:59,240 --> 01:17:05,920
the Native Americans off of their land and it's I mean I don't know what he was

1005
01:17:05,920 --> 01:17:12,020
taught either but in church in school and in my house I was told that killing

1006
01:17:12,020 --> 01:17:18,200
somebody stealing from somebody discriminating against anybody those are

1007
01:17:18,200 --> 01:17:24,940
the wrong way of doing things and that's how our country started was by

1008
01:17:24,940 --> 01:17:32,020
people coming in doing things the wrong way so I actually agree with this

1009
01:17:32,020 --> 01:17:38,600
resolution because these people that are coming in today they're not coming in

1010
01:17:38,600 --> 01:17:42,200
here and stealing from us the majority of them they're not coming here they're

1011
01:17:42,200 --> 01:17:46,900
not killing us they're not trying to make this country theirs they just want

1012
01:17:46,900 --> 01:17:52,540
to live and be free and get away from the horrible situations that they're

1013
01:17:52,540 --> 01:18:00,340
in now. So I'm, I praise the resolution and I am completely in support of it.

1014
01:18:00,980 --> 01:18:01,580
Thank you.

1015
01:18:06,650 --> 01:18:11,770
Good evening. My name is Brendan Mooney. I'm a resident of the town of Bethlehem. I've

1016
01:18:11,770 --> 01:18:15,290
been a resident of the town of Bethlehem for about 40 years. I'm not going to give you

1017
01:18:15,290 --> 01:18:22,570
my age, but you can guess it. I want to urge you to please support this measure

1018
01:18:22,570 --> 01:18:29,950
here tonight for declaring the town of Bethlehem Sanctuary town. I've been working with refugees

1019
01:18:29,950 --> 01:18:36,790
to the U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants to U.S. CRI, it's called, for the last 16 months.

1020
01:18:37,670 --> 01:18:43,490
I worked with a wonderful family that escaped the Taliban six years ago through Pakistan.

1021
01:18:44,030 --> 01:18:49,250
They suffered murder in their family, including, I won't go into the details, but horrible,

1022
01:18:50,290 --> 01:18:55,770
horrible, atrocious behavior that was committed on their brother and on their husband.

1023
01:18:56,810 --> 01:19:03,810
They waited for four years in Pakistan. They were extremely vetted. I don't think our

1024
01:19:03,810 --> 01:19:09,050
President knows the word what extremely vetted means or what existed under the law, but there

1025
01:19:09,050 --> 01:19:14,570
are 13 specific steps spelled out by the U.S. Department of State, which these people

1026
01:19:14,570 --> 01:19:20,250
had to go through to already be extremely vetted and wait for four years, and they waited

1027
01:19:20,250 --> 01:19:24,610
on top of that before that by the United Nations to be extremely vetted.

1028
01:19:25,370 --> 01:19:27,430
So they have been extremely vetted.

1029
01:19:27,610 --> 01:19:29,350
They earned their right as refugees.

1030
01:19:30,010 --> 01:19:33,690
These are not illegals, and let me refer to that gentleman who spoke before.

1031
01:19:34,290 --> 01:19:39,850
These people are legally vetted refugees who have been admitted to our country just

1032
01:19:39,850 --> 01:19:42,730
like my grandparents who have been admitted to this.

1033
01:19:42,730 --> 01:19:49,610
So I'm the grandson of immigrants and my grandfather came over here with a warrant for his arrest

1034
01:19:49,610 --> 01:19:52,690
from Ireland when it was owned by England.

1035
01:19:53,270 --> 01:19:57,550
So at that point, I'm extremely proud to be related to these people in that way.

1036
01:19:58,390 --> 01:20:04,970
Their refugee certifications from the United Nations do not return these people, it actually

1037
01:20:04,970 --> 01:20:10,190
states on their certifications from the United Nations, do not return these people

1038
01:20:10,190 --> 01:20:14,930
to their home country, their lives are in danger. In the event this family must leave

1039
01:20:14,930 --> 01:20:21,230
here, this family is in danger at home. Please, remember the words in our Statue of Liberty.

1040
01:20:21,450 --> 01:20:27,130
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free. I took this family,

1041
01:20:27,530 --> 01:20:32,130
the little boy who's going for it, by the way, the green card process that I've taken

1042
01:20:32,130 --> 01:20:40,290
the six members of this family to start or to initiate was somewhat halted. I was told

1043
01:20:40,290 --> 01:20:47,210
that we can no longer guarantee the processing of their green cards because of the new policies

1044
01:20:47,210 --> 01:20:52,830
put in place in Washington. Now these are legal people who are in this country, but

1045
01:20:52,830 --> 01:20:57,710
yet they're up in the air after having waited now close to six years in total having

1046
01:20:57,710 --> 01:21:01,070
left their home country of Afghanistan.

1047
01:21:01,950 --> 01:21:08,330
So I would urge you that God forbid that the time came that our country said that these

1048
01:21:08,330 --> 01:21:15,330
people must go, that we find sanctuary in the Middle Ages sense of the word sanctuary,

1049
01:21:15,870 --> 01:21:21,870
both in our hearts and under our laws, to provide these people sanctuary and a place

1050
01:21:21,870 --> 01:21:22,410
of safety.

1051
01:21:22,630 --> 01:21:23,450
Thank you very much.

1052
01:21:23,450 --> 01:21:24,390
My

1053
01:21:28,610 --> 01:21:32,630
name is Mark Lewis, and I've been a resident of Del Mar for over 25 years.

1054
01:21:33,910 --> 01:21:38,910
When my grandfather was 16, he fled Russia due to anti-Semitism.

1055
01:21:40,070 --> 01:21:44,190
And he was lucky enough for this country to welcome him in.

1056
01:21:44,870 --> 01:21:47,150
Unfortunately, the rest of his family wasn't.

1057
01:21:47,270 --> 01:21:49,770
He never saw any other member of his family again.

1058
01:21:49,950 --> 01:21:51,790
They were all annihilated in the Holocaust.

1059
01:21:51,790 --> 01:21:59,230
His father shot in the square, and his mother and sister sent to concentration camps to

1060
01:21:59,230 --> 01:21:59,690
be gassed.

1061
01:22:01,290 --> 01:22:06,450
My grandfather, despite this, was always a loving man, and he taught me to love this

1062
01:22:06,450 --> 01:22:12,230
country and love the generosity and the morality of this country in that it welcomed people

1063
01:22:12,230 --> 01:22:13,350
that were persecuted.

1064
01:22:14,170 --> 01:22:19,350
And I think he would be so proud of this town today, the town that I live in, that

1065
01:22:19,350 --> 01:22:23,610
it's actually putting this resolution up to protect other people that are being persecuted

1066
01:22:24,150 --> 01:22:27,070
and are coming to this country to save their lives.

1067
01:22:27,650 --> 01:22:28,030
Thank you.

1068
01:22:35,840 --> 01:22:36,640
Good evening.

1069
01:22:36,880 --> 01:22:38,000
My name is Agnes Dallin.

1070
01:22:38,280 --> 01:22:39,460
I live in Bethlehem.

1071
01:22:39,560 --> 01:22:41,040
I've lived here for 16 years.

1072
01:22:41,200 --> 01:22:43,880
I want to thank you all for being such patient listeners.

1073
01:22:44,840 --> 01:22:50,720
It has been very challenging to sit through everyone's heartfelt feelings about what

1074
01:22:50,720 --> 01:22:54,060
they think about this resolution, whether for or against.

1075
01:22:54,060 --> 01:22:58,920
And this is our democracy in action. Let's not forget that.

1076
01:23:01,580 --> 01:23:07,540
I come before you to thank you for reaffirming this resolution.

1077
01:23:08,400 --> 01:23:13,900
And I say reaffirming because it's clearly something we have lived with in our community already.

1078
01:23:15,480 --> 01:23:17,940
I'll tell you what worries me.

1079
01:23:19,280 --> 01:23:25,980
I am here to reaffirm Bethlehem's practices with regard to citizenship, immigration, and

1080
01:23:25,980 --> 01:23:31,400
protecting against threats of violence, targeting national origin, race, religion, or citizenship.

1081
01:23:32,040 --> 01:23:38,400
Because I feel that our current leadership has not shown me yet that it is willing

1082
01:23:38,400 --> 01:23:40,700
to protect all people in this country.

1083
01:23:40,700 --> 01:23:50,500
And I know this because that leadership on national television laughed openly and mimicked

1084
01:23:50,500 --> 01:23:51,980
a person with a disability.

1085
01:23:53,160 --> 01:23:59,540
That person has repeatedly demeaned women in ways I had never imagined a public official.

1086
01:24:00,360 --> 01:24:06,460
Asking for the highest position in our country would talk about and act towards women.

1087
01:24:07,480 --> 01:24:16,220
and also demonized people of color and anyone who looks different or believes differently

1088
01:24:16,220 --> 01:24:21,720
than what said person and leadership believes is the norm.

1089
01:24:22,680 --> 01:24:30,880
I also worry that we have a new and next generation of children who are hearing this national discourse.

1090
01:24:30,880 --> 01:24:38,060
And as a teacher, I know how important it is and how hard we work in our classrooms to

1091
01:24:38,060 --> 01:24:43,180
make sure that children respect each other and honor each other's differences.

1092
01:24:43,820 --> 01:24:49,320
And I really appreciate that our town board and the people who have spoken in favor of

1093
01:24:49,320 --> 01:24:51,980
this resolution are upholding that stance.

1094
01:24:52,180 --> 01:24:52,920
Thank you very much.

1095
01:24:53,320 --> 01:24:53,740
My

1096
01:25:01,450 --> 01:25:02,570
name is Doug Zeno.

1097
01:25:02,910 --> 01:25:05,190
I've been a resident here since 1978.

1098
01:25:06,730 --> 01:25:12,510
And this came on me, I was looking at the weather and then all of a sudden John comes

1099
01:25:12,510 --> 01:25:15,150
on and about the sanctuary city stuff.

1100
01:25:15,250 --> 01:25:17,370
So I don't know that much about it.

1101
01:25:17,390 --> 01:25:22,730
I didn't have a chance to look at the background as I'm sure that this is a very small portion

1102
01:25:22,730 --> 01:25:24,470
of the people that live in Bethlehem.

1103
01:25:24,950 --> 01:25:29,450
So how about let's give the whole town a chance to vote on this?

1104
01:25:29,450 --> 01:25:31,410
We have an election.

1105
01:25:32,670 --> 01:25:36,890
Instead of having a few people, we'll make sure that this thing is transparent.

1106
01:25:37,730 --> 01:25:39,350
And we'll vote on it.

1107
01:25:39,810 --> 01:25:43,710
We'll find out more about it, set it up for a month from now,

1108
01:25:43,870 --> 01:25:47,570
and people can get together and look into it.

1109
01:25:48,090 --> 01:25:53,030
I don't know how much you guys have studied on where the sanctuary city is now.

1110
01:25:53,210 --> 01:25:57,790
Is there anybody on the board here that knows the background of any sanctuary cities

1111
01:25:57,790 --> 01:26:02,010
and how well they've been run, San Francisco, Chicago.

1112
01:26:02,830 --> 01:26:05,950
We've talked about crime and stuff,

1113
01:26:06,470 --> 01:26:10,610
but Chicago's the crime center of the country.

1114
01:26:12,190 --> 01:26:16,170
We worried about gun control, but they have gun control

1115
01:26:16,170 --> 01:26:20,150
and they're still the crime city of the country.

1116
01:26:20,510 --> 01:26:25,410
Why don't we go and look at how well

1117
01:26:25,410 --> 01:26:27,170
it's been run in San Francisco?

1118
01:26:27,170 --> 01:26:36,170
How well it's been run in Chicago before we ever even think of this and why do we if our laws in our police department is running yet

1119
01:26:36,170 --> 01:26:41,850
Now the way that it should be run and there by the laws

1120
01:26:41,850 --> 01:26:46,930
Why are we even talking about having sanctuary city? What's the purpose of that?

1121
01:26:47,190 --> 01:26:50,410
I remember I went to college up from 67 to

1122
01:26:50,410 --> 01:26:57,270
71 at University of Buffalo 500 police stationed on campus one semester they

1123
01:26:57,270 --> 01:27:02,870
marched four or five abreast wood helmets on and I saw that they had

1124
01:27:02,870 --> 01:27:07,870
sanctuary dormitories where these kids would run out and they turn over police

1125
01:27:07,870 --> 01:27:12,970
cars and stuff and then run back into things and and other kids on campus

1126
01:27:12,970 --> 01:27:19,350
couldn't even walk in them but nobody arrested them they back off the police

1127
01:27:19,350 --> 01:27:26,490
and stuff. I hope this isn't a, I see things, you know, I really like seeing all the thing

1128
01:27:26,490 --> 01:27:33,830
of the police supporting the people of Bethlehem supporting the police. They had the signs out.

1129
01:27:34,010 --> 01:27:40,090
I tried to get one. They were all out of them. Well, I hope this doesn't turn into a thing

1130
01:27:40,090 --> 01:27:43,130
of just being a political stand, you know.

1131
01:27:44,050 --> 01:27:52,350
We have different people in our, a different party that's in, for our president.

1132
01:27:52,990 --> 01:27:59,190
And I hope it's not a protest against him in what he tries to do to protect our country.

1133
01:27:59,610 --> 01:28:00,950
I'm a registered Democrat.

1134
01:28:01,390 --> 01:28:08,590
So the thing is, though, is that we want laws, give the people a chance to vote

1135
01:28:08,590 --> 01:28:09,210
on this then.

1136
01:28:09,210 --> 01:28:11,790
Why would we just have the town board vote?

1137
01:28:11,910 --> 01:28:12,310
Thanks, Doug.

1138
01:28:12,690 --> 01:28:13,270
Thanks a lot.

1139
01:28:18,110 --> 01:28:18,830
Good evening.

1140
01:28:19,250 --> 01:28:25,870
I'm Paul Tick from Burwick Road, and I was very involved in the sanctuary movement in

1141
01:28:25,870 --> 01:28:26,750
the 1980s.

1142
01:28:26,750 --> 01:28:31,410
If anybody wants to talk about that at any time, I'd be happy to talk about helping

1143
01:28:32,150 --> 01:28:37,050
refugees who were escaping persecution then, and of course we see refugees escaping

1144
01:28:37,050 --> 01:28:38,390
persecution now, too.

1145
01:28:38,390 --> 01:28:46,050
And I support the resolution and I greatly appreciate the clarification that we got from the police department.

1146
01:28:46,750 --> 01:28:52,190
I also want to say how much I appreciate hearing from people on the other side of this issue than me,

1147
01:28:52,250 --> 01:28:55,950
because public debate is essential for our democracy.

1148
01:28:56,310 --> 01:28:58,950
So I thank people on both sides for speaking up tonight.

1149
01:29:00,010 --> 01:29:07,770
I do want to say that those with green cards and other statuses may come from other countries,

1150
01:29:08,530 --> 01:29:14,810
but most of those folks are here. If they have green cards, they're here legally. But

1151
01:29:14,810 --> 01:29:20,650
not everyone can come to this country legally. I had family members who didn't make it out

1152
01:29:20,650 --> 01:29:27,190
of Europe during the Holocaust, and they – they didn't – not all of them lived.

1153
01:29:27,730 --> 01:29:33,230
And even the United States at that time was denying access to this country for people

1154
01:29:33,230 --> 01:29:34,690
trying to come here legally.

1155
01:29:35,190 --> 01:29:41,670
So it's not always possible to be legal even if you're trying to escape persecution.

1156
01:29:43,130 --> 01:29:50,130
And I think passing this resolution would be a great way to honor those victims, other

1157
01:29:50,130 --> 01:29:57,370
victims around the country and a great way to just keep the welcoming flag out for everybody

1158
01:29:57,370 --> 01:29:59,910
who needs or wants to come.

1159
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:03,920
To a country filled with opportunities like we have here. Thank you.

1160
01:30:04,220 --> 01:30:05,060
Thank you, Paul.

1161
01:30:07,780 --> 01:30:09,560
Thank you, John. My name is Don.

1162
01:30:11,780 --> 01:30:12,320
It's on.

1163
01:30:13,060 --> 01:30:13,260
Hello?

1164
01:30:13,580 --> 01:30:17,320
It might not be tall enough for you, but if you point it upward, it's usually quicker.

1165
01:30:17,580 --> 01:30:24,040
My name is Don Schultz, and I would like to say one thing that if you look around and bite behind me, there's America.

1166
01:30:24,380 --> 01:30:25,900
I'm proud of them. God bless America.

1167
01:30:25,900 --> 01:30:32,740
Now, we are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.

1168
01:30:33,780 --> 01:30:40,640
It is wrong, and ultimately, self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit a kind

1169
01:30:40,640 --> 01:30:45,360
of abuse that our immigration laws have seen in recent years.

1170
01:30:46,180 --> 01:30:47,960
And we must do more.

1171
01:30:48,540 --> 01:30:49,500
We must stop it.

1172
01:30:49,500 --> 01:30:58,640
are not my words. In 1995, the State of the Union, by President Clinton, what a wonderful

1173
01:30:58,640 --> 01:31:06,420
thing to know in one sense. And my definition of an immigrant was taught to me by my immigrant

1174
01:31:07,020 --> 01:31:14,580
father. You, when you're in a different country, and that's so very important. I think we

1175
01:31:14,580 --> 01:31:16,380
He did the right thing with having this.

1176
01:31:17,000 --> 01:31:25,100
I would like to say that one thing I would like to respectfully show to you is that we

1177
01:31:25,100 --> 01:31:30,580
could become the first American community of immigrants in law and demand from our government

1178
01:31:31,200 --> 01:31:35,400
the fair and equitable solution to our current immigration problem.

1179
01:31:35,920 --> 01:31:36,080
Thank you.

1180
01:31:41,960 --> 01:31:42,300
Hi.

1181
01:31:42,500 --> 01:31:43,200
I'm Jack Connell.

1182
01:31:43,380 --> 01:31:45,500
I've been in town here for about 34 years.

1183
01:31:51,160 --> 01:31:55,700
I have a slightly different perspective on this.

1184
01:31:56,340 --> 01:32:02,480
This is a liberal democratic town, so this resolution is going to pass regardless.

1185
01:32:03,380 --> 01:32:05,680
To me, it's a foregone conclusion.

1186
01:32:06,580 --> 01:32:12,320
But what I look at, though, is I keep remembering that this, as he said, this is a nation of

1187
01:32:12,320 --> 01:32:12,700
laws.

1188
01:32:12,700 --> 01:32:17,220
You know, that separates us from so many other countries around the world.

1189
01:32:17,760 --> 01:32:25,480
You know, every law that we pass applies to all people, you know, it is a definite thing.

1190
01:32:26,300 --> 01:32:32,160
And I think back a couple of years ago, there was a woman down in one of the southern states

1191
01:32:32,160 --> 01:32:39,100
who was a town clerk, and she decided on her own because of moral constraints that

1192
01:32:39,100 --> 01:32:43,900
she had about issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

1193
01:32:45,060 --> 01:32:47,540
And we as a town and as individuals,

1194
01:32:47,640 --> 01:32:52,000
we were outraged that someone could select a law to ignore.

1195
01:32:53,760 --> 01:32:58,900
And whether we like Trump or the orange-haired man,

1196
01:32:59,200 --> 01:33:04,500
referred to earlier, constitutionally and statutorily,

1197
01:33:04,840 --> 01:33:05,840
he's on solid grounds.

1198
01:33:05,840 --> 01:33:11,520
You know, sanctuary cities are going to be overturned and we as taxpayers are someone

1199
01:33:11,520 --> 01:33:12,040
else mentioned.

1200
01:33:12,440 --> 01:33:14,260
I mean, I love our sidewalks.

1201
01:33:14,260 --> 01:33:15,720
Who is financing that?

1202
01:33:16,600 --> 01:33:20,220
You know, it's a lot of thing, it's a lot of estate and federal money, you know.

1203
01:33:20,820 --> 01:33:27,540
I just am concerned that, you know, whatever we pass today is going to be overturned

1204
01:33:27,540 --> 01:33:33,980
and the message we're giving to our kids that we can select and choose, ignore or

1205
01:33:33,980 --> 01:33:38,760
not ignore laws that are discretion like that woman down in whatever state that

1206
01:33:38,760 --> 01:33:45,060
was. And I think that, what was it? Kentucky. Alright. Nothing against

1207
01:33:45,060 --> 01:33:48,980
Kentuckians. But I mean, you know, and that's my issue with this whole thing.

1208
01:33:49,500 --> 01:33:53,560
We're all, we all came from immigrants at one point or another. We, you know,

1209
01:33:53,820 --> 01:33:57,600
most of them were legal. I, on the other hand, have a grandfather who was

1210
01:33:57,600 --> 01:34:01,440
illegal. Became a lawyer in Massachusetts and a member of the state

1211
01:34:01,440 --> 01:34:07,280
legislation illegally. I have an old grandfather that was illegally. So I can

1212
01:34:07,280 --> 01:34:12,600
sort of see both sides of the coin here. But I'm just concerned about us giving a

1213
01:34:12,600 --> 01:34:16,120
message to kids who are ready today. You look at kids, millennial kids in

1214
01:34:16,120 --> 01:34:21,060
particular, who think that, you know, if you don't like something along, you

1215
01:34:21,060 --> 01:34:25,560
don't have to follow it. So that's what I have to say. Think about that when you pass it.

1216
01:34:25,560 --> 01:34:26,500
Thank you.

1217
01:34:30,450 --> 01:34:37,030
My name is Doug Forstoff, a five-year resident of Selkirk, married a

1218
01:34:37,030 --> 01:34:40,770
Delmore girl, been in and out of the town for about 47 years now.

1219
01:34:44,250 --> 01:34:45,230
As I read this

1220
01:34:45,230 --> 01:34:49,090
resolution, it would appear more to me that it's not saying we're going to be

1221
01:34:49,090 --> 01:34:54,670
a sanctuary city. It's affirming that we will not persecute, we will not

1222
01:34:54,670 --> 01:35:02,450
profile, we will not go out of our way to identify someone's immigration status in that

1223
01:35:02,450 --> 01:35:04,450
one that's faced I don't have a lot of problem with.

1224
01:35:06,310 --> 01:35:12,950
We certainly don't want illegals living here in fear, we don't want victims of crime or

1225
01:35:12,950 --> 01:35:18,490
witnesses not wanting to come forward because of their status, we want to maintain our

1226
01:35:18,490 --> 01:35:19,690
law and order in this town.

1227
01:35:19,690 --> 01:35:24,170
So, again, I don't see this resolution as calling us a sanctuary city.

1228
01:35:24,850 --> 01:35:31,610
My only concern or desire to know the position of the town when it comes to someone who has

1229
01:35:31,610 --> 01:35:39,370
committed a crime, who is a felon, who has drunk drive or breaking it, whatever type

1230
01:35:39,370 --> 01:35:45,730
of felony, once they've been identified as a felon, booked, sent to the FBI, going

1231
01:35:45,730 --> 01:35:48,050
through ICE if a detainer request comes in.

1232
01:35:48,050 --> 01:35:53,690
At that point, will we comply with the federal law?

1233
01:35:54,170 --> 01:35:58,270
I understand that's voluntary when it comes from the Department of Homeland Security.

1234
01:35:58,770 --> 01:35:59,870
We don't have to comply.

1235
01:36:00,110 --> 01:36:01,410
We can let them know.

1236
01:36:02,070 --> 01:36:05,130
But are we going to comply with that, or are we going to be one of those cities that

1237
01:36:05,130 --> 01:36:11,310
lets them go and ends up with these multiple people who have committed multiple felonies

1238
01:36:11,310 --> 01:36:13,370
being a problem in our community?

1239
01:36:13,770 --> 01:36:14,730
I got a problem with that.

1240
01:36:15,130 --> 01:36:18,530
But I had no problem with what everyone said here.

1241
01:36:18,890 --> 01:36:20,470
We don't want to be discriminated.

1242
01:36:20,570 --> 01:36:26,770
We don't want to be loving, peaceful, caring about our neighbors, caring about those who are willing to live at peace in this community.

1243
01:36:28,570 --> 01:36:29,150
That's fine.

1244
01:36:29,250 --> 01:36:36,250
I think their immigration status and all of that to how they got here is an issue other than what this is talking about.

1245
01:36:36,930 --> 01:36:40,330
So unless I'm missing something, I don't think you're saying we're a sanctuary city.

1246
01:36:40,730 --> 01:36:46,090
But I would like to know, when I hear Mayor de Blasio say, oh, drunk drive, for the legal

1247
01:36:46,710 --> 01:36:47,510
that's not a big deal.

1248
01:36:47,910 --> 01:36:48,890
Or grand larceny.

1249
01:36:49,130 --> 01:36:50,830
You know, we don't just have a big deal here in New York City.

1250
01:36:51,050 --> 01:36:51,390
Really?

1251
01:36:52,010 --> 01:36:53,070
I got a problem with that.

1252
01:36:53,750 --> 01:36:54,150
I got a problem.

1253
01:36:54,210 --> 01:36:57,570
So I just said that's where I would like to know ultimately where the board stands

1254
01:36:57,570 --> 01:37:01,650
in that, but again on its face I don't have a problem with discrimination and discrimination.

1255
01:37:02,090 --> 01:37:06,230
No persecuting these people, no profiling them, no, you know, seeking them out

1256
01:37:06,230 --> 01:37:10,030
actively to help comply with federal immigration law.

1257
01:37:10,270 --> 01:37:10,550
Thank you.

1258
01:37:10,730 --> 01:37:11,350
Thank you.

1259
01:37:11,590 --> 01:37:13,330
And I don't want to interrupt the floor.

1260
01:37:13,550 --> 01:37:15,770
We will hear from Commander Horniglider.

1261
01:37:15,970 --> 01:37:20,310
Plus, if there are still copies of the police chief's memo there, it does address that

1262
01:37:20,310 --> 01:37:20,570
question.

1263
01:37:21,890 --> 01:37:22,210
Hi.

1264
01:37:22,390 --> 01:37:27,710
My name is Deborah Dickerson, and I live on Kenwood, been in the town except for

1265
01:37:27,710 --> 01:37:32,410
two years for 16 years, which I know makes me a newcomer.

1266
01:37:34,210 --> 01:37:39,850
I want to start off by talking about my family's military service because you are really not

1267
01:37:39,850 --> 01:37:44,210
going to like what I have to say, so I'm going to start off with military service.

1268
01:37:44,590 --> 01:37:48,570
Twelve years, United States Air Force, myself, becoming the first officer,

1269
01:37:53,150 --> 01:37:53,610
hundred years

1270
01:37:53,610 --> 01:37:56,210
of military service in my family on both sides.

1271
01:37:56,330 --> 01:37:57,650
I became the first officer.

1272
01:37:57,810 --> 01:38:00,790
We've served ever since it was legal for black people to do so.

1273
01:38:00,790 --> 01:38:04,270
My father Island hopped with the Marines. He was at the Battle of Okinawa

1274
01:38:05,050 --> 01:38:08,630
The Marines were the most difficult service to integrate so we take

1275
01:38:09,330 --> 01:38:15,330
Legality and patriotism seriously. I am one serious girl scout, but I

1276
01:38:17,990 --> 01:38:19,550
have sat here tonight and kept track

1277
01:38:19,550 --> 01:38:25,670
And I stopped counting at the fifth time. I heard somebody say we're a nation of immigrants. I

1278
01:38:25,670 --> 01:38:26,490
Am not an immigrant.

1279
01:38:32,910 --> 01:38:33,430
I

1280
01:38:33,430 --> 01:38:40,130
immigrants. And to hear us made invisible over and over and over again, I can't go online

1281
01:38:40,130 --> 01:38:46,510
for five minutes without seeing it, tells me something about something that underlies

1282
01:38:46,510 --> 01:38:55,110
this whole discussion. Google the number of illegal Irish people in Boston. Quite a few.

1283
01:38:55,410 --> 01:39:01,670
Nobody cares. The ones we care about are the ones that are brown. If something happened

1284
01:39:01,670 --> 01:39:06,430
in Europe and a whole bunch of white people had to come here, nobody would be talking about

1285
01:39:06,430 --> 01:39:11,870
legalities. But there's a reason Europeans do not have to come here as refugees and it's not

1286
01:39:11,870 --> 01:39:18,330
because they're smarter and it's not because they work harder. I have no personal reverence

1287
01:39:18,330 --> 01:39:24,970
for immigration. I know the rest of you do. I don't. I understand the force of it in history,

1288
01:39:25,090 --> 01:39:31,130
I'm a non-practicing attorney, all that stuff. I understand it. Immigrants are the people

1289
01:39:31,130 --> 01:39:37,950
who enslaved and Jim Crowed me. But I understand the relevance to America. And what I also

1290
01:39:37,950 --> 01:39:43,670
understand is that there are five churches in walking distance of me from where I live

1291
01:39:43,670 --> 01:39:47,890
on Kenwood. I go to Del Mar Presbyterian. I'm not hard to find.

1292
01:39:49,370 --> 01:39:54,470
What I have not heard tonight, I've heard a lot about the law, the law, the law, the

1293
01:39:54,470 --> 01:40:00,090
law, the legal, legal, legal. Why can't people come here legally? Like it's so people

1294
01:40:00,090 --> 01:40:04,270
leave their native countries because it's so easy to do. They leave because their native

1295
01:40:04,270 --> 01:40:10,430
countries are horrible places to live. But why is that the question of breaking the law?

1296
01:40:10,610 --> 01:40:18,670
Why is that the moral rubric? Everything in the last 50 years that has been evil has

1297
01:40:18,670 --> 01:40:19,390
been legal.

1298
01:40:21,790 --> 01:40:24,270
All of it. That's what the powerful do.

1299
01:40:26,480 --> 01:40:29,200
So what is the moral imperative

1300
01:40:29,200 --> 01:40:31,620
when a law is unjust.

1301
01:40:32,080 --> 01:40:33,840
Again, I have no reverence for immigration.

1302
01:40:34,340 --> 01:40:37,020
I have a big problem with people breaking the law.

1303
01:40:37,400 --> 01:40:38,600
But my heart breaks.

1304
01:40:38,960 --> 01:40:40,420
If you're a peasant in Mexico,

1305
01:40:42,260 --> 01:40:45,420
you're a bad parent if you don't try to come here.

1306
01:40:45,780 --> 01:40:48,120
So I've heard the argument

1307
01:40:48,120 --> 01:40:49,940
for why it's immoral to break laws.

1308
01:40:50,360 --> 01:40:52,240
I would like to hear the argument

1309
01:40:52,850 --> 01:40:58,220
for why it's moral to turn our back on people

1310
01:40:59,200 --> 01:41:00,300
Who are suffering?

1311
01:41:18,900 --> 01:41:19,840
Good evening.

1312
01:41:20,220 --> 01:41:22,060
My name is Robert Czazinski.

1313
01:41:22,860 --> 01:41:25,720
I've lived in the town of Bethlehem 60 years.

1314
01:41:26,100 --> 01:41:30,840
Most of you don't know me, but I know of you all.

1315
01:41:32,020 --> 01:41:38,200
And I am totally against this proposal that you have.

1316
01:41:38,680 --> 01:41:41,900
I haven't stood before this board for six years.

1317
01:41:42,400 --> 01:41:43,080
I give up.

1318
01:41:43,480 --> 01:41:44,160
It's ridiculous.

1319
01:41:44,160 --> 01:41:51,000
You people are going to vote it, I know that, and I think quite a few people in New

1320
01:41:51,000 --> 01:42:00,540
Yorkians know it, but we are a country of laws. We have a border. You have to have

1321
01:42:00,540 --> 01:42:08,920
a border. Yes, we all have a heartbreak, and we all will help somebody. I mean, how

1322
01:42:08,920 --> 01:42:13,400
many people will turn around if there's a fight or somebody lying in

1323
01:42:13,400 --> 01:42:17,280
in the street, but there's five people around them.

1324
01:42:17,460 --> 01:42:19,500
How many of you will walk away?

1325
01:42:19,980 --> 01:42:21,100
You won't interfere.

1326
01:42:21,920 --> 01:42:23,600
It's none of your business.

1327
01:42:25,160 --> 01:42:30,300
So therefore, I decide to come, voice my opinion.

1328
01:42:31,000 --> 01:42:33,660
I probably won't come again, because I

1329
01:42:33,660 --> 01:42:35,000
know it's a losing proposition.

1330
01:42:36,000 --> 01:42:37,680
You're all over the same party.

1331
01:42:38,260 --> 01:42:40,140
You all vote the same way.

1332
01:42:40,140 --> 01:42:46,720
You're all going to stand there and say, I, since John's been elected, what is it, eight

1333
01:42:46,720 --> 01:42:47,140
years?

1334
01:42:47,800 --> 01:42:48,440
Probably.

1335
01:42:49,900 --> 01:42:54,100
But, I mean, nobody's ever said anything.

1336
01:42:54,540 --> 01:42:56,700
None of you have ever decented.

1337
01:42:57,240 --> 01:43:04,540
Not particularly you, but almost the last three, four boards that have been elected.

1338
01:43:04,960 --> 01:43:08,860
So you're not going to do anything, and you're going to pass this.

1339
01:43:08,860 --> 01:43:13,560
But you will take the grants from the federal government.

1340
01:43:14,220 --> 01:43:21,340
You have grants that you've taken, whether it's for a sidewalk, water, or anything like that.

1341
01:43:21,600 --> 01:43:25,260
But all of a sudden you don't like one of the rules.

1342
01:43:26,240 --> 01:43:28,160
Oh, isn't that nice?

1343
01:43:29,180 --> 01:43:36,260
You know, you'll take the money and the gifts, but you won't obey some of the rules.

1344
01:43:36,920 --> 01:43:40,520
That sends a nice message to everybody, believe me.

1345
01:43:41,200 --> 01:43:45,080
So now we know we don't have to follow rules and laws.

1346
01:43:45,640 --> 01:43:49,780
We can just step aside and come up with our own ideas.

1347
01:43:50,620 --> 01:43:51,260
Thank you.

1348
01:43:51,940 --> 01:43:52,620
Thank you, Bob.

1349
01:43:57,350 --> 01:43:59,370
I'm Ann Ray Culver from Del Mar.

1350
01:44:00,430 --> 01:44:02,150
I'm going to keep this pretty short.

1351
01:44:02,470 --> 01:44:07,650
I think the top priority of our government is to keep us safe, and I do not think

1352
01:44:07,650 --> 01:44:12,810
this resolution is upholding that. I think it makes us more vulnerable to danger, and

1353
01:44:12,810 --> 01:44:16,730
I want to grow up in a country where I feel safe, so I am against this resolution.

1354
01:44:17,350 --> 01:44:17,810
Thank you.

1355
01:44:22,180 --> 01:44:28,260
Maureen Naxuti from Del Mar. Last one to speak, so I've listened to everybody's opinion

1356
01:44:28,260 --> 01:44:28,780
and talk.

1357
01:44:28,800 --> 01:44:28,920
No.

1358
01:44:29,520 --> 01:44:30,260
It's a little closer.

1359
01:44:30,580 --> 01:44:30,760
There you go.

1360
01:44:30,980 --> 01:44:31,960
All right, one more.

1361
01:44:34,360 --> 01:44:38,660
Lots of confusion between refugees, immigrants, and illegals.

1362
01:44:38,660 --> 01:44:47,020
I have yet to hear a person who has opposed this use refugee in the wrong way.

1363
01:44:47,620 --> 01:44:49,760
People who oppose it are opposed to the illegals.

1364
01:44:50,620 --> 01:44:56,880
The people who are for this continually talk about how wonderful the refugees and the immigrants are

1365
01:44:56,880 --> 01:44:59,460
but have not addressed the illegals.

1366
01:44:59,460 --> 01:44:59,860
or

1367
01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:09,390
Undocumented. I have personal experience myself with refugees. My mother-in-law was a refugee

1368
01:45:09,390 --> 01:45:17,530
in the War of Kosovo in 1998, I believe. It took me over six months to get her from a

1369
01:45:17,530 --> 01:45:24,550
refugee camp in Albania to Dalmar. I couldn't have done it without the help of Congressman

1370
01:45:24,550 --> 01:45:29,610
McNulty. I went through the legal channels. I went through all the paperwork. She went

1371
01:45:29,610 --> 01:45:35,090
through everything and our government worked fine doing it legal. We lost family in that

1372
01:45:35,090 --> 01:45:41,350
war because they couldn't make it out. We are family who are persecuted still to that

1373
01:45:41,350 --> 01:45:47,630
day and we can't get them out. But I'm not breaking the rules. I will not break the

1374
01:45:47,630 --> 01:45:53,750
law and bring them here illegally. I don't see why just because your country is bad

1375
01:45:53,750 --> 01:45:59,670
you get to come here illegally, or why you, you know, down in Mexico, you're not a good

1376
01:45:59,670 --> 01:46:02,250
mother if you don't try and get them to the States.

1377
01:46:04,590 --> 01:46:06,110
I taught my four children who went

1378
01:46:06,110 --> 01:46:11,950
through Bethlehem Central to follow the rules they have, and they're very successful. I'm

1379
01:46:11,950 --> 01:46:18,130
proud of Bethlehem because we do follow the rules. I oppose this because we are encouraging

1380
01:46:18,130 --> 01:46:24,210
illegals not to come here because they don't have to follow the rules. Make them wait

1381
01:46:24,210 --> 01:46:33,030
the six months in a war-torn country, watching innocent people be killed. We had to do it.

1382
01:46:33,150 --> 01:46:38,250
It wasn't nice. It wasn't. It was horrible. But that's part of life. You take the good

1383
01:46:38,250 --> 01:46:41,810
and you take the bad, but you follow the rules. Thank you.

1384
01:46:42,530 --> 01:46:43,130
Thanks, Maureen.

1385
01:46:48,760 --> 01:46:54,640
Hi, my name is Jane Mitchell. I live in Del Mar. Just going to keep it to the scope

1386
01:46:54,640 --> 01:46:56,640
with the town here, not world politics.

1387
01:46:57,240 --> 01:46:58,860
I want to thank the chief of police.

1388
01:46:59,740 --> 01:47:01,660
There has been a lot of talk here about fear

1389
01:47:01,660 --> 01:47:04,240
and about everybody's immigration status.

1390
01:47:04,540 --> 01:47:07,200
Half the people that come up here are saying I'm legally,

1391
01:47:07,640 --> 01:47:09,320
not legally, my grandfather did this.

1392
01:47:10,880 --> 01:47:14,240
If somebody in my neighborhood witnesses a crime

1393
01:47:14,240 --> 01:47:16,700
or God forbid is a victim of a crime,

1394
01:47:17,260 --> 01:47:19,460
I do not want them sitting there waiting to die

1395
01:47:19,460 --> 01:47:21,580
with police thinking, God, you know,

1396
01:47:22,040 --> 01:47:23,700
the police are gonna be questioning me

1397
01:47:23,700 --> 01:47:26,940
By my legality, I don't think I want to get involved.

1398
01:47:27,940 --> 01:47:35,680
I think this is a measure that makes people considerably safer by increasing the cooperation

1399
01:47:36,260 --> 01:47:40,280
and healthy relationship between the police and the people in the town.

1400
01:47:40,440 --> 01:47:40,980
And thank you.

1401
01:47:41,560 --> 01:47:42,320
Thank you.

1402
01:47:54,510 --> 01:48:02,770
I think the public comment period has ended, so let's go back to the agenda.

1403
01:48:02,770 --> 01:48:08,330
and the first item will be this. However, I don't want to pass over the minutes approval.

1404
01:48:09,010 --> 01:48:15,330
So may I have a motion to approve the 10 minutes of the Town Board meeting January 25th, 2017?

1405
01:48:15,890 --> 01:48:16,370
Second.

1406
01:48:17,650 --> 01:48:18,190
All in favor?

1407
01:48:18,510 --> 01:48:18,810
Aye.

1408
01:48:19,710 --> 01:48:23,690
So the minutes are approved. We're now to line item number one and I'm going to try

1409
01:48:23,690 --> 01:48:27,630
and cover just in big picture a lot of the questions that were asked. Explain

1410
01:48:27,630 --> 01:48:33,250
what this is, what it is not. You have, I hope everyone has, the resolution out there

1411
01:48:33,250 --> 01:48:39,390
and I hope you have the memoranda of what I tried to do in mind is explain how the town

1412
01:48:39,390 --> 01:48:45,330
came to this, what it addressed, the chief of police and the director of senior services

1413
01:48:45,330 --> 01:48:49,450
explained what we currently do, what we have always done in the town of Bethlehem

1414
01:48:49,450 --> 01:48:55,250
with regard to providing services. And the first thing that I want everyone to know

1415
01:48:55,250 --> 01:48:58,730
and it may raise some more questions, but I'll try to get them to do is we are not actually

1416
01:48:58,730 --> 01:49:05,650
changing procedures in this resolution. A number of people came to us, many of them spoke

1417
01:49:05,650 --> 01:49:09,930
tonight over the course of the fall and the winter, and said we would like you to

1418
01:49:09,930 --> 01:49:15,950
consider a sanctuary town or sanctuary community resolution. At first we asked, okay, we've

1419
01:49:15,950 --> 01:49:22,730
heard of that. What is that? We looked into it. We are operating obviously in

1420
01:49:22,730 --> 01:49:26,970
a nationally charged environment, which is related, I think, to what we're doing.

1421
01:49:27,030 --> 01:49:30,750
I'll speak for myself on that, but we are in a nationally charged environment.

1422
01:49:31,150 --> 01:49:34,450
I heard passionate stories on both sides.

1423
01:49:35,010 --> 01:49:39,550
I heard people talk a lot about federal immigration law, about the morality of putting

1424
01:49:39,550 --> 01:49:41,450
law first above human needs.

1425
01:49:41,590 --> 01:49:44,030
I heard a lot of really fantastic dialogue.

1426
01:49:44,230 --> 01:49:48,250
So if nothing else, I'm grateful that we had the chance to hear all this.

1427
01:49:48,370 --> 01:49:50,130
It was quite helpful, I think.

1428
01:49:50,130 --> 01:50:00,150
But what we have here is a resolution of what the town is going to do, and it doesn't, we'll go into more detail later, it doesn't change what we're doing.

1429
01:50:00,290 --> 01:50:11,890
We found when we looked into the concept of sanctuary cities, and this is a bit different from the sanctuary church movement of the mid-80s, where churches were actually helping people escaping from Central America,

1430
01:50:11,890 --> 01:50:16,750
And we're indeed, you know, helping to hide them and do that, not passing a judgment on

1431
01:50:16,750 --> 01:50:16,930
that.

1432
01:50:17,010 --> 01:50:18,350
I understand that was a wonderful movement.

1433
01:50:18,470 --> 01:50:20,370
That's not what we're about here.

1434
01:50:20,750 --> 01:50:25,830
This is about what the town will do going forward and what we're going to say about

1435
01:50:25,830 --> 01:50:25,970
it.

1436
01:50:26,050 --> 01:50:30,190
And I will say, though our police department follows excellent procedures, we're very

1437
01:50:30,190 --> 01:50:30,750
proud of them.

1438
01:50:31,130 --> 01:50:34,850
We're very proud of all the other town services and they all follow procedures

1439
01:50:34,850 --> 01:50:39,190
that are good, that are consistent with the sanctuary provisions that you often

1440
01:50:39,190 --> 01:50:40,730
hear of in sanctuary communities.

1441
01:50:40,730 --> 01:50:44,010
But when the town board says it, it's a bit stronger.

1442
01:50:44,270 --> 01:50:47,270
We are setting policy in a way that goes forward.

1443
01:50:47,390 --> 01:50:48,150
It can be changed.

1444
01:50:48,270 --> 01:50:49,610
It can always be changed in the future.

1445
01:50:49,890 --> 01:50:51,590
But we're saying this is our policy.

1446
01:50:52,370 --> 01:50:56,910
The other thing we're doing is a symbolic message of types.

1447
01:50:57,030 --> 01:50:59,350
And many people have said that symbolism is important.

1448
01:50:59,390 --> 01:51:01,450
And I believe it's important in this day and age.

1449
01:51:02,050 --> 01:51:04,870
We are saying that, yes, we are a community of immigrants.

1450
01:51:05,430 --> 01:51:08,010
We are saying, yes, that we have an imperative

1451
01:51:08,010 --> 01:51:13,250
to assist refugees and support human rights. And we are also saying that we will not

1452
01:51:13,250 --> 01:51:20,110
tolerate, under any circumstances, targeting of individuals because of what they wear,

1453
01:51:20,510 --> 01:51:25,330
because of how they look, because of what someone else might think they are thinking.

1454
01:51:25,750 --> 01:51:28,990
That's wrong. That's just wrong. And we're not going to tolerate that.

1455
01:51:34,180 --> 01:51:38,480
So those are the forces that brought us to work on this resolution, and I have

1456
01:51:38,480 --> 01:51:41,160
to say a lot of it came from members of the community. People spoke here,

1457
01:51:41,160 --> 01:51:46,860
worked on it. We wanted to consider it. As we looked more into the laws, we found

1458
01:51:46,860 --> 01:51:51,300
there were little or no impediments to do this. And I guess you could question it,

1459
01:51:51,300 --> 01:51:56,140
but a lot of us thought there was a very strong reason for doing it. People have

1460
01:51:56,140 --> 01:52:01,400
mentioned consistently that we shouldn't choose which laws we obey and which

1461
01:52:01,400 --> 01:52:05,800
laws we don't obey. And I'm going to say I agree, but I want you to understand

1462
01:52:05,800 --> 01:52:12,280
This resolution right at the beginning says we are committed to adhering to the requirements

1463
01:52:12,280 --> 01:52:16,580
of the United States Constitution, the New York State Constitution, and of State

1464
01:52:16,580 --> 01:52:17,620
and Federal law.

1465
01:52:18,120 --> 01:52:19,600
And we are committed to doing that.

1466
01:52:19,740 --> 01:52:24,620
There is nothing in this resolution that violates the law, nothing that violates

1467
01:52:24,620 --> 01:52:27,460
current law and nothing that may violate law in the future.

1468
01:52:27,800 --> 01:52:32,140
We are setting procedures that are positive, and we are making a statement

1469
01:52:32,140 --> 01:52:34,000
about being a welcoming community.

1470
01:52:34,400 --> 01:52:35,680
We have looked at

1471
01:52:39,200 --> 01:52:46,660
President's executive order, we went through it, we went through the Attorney General's review of it,

1472
01:52:47,360 --> 01:52:50,380
and we looked at it and we borrowed from it for some of the points in this resolution.

1473
01:52:51,040 --> 01:52:54,740
A lot of the points in that don't apply at all because we do not have a jail.

1474
01:52:55,020 --> 01:53:00,540
We don't keep people in detention for periods of time, so we're not in that part of the sanctuary city's movement.

1475
01:53:00,980 --> 01:53:03,720
And we've looked at it in terms of aid because we don't want to do anything.

1476
01:53:03,720 --> 01:53:07,680
that was one of our first questions that could result in a loss of aid for the town

1477
01:53:07,680 --> 01:53:13,120
of Bethlehem. And I must tell you that I see absolutely no possibility of that,

1478
01:53:13,420 --> 01:53:17,780
okay? First of all, we're not violating any rules. And though the President's

1479
01:53:17,780 --> 01:53:23,460
executive order says we do not like in Perenn sanctuary cities and may withhold

1480
01:53:23,460 --> 01:53:28,800
aid from them, it goes on to specifically identify parts of the immigration

1481
01:53:28,800 --> 01:53:32,940
law that we would not violate, that we are not arguing that we would violate.

1482
01:53:32,940 --> 01:53:41,240
And so there's no issue there. If it were the case that something else comes down the pipe later, which may be the case,

1483
01:53:41,860 --> 01:53:47,700
our resolution doesn't find us to anything there. What it nearly says is we are going to hold these practices,

1484
01:53:48,240 --> 01:53:53,000
there's town policy to hold to them, and they are for good criminal justice reasons.

1485
01:53:53,560 --> 01:54:00,600
Many people said you don't want your neighbor or someone on the street failing to call the police because they see a crime.

1486
01:54:00,600 --> 01:54:04,300
Many people have said we don't want people who are victims of crime, of crime,

1487
01:54:04,340 --> 01:54:07,880
failing to report to the police. Several people said that the immigrant community

1488
01:54:08,420 --> 01:54:12,680
is more likely to be victimized than not, and there were many examples given that

1489
01:54:12,680 --> 01:54:16,560
with some people with some labor background. So we know that. We want to be a

1490
01:54:16,560 --> 01:54:21,000
community that cares for everyone. And that doesn't mean that we are going

1491
01:54:21,000 --> 01:54:24,820
to sanction any way law-breaking. A lot of people were concerned that somehow

1492
01:54:24,820 --> 01:54:28,680
this resolution would tell the police or others that we should not be

1493
01:54:28,680 --> 01:54:34,060
enforcing law. That is not the case. The police do enforce the law. If a person commits

1494
01:54:34,060 --> 01:54:38,400
a crime, a misdemeanor or a felony, they are immediately fingerprinted. Their records

1495
01:54:38,400 --> 01:54:43,560
go up to the FBI, to IC, to others. That is a procedure that will continue to be followed.

1496
01:54:44,020 --> 01:54:49,360
So most of the complaints I heard were on kind of things that were misunderstood,

1497
01:54:49,780 --> 01:54:53,160
I'm going to say, and I do want, we will talk about this more, and I don't

1498
01:54:53,160 --> 01:54:56,940
want to talk too long, but I wanted to give you the very basics of it.

1499
01:54:57,700 --> 01:55:02,920
So we do have, have I left anything out, Major, I think I went through most of it.

1500
01:55:03,460 --> 01:55:09,720
I urge you to look at the resolution. For some of you, it may, it may be, well, we want to do more for others.

1501
01:55:09,860 --> 01:55:15,700
It may be, okay, well, I still don't like the sound of this. We know that we do not control federal immigration law.

1502
01:55:15,780 --> 01:55:20,720
We're not even experts in it. But we are thinking about the message we want to send to the community.

1503
01:55:21,140 --> 01:55:23,600
We are thinking about the message we want to send to others.

1504
01:55:23,600 --> 01:55:27,760
And that, as we do care about you, we will take care of you, and we expect you to help

1505
01:55:27,760 --> 01:55:28,820
take care of the rest of us.

1506
01:55:29,140 --> 01:55:32,100
If you see something wrong, we want you to be able to call the police.

1507
01:55:32,440 --> 01:55:35,400
If you are being victimized, we want you to be able to reach out to us.

1508
01:55:35,460 --> 01:55:37,440
If you commit crimes, yes, of course.

1509
01:55:37,720 --> 01:55:42,460
You will be caught by the police, and you will be prosecuted.

1510
01:55:42,760 --> 01:55:43,820
And we will share data.

1511
01:55:44,380 --> 01:55:48,100
Nothing is going to prevent our police force from doing what they need to do to protect

1512
01:55:48,100 --> 01:55:48,900
public safety.

1513
01:55:49,240 --> 01:55:53,100
They're going to continue to work with federal and higher-level officials to make

1514
01:55:53,100 --> 01:55:57,340
sure that we are as safe as we can be, and we'll go into more detail on that.

1515
01:55:57,480 --> 01:55:59,480
So those are the big pictures.

1516
01:56:01,760 --> 01:56:05,040
I don't know, Jim, do you have anything to add to the

1517
01:56:05,040 --> 01:56:06,980
aid practicalities?

1518
01:56:07,500 --> 01:56:10,420
No, you summarized it perfectly, John.

1519
01:56:12,760 --> 01:56:16,240
Okay. I'll accept that. We're not worried about that at all.

1520
01:56:16,400 --> 01:56:21,820
So, Commander Hornick, if you could come up, I think part of the questions

1521
01:56:21,820 --> 01:56:26,740
that people are most concerned about are the police practices and what I've learned

1522
01:56:26,740 --> 01:56:30,920
in some detail that you know much better than me, is that many, perhaps most police

1523
01:56:30,920 --> 01:56:39,100
agencies follow the same practices that BPD follows and that are described in the Chief's memorandum.

1524
01:56:39,860 --> 01:56:43,200
First of all, I'd like to thank everybody for their support of the police department

1525
01:56:43,200 --> 01:56:47,020
tonight. That's really great to see as well as up on the town board. So thank you for that.

1526
01:56:50,730 --> 01:56:55,870
Second of all, to echo the sentiment of the town supervisor here, this does not change

1527
01:56:55,870 --> 01:56:59,330
any current standing policies or procedures of the Bethelman Police Department.

1528
01:56:59,930 --> 01:57:04,430
As we know, and through our law enforcement experience, crime knows no boundaries, and

1529
01:57:04,430 --> 01:57:10,730
that includes boundaries of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, or any other defining

1530
01:57:10,730 --> 01:57:11,870
characteristics of individuals.

1531
01:57:12,390 --> 01:57:16,390
And it is our job to maintain the law, maintain all the laws, and treat everybody equally.

1532
01:57:16,950 --> 01:57:20,350
That's something that our department does, the men and women of our department do on a

1533
01:57:20,350 --> 01:57:23,990
daily basis, and they continue to do that with the highest level of excellence.

1534
01:57:24,330 --> 01:57:27,370
And they will continue to do that, whether this resolution is passed or not.

1535
01:57:27,790 --> 01:57:34,270
We will continue to share information with CVP and ICE as related in the Chief's Memo.

1536
01:57:34,530 --> 01:57:38,370
I think it very clearly defines the role of the police department, what our duties

1537
01:57:38,370 --> 01:57:43,750
are, as well as what we will continue to do, and we have been doing for an extended

1538
01:57:43,750 --> 01:57:44,370
period of time.

1539
01:57:45,110 --> 01:57:49,410
One of the other kind of big concerns I've had, people seem to be reading this or react

1540
01:57:49,410 --> 01:57:49,750
to it.

1541
01:57:49,790 --> 01:57:55,130
You, the chief and his memo makes the straightforward statement, we do not enforce immigration law,

1542
01:57:55,170 --> 01:57:58,810
which may be interpreted wrongly, but you were explaining to me earlier.

1543
01:57:59,350 --> 01:58:05,130
In general, municipal police departments don't enforce many aspects of federal law, tax

1544
01:58:05,130 --> 01:58:06,430
law, and things of that nature.

1545
01:58:07,290 --> 01:58:07,730
Absolutely.

1546
01:58:07,730 --> 01:58:14,570
Basically, not just that immigration law, but as local or state law enforcement officers,

1547
01:58:15,110 --> 01:58:20,270
we do not have the power to enforce federal laws. We would have to contact federal agents

1548
01:58:20,270 --> 01:58:26,790
or an agent that has the authority to enforce the U.S. Code to that extent to actually bring

1549
01:58:26,790 --> 01:58:31,370
those accusatory documents or charges forward in any federal law, not just the immigration law.

1550
01:58:33,590 --> 01:58:37,970
Okay. I've had an opportunity to talk to you about what other board members like to ask questions.

1551
01:58:41,040 --> 01:58:42,320
No question? Okay.

1552
01:58:42,500 --> 01:58:43,240
Very clear.

1553
01:58:43,740 --> 01:58:45,240
All right. Thank you. Thank you, folks.

1554
01:58:45,480 --> 01:58:46,000
Thank you, Commander.

1555
01:58:55,940 --> 01:59:04,040
So I'd like to start out with a motion and a second, therefore, if we go to discussion, we can amend or deal with otherwise.

1556
01:59:04,460 --> 01:59:06,600
But is there a motion on the resolution?

1557
01:59:07,060 --> 01:59:07,580
So moved.

1558
01:59:07,840 --> 01:59:08,120
Second.

1559
01:59:08,800 --> 01:59:09,260
Okay.

1560
01:59:09,260 --> 01:59:12,420
All right. So it's open for board discussion.

1561
01:59:14,540 --> 01:59:17,840
We've heard a lot tonight. I'm not counting

1562
01:59:17,840 --> 01:59:24,460
so much the biais and nays among the audience, but thinking about what they said as well

1563
01:59:24,460 --> 01:59:28,420
as what led us here. And also, there's one question came up, I think one individual

1564
01:59:28,420 --> 01:59:32,660
said, could we vote on this? And the answer is there is an answer to that, and it's

1565
01:59:32,660 --> 01:59:33,680
coming up.

1566
01:59:33,680 --> 01:59:40,640
Well, the answer is no. I mean, the way town law is structured is the citizens

1567
01:59:40,640 --> 01:59:45,200
elect the town board, the town board passes the law, the town board passes resolutions.

1568
01:59:45,820 --> 01:59:51,760
We're not set up as a referendum form of government, so that's not provided for in town

1569
01:59:51,760 --> 01:59:56,860
law. It's also very expensive to hold an election on every issue in its area practical.

1570
01:59:57,320 --> 01:59:59,980
And I will say, although we're very aware that the-

1571
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:05,760
There are diverse, sharply divided opinions on this issue. I hope that as folks look at

1572
02:00:05,760 --> 02:00:11,080
the actual resolution, what we're doing, some of those go away. All the time, the town

1573
02:00:11,080 --> 02:00:16,620
board has to make judgments on issues without knowing with certainty what the public

1574
02:00:16,620 --> 02:00:21,880
vote would be if there is. That's just the atmosphere we have to operate on. We are

1575
02:00:21,880 --> 02:00:29,700
not a single United Board. We often have very, very different opinions on issues.

1576
02:00:29,700 --> 02:00:32,240
And that improves products, usually, that we work about.

1577
02:00:32,380 --> 02:00:35,960
So we really, on this issue, we want to hear what everyone has to say.

1578
02:00:36,460 --> 02:00:37,700
We want to take it in consideration.

1579
02:00:38,100 --> 02:00:42,080
But we do generally have to act in all the actions we take as a town board

1580
02:00:42,080 --> 02:00:44,480
without perfect knowledge of how the public would vote.

1581
02:00:44,920 --> 02:00:48,040
But we do appreciate very much all of you coming out tonight

1582
02:00:48,040 --> 02:00:50,420
and telling us your stories and your views.

1583
02:00:50,560 --> 02:00:51,380
That is very helpful.

1584
02:00:51,820 --> 02:00:53,580
It's the biggest crowd we've had, I think,

1585
02:00:55,740 --> 02:00:56,920
certainly this year,

1586
02:00:56,920 --> 02:00:58,460
are probably in five or six.

1587
02:00:59,880 --> 02:01:01,000
As soon as you like that.

1588
02:01:01,000 --> 02:01:03,720
It's only the third or fourth.

1589
02:01:06,620 --> 02:01:08,980
So other discussion from board members?

1590
02:01:11,160 --> 02:01:14,760
I would like to say that I feel I'd

1591
02:01:14,760 --> 02:01:18,020
like to have a little more time to research the sanctuary

1592
02:01:18,020 --> 02:01:20,520
community practices of, say, San Francisco

1593
02:01:20,920 --> 02:01:24,440
and other areas where they do have established

1594
02:01:24,440 --> 02:01:25,720
sanctuary communities.

1595
02:01:26,860 --> 02:01:28,260
That's a concern to me.

1596
02:01:28,260 --> 02:01:34,500
The legalities, the police department portion, there really is no change.

1597
02:01:34,640 --> 02:01:39,680
That policy is in effect currently, in effect the way I understand it has been for many years.

1598
02:01:40,000 --> 02:01:44,460
But I know very little about the sanctuary communities established.

1599
02:01:45,260 --> 02:01:50,960
And that makes me feel I want more time to research that.

1600
02:01:52,100 --> 02:01:57,040
Are we, are we positioning ourselves as labeling ourselves as a sanctuary city?

1601
02:01:57,040 --> 02:02:00,020
I mean, I don't see that in the title of the community practices.

1602
02:02:00,400 --> 02:02:04,260
I don't know. Do you know about sanctuary community practices?

1603
02:02:04,940 --> 02:02:07,880
Well, I don't know if there's a legal term, I mean, the legal definition, but it's

1604
02:02:07,880 --> 02:02:09,120
a really fine one.

1605
02:02:09,440 --> 02:02:10,720
No. But, but.

1606
02:02:10,780 --> 02:02:12,640
So you're, so you're, I'm just, is you're concerned with that word?

1607
02:02:13,080 --> 02:02:16,020
I mean, yes, I have trouble with the word, that word.

1608
02:02:17,060 --> 02:02:17,400
Correct.

1609
02:02:17,960 --> 02:02:18,360
Yeah, correct.

1610
02:02:18,980 --> 02:02:25,020
But I need to see what that meant in Vermont. Exactly. I mean, I do, I do have

1611
02:02:25,020 --> 02:02:28,440
I have to say that when I was, you know, starting to read the e-mails that we'd gotten

1612
02:02:28,440 --> 02:02:32,380
over the course of this week, you know, the word sanctuary is a loaded word, and I

1613
02:02:32,380 --> 02:02:36,680
find it a little difficult to wrap your head around a word that is loaded yet doesn't

1614
02:02:36,680 --> 02:02:40,160
have a definition, because it's really hard to go with that. But then when I look

1615
02:02:40,160 --> 02:02:46,060
at the one mention of where it is in this resolution, you could take that

1616
02:02:46,060 --> 02:02:51,660
whereas out, take those two lines out, and then that's the only mention of the

1617
02:02:51,660 --> 02:02:56,500
and I would be fine if that's the only thing that's stopping us, is that term because

1618
02:02:56,500 --> 02:03:01,640
it comes with this whole other layer of loadedness. I don't think it's necessary in this

1619
02:03:01,640 --> 02:03:06,380
resolution. I don't think it drives our goal further to have that word in there. So if

1620
02:03:06,380 --> 02:03:07,720
that's your only concern, we can discuss that.

1621
02:03:07,720 --> 02:03:13,260
My concern is the human rights section and the laws with it that are there for the

1622
02:03:13,260 --> 02:03:19,980
police department. They're straightforward. As I said, it's the I agree that I

1623
02:03:19,980 --> 02:03:22,720
I would like to see that removed. It causes confusion.

1624
02:03:23,980 --> 02:03:29,080
I was, when the resolution first got presented, you know, I thought it was good and I

1625
02:03:29,080 --> 02:03:35,340
agreed with it, but once I got framed up into the word sanctuary town or sanctuary

1626
02:03:35,340 --> 02:03:39,920
city, then I had trouble with that. These, Beth and police have been following

1627
02:03:39,920 --> 02:03:48,780
the protocols that are in this resolution forever. So I just don't know whether

1628
02:03:49,640 --> 02:03:56,020
declaring us a sanctuary town, sanctuary city, you know, that has global implications.

1629
02:03:56,960 --> 02:04:03,260
And I'm not 100 percent sure I feel that that's the way I want to look at right now.

1630
02:04:03,860 --> 02:04:05,020
And we're not a city.

1631
02:04:06,040 --> 02:04:07,500
No, we're not a city.

1632
02:04:07,960 --> 02:04:10,420
I guess I'm not reading it as us declaring ourselves as a sanctuary city.

1633
02:04:10,520 --> 02:04:11,300
David, what do you think?

1634
02:04:11,580 --> 02:04:12,220
We're not.

1635
02:04:12,220 --> 02:04:20,800
And this has been a consistent point of misunderstanding that I've been seeing throughout the comments

1636
02:04:20,800 --> 02:04:24,640
this evening, comments both before and against the resolution.

1637
02:04:25,580 --> 02:04:33,140
Bethlehem is not declaring itself in this resolution as a sanctuary city, but we are declaring

1638
02:04:33,140 --> 02:04:40,760
that the fundamental values of fairness and the community policing policies that

1639
02:04:40,760 --> 02:04:45,820
that our police department has been following for a long time are the policies that

1640
02:04:45,820 --> 02:04:53,900
guide or that follow the guidance of our town. I think that, you know, the one of the

1641
02:04:53,900 --> 02:04:59,880
challenges of being on the board is that we have to filter through emotions and

1642
02:05:00,540 --> 02:05:05,880
tangents and misunderstandings and try to get to the nub of making decisions

1643
02:05:05,880 --> 02:05:10,680
that can actually have a positive effect on our town. And, you know,

1644
02:05:10,680 --> 02:05:17,040
So in a number of the emails that I was receiving throughout the day today against it, a lot of people are saying,

1645
02:05:17,340 --> 02:05:21,300
if it's not changing anything, what's the point of passing the resolution?

1646
02:05:22,240 --> 02:05:32,220
And that's a position that I can understand. Unfortunately, our town is set in a broader context.

1647
02:05:32,940 --> 02:05:37,880
And when you look at the broader national politics that are going on in our country right now,

1648
02:05:37,880 --> 02:05:42,860
There's a lot of hate, there's a lot of fear, there's a lot of paranoia, and it's being

1649
02:05:42,860 --> 02:05:49,520
fomented with alternative facts, and I feel that it's important when we make decisions

1650
02:05:49,520 --> 02:05:56,680
in our community that we be guided by facts, we be guided by data, and we be guided by

1651
02:05:56,680 --> 02:06:01,720
the good judgment in the situation of law enforcement of our law enforcement officers.

1652
02:06:02,340 --> 02:06:06,540
And they've been practicing the very things that we feel are fundamental and important

1653
02:06:06,540 --> 02:06:13,680
for quite some time now. And because we have policies or we have practices that have been

1654
02:06:13,680 --> 02:06:17,540
going on for years that we feel are right, we feel that now is a good time for the town

1655
02:06:17,540 --> 02:06:21,180
to say, this is the way our town is, and this is the way our town operates.

1656
02:06:21,740 --> 02:06:26,020
You know, I understand the fear. I have children. You know, we worry about our children going

1657
02:06:26,020 --> 02:06:31,480
out all the time. But this is not a decision that should be guided by fear. And in fact,

1658
02:06:31,480 --> 02:06:37,500
In fact, this is a decision that John has pointed out repeatedly that is actually going

1659
02:06:37,500 --> 02:06:41,480
to help make our community safer, because it's going to be saying to all of the people

1660
02:06:41,480 --> 02:06:48,940
in our town that we are going to be operating under the same practices that we have been

1661
02:06:48,940 --> 02:06:53,720
for the last several years, despite all of the maelstrom that's going on at the federal

1662
02:06:53,720 --> 02:06:54,100
level.

1663
02:06:54,300 --> 02:06:57,340
And that's why I think this is a worthwhile resolution for us to be passing right

1664
02:06:57,340 --> 02:06:57,580
now.

1665
02:06:57,580 --> 02:07:03,760
Now, the term Sanctuary City is a tripping point for everyone or for a lot of people

1666
02:07:03,760 --> 02:07:10,460
right now. And if clipping out that whereas is going to make it more palatable for

1667
02:07:10,460 --> 02:07:16,080
folks to get past that distraction of the national stuff, I say take it out.

1668
02:07:16,420 --> 02:07:22,380
I also would like, John, to suggest that in the first two black bullets under

1669
02:07:22,380 --> 02:07:28,200
in the resolutions, that the Bethelman Police Department change does to will continue

1670
02:07:28,200 --> 02:07:33,980
to not engage in activities. The next one down, Town Personnel and Volunteers will continue

1671
02:07:33,980 --> 02:07:38,200
to neither inquire. I think it's really important for us to stress this is a continuation

1672
02:07:38,200 --> 02:07:41,960
of the way our great town has been operating for many years.

1673
02:07:43,020 --> 02:07:48,320
So just procedurally, do we need to, Jim, do I need to make a motion to change

1674
02:07:48,320 --> 02:07:49,820
to make those changes?

1675
02:07:50,040 --> 02:07:51,160
It would be a motion to amend.

1676
02:07:52,000 --> 02:07:56,080
We can, in the past, we've done some editing, but I don't know.

1677
02:07:56,160 --> 02:08:00,800
I certainly, if we remove a motion to amend, we should do that.

1678
02:08:01,140 --> 02:08:06,020
I do, I'd like the thoughts I'm hearing on all sides here.

1679
02:08:06,480 --> 02:08:09,220
And I do want to say, emphasize for everyone,

1680
02:08:09,640 --> 02:08:12,500
sanctuary is not a defined term.

1681
02:08:12,900 --> 02:08:15,760
The New York State Attorney General has said so,

1682
02:08:15,760 --> 02:08:18,100
and what's more Wikipedia says so.

1683
02:08:19,220 --> 02:08:27,800
And, you know, looking at what we could, the process of evaluation was we understand

1684
02:08:27,800 --> 02:08:31,480
our citizens want this, what is it going to be mean, what's it going to mean?

1685
02:08:31,620 --> 02:08:38,060
One of the people who spoke said, you know, I'm okay, certainly with not asking

1686
02:08:38,060 --> 02:08:41,680
people from, with encouraging people to come to the police and to the town, but

1687
02:08:41,680 --> 02:08:45,400
what does the rest of this mean? The rest of it, there isn't really that much.

1688
02:08:45,400 --> 02:08:52,240
We are making affirmative statements value statements, which we do occasionally and we think is very important this time as a town board

1689
02:08:52,240 --> 02:08:54,200
But removing that term

1690
02:08:54,200 --> 02:08:58,360
I know there will be some will say well, but you know that's what we wanted and others will say well

1691
02:08:58,360 --> 02:09:03,940
That's good. That's different. The truth is in what we've got here in this resolution and what we're doing in our practices

1692
02:09:04,820 --> 02:09:08,160
They are those type of practices you can call them

1693
02:09:08,160 --> 02:09:12,800
Sanctuary if you want you can call them nice practice, but the removal of that single term

1694
02:09:12,800 --> 02:09:19,040
really won't change anything at all on this, and we'd like most of all to give a positive

1695
02:09:19,040 --> 02:09:24,860
and a unified message to the community, and we'd like to try and do this as well as we

1696
02:09:24,860 --> 02:09:28,560
can and keep doing the positive things that our town employees have been doing.

1697
02:09:28,760 --> 02:09:35,140
So I guess if we have one whereas that people have talked about removing, which would be

1698
02:09:38,090 --> 02:09:38,850
the fourth.

1699
02:09:40,850 --> 02:09:41,970
So do I make a motion?

1700
02:09:42,470 --> 02:09:45,170
Well, let's see if we can get those other changes in two of them on one.

1701
02:09:45,170 --> 02:09:45,870
I can do it. I got it.

1702
02:09:45,990 --> 02:09:46,390
You got it?

1703
02:09:46,430 --> 02:09:48,590
I can multi-task.

1704
02:09:49,490 --> 02:09:57,510
I move that we remove the fourth whereas, and under the first black bullet we change

1705
02:09:57,510 --> 02:09:59,890
does not to will continue to.

1706
02:10:00,310 --> 02:10:00,650
Not.

1707
02:10:01,190 --> 02:10:01,510
Not.

1708
02:10:01,670 --> 02:10:02,470
Continue to not.

1709
02:10:02,530 --> 02:10:03,450
Well, yeah, that word's already there.

1710
02:10:03,710 --> 02:10:04,930
So for you right, I take it out.

1711
02:10:05,010 --> 02:10:05,110
Sorry.

1712
02:10:05,410 --> 02:10:07,690
Does, the leak does it will continue to.

1713
02:10:07,970 --> 02:10:08,070
Okay.

1714
02:10:08,070 --> 02:10:11,970
And then under the second bullet, we will change.

1715
02:10:12,550 --> 02:10:13,190
We will insert.

1716
02:10:13,390 --> 02:10:14,170
We will insert.

1717
02:10:14,650 --> 02:10:15,230
We will insert.

1718
02:10:15,850 --> 02:10:17,510
Continue between will and neither.

1719
02:10:20,510 --> 02:10:21,090
Two, yes.

1720
02:10:21,510 --> 02:10:22,610
So that's your motion?

1721
02:10:22,830 --> 02:10:23,910
Yeah, that was clean, wasn't it?

1722
02:10:24,030 --> 02:10:24,510
I'll second.

1723
02:10:24,810 --> 02:10:25,230
I'll second.

1724
02:10:25,610 --> 02:10:27,490
It's not as easy as it looks, is it?

1725
02:10:28,370 --> 02:10:33,090
So I guess now we vote on the motion to amend.

1726
02:10:33,490 --> 02:10:33,790
Correct.

1727
02:10:34,490 --> 02:10:35,150
And then so.

1728
02:10:36,170 --> 02:10:36,910
So moved.

1729
02:10:38,350 --> 02:10:39,570
No, I think we have that already.

1730
02:10:39,570 --> 02:10:46,250
So on the motion to amend the resolution before us, all in favor, aye.

1731
02:10:46,830 --> 02:10:47,470
Does anyone oppose?

1732
02:10:48,390 --> 02:10:48,770
Okay.

1733
02:10:48,910 --> 02:10:53,130
But we still need to now talk more and then vote later on the actual resolution.

1734
02:10:54,170 --> 02:10:54,390
Okay.

1735
02:10:54,530 --> 02:10:54,710
Go ahead.

1736
02:10:55,470 --> 02:10:59,930
So we haven't amended resolution conversation?

1737
02:11:03,930 --> 02:11:05,070
I mean, I want to do this.

1738
02:11:05,430 --> 02:11:08,950
I mean, I think it's, you know, we start off when we first got emails in November

1739
02:11:09,690 --> 02:11:11,990
asking us to consider that concept of a sanctuary city.

1740
02:11:11,990 --> 02:11:14,710
I frankly, my reaction was very similar to a lot of peoples.

1741
02:11:15,170 --> 02:11:16,230
I don't really know what this is.

1742
02:11:16,670 --> 02:11:19,870
I am concerned about how it's going to impact our police force

1743
02:11:19,870 --> 02:11:22,290
and I certainly don't want to mess with our town funding.

1744
02:11:22,950 --> 02:11:25,170
So, you know, I was disinclined to really do anything about it

1745
02:11:25,170 --> 02:11:27,470
and then, you know, time passed and, you know,

1746
02:11:28,450 --> 02:11:32,950
but I feel like as we see this climate in our nationwide,

1747
02:11:32,950 --> 02:11:37,850
the climate of intolerance of focusing on peoples ethnicity

1748
02:11:38,610 --> 02:11:41,010
and immigration status is something important

1749
02:11:41,010 --> 02:11:45,150
And to make determinations about it, it just feels to me like it's an important time to

1750
02:11:45,150 --> 02:11:45,550
make a stand.

1751
02:11:45,670 --> 02:11:49,870
And that's why I feel like I felt very differently when we started discussing this again last

1752
02:11:49,870 --> 02:11:51,310
week about considering this resolution.

1753
02:11:51,790 --> 02:11:55,690
I think it's not going to change practices, and that's fine, but I think like David said,

1754
02:11:56,050 --> 02:12:00,130
it is going to allay fears and concerns that people have and that we need to say that

1755
02:12:00,130 --> 02:12:02,250
publicly that this is a safe place for people.

1756
02:12:02,330 --> 02:12:05,530
And I feel like it's a necessary and timely thing for us to do, so I'm glad we're

1757
02:12:05,530 --> 02:12:05,870
doing this.

1758
02:12:05,870 --> 02:12:12,190
I would very strongly second that thought. I had a similar evolution, if you will.

1759
02:12:12,770 --> 02:12:17,650
And as I said earlier, we are in an environment. It is highly charged. We respect that there

1760
02:12:17,650 --> 02:12:23,230
are different opinions, and we certainly respect the law. But to me, making this statement

1761
02:12:23,230 --> 02:12:28,870
now is incredibly important. These are challenging times. There are things that

1762
02:12:28,870 --> 02:12:33,230
are happening that make many of us very, very uncomfortable. And we want to say to

1763
02:12:33,230 --> 02:12:38,970
everyone who is either in this community or might come to it, that we will take care of

1764
02:12:38,970 --> 02:12:45,250
you, we will see your needs, we will also observe the law and we will do everything we need to

1765
02:12:45,250 --> 02:12:50,050
do to protect the community. I don't see any inconsistency between those and I think it's

1766
02:12:50,050 --> 02:12:52,090
very important to make the statement now.

1767
02:13:01,050 --> 02:13:02,430
I'm sensing we're ready to vote.

1768
02:13:06,580 --> 02:13:10,160
So it would be a motion to approve the resolution as amended.

1769
02:13:12,060 --> 02:13:16,740
So I'd like to make a motion to approve the resolution as amended.

1770
02:13:17,300 --> 02:13:18,120
So moved.

1771
02:13:19,540 --> 02:13:22,100
I'm going to ask for a vote. All in favor say aye.

1772
02:13:22,480 --> 02:13:22,780
Aye.

1773
02:13:23,560 --> 02:13:24,220
Does anyone opposed?

1774
02:13:24,900 --> 02:13:25,160
Okay.

1775
02:13:25,580 --> 02:13:25,620
May.

1776
02:13:26,240 --> 02:13:26,660
Okay.

1777
02:13:28,560 --> 02:13:30,300
Resolution is passed. Thank you.

1778
02:13:37,850 --> 02:13:41,150
And thank you all for coming and sharing your opinions with us.

1779
02:13:41,150 --> 02:13:43,150
it's very important and we appreciate it.

1780
02:13:48,810 --> 02:13:50,890
We do have a very interesting agenda item

1781
02:13:50,890 --> 02:13:51,510
coming up,

1782
02:13:56,070 --> 02:13:57,430
but we will take...

1783
02:13:58,570 --> 02:14:00,050
Oh, no, we're not done yet.

1784
02:14:00,530 --> 02:14:01,130
We're not done yet.

1785
02:14:01,130 --> 02:14:03,230
Isn't your teacher going to make you stay for the whole thing? There's so much more

1786
02:14:03,230 --> 02:14:05,850
fun happening. I mean, come on.

1787
02:14:06,010 --> 02:14:07,010
We're supposed to get a sign.

1788
02:14:07,250 --> 02:14:10,750
Yeah, you are, but we're not done. We still have more. The meeting isn't over. That

1789
02:14:10,750 --> 02:14:11,170
took forever.

1790
02:14:16,020 --> 02:14:19,020
Doris would never, when Doris was here, she would never sign early. So if you

1791
02:14:19,020 --> 02:14:20,280
You guys want to sign early, it's on you.

1792
02:14:20,660 --> 02:14:21,340
I have a question.

1793
02:14:21,380 --> 02:14:22,120
Of course, it was a teacher.

1794
02:14:22,600 --> 02:14:23,140
It's just on her.

1795
02:14:23,540 --> 02:14:24,020
I don't know.

1796
02:14:24,180 --> 02:14:25,160
I'll sign her to your homework.

1797
02:14:26,140 --> 02:14:28,480
It's kind of not question time, I'm sorry.

1798
02:14:29,760 --> 02:14:31,180
We can answer you after.

1799
02:14:31,980 --> 02:14:32,320
And we will.

1800
02:14:32,780 --> 02:14:33,620
Oh, my goodness.

1801
02:14:34,060 --> 02:14:34,520
All right.

1802
02:14:35,960 --> 02:14:36,320
Wait.

1803
02:14:36,500 --> 02:14:36,660
Oh, yes.

1804
02:14:36,880 --> 02:14:38,780
But seriously, if you need to leave, Nancy will sign.

1805
02:14:38,880 --> 02:14:40,040
Go back to Nancy and the booth.

1806
02:14:42,560 --> 02:14:44,120
Is the board ready to proceed?

1807
02:14:44,660 --> 02:14:44,740
Yes.

1808
02:14:44,920 --> 02:14:45,100
Okay.

1809
02:14:45,520 --> 02:14:46,120
Nobody needs a break.

1810
02:14:46,320 --> 02:14:46,340
Good.

1811
02:14:46,640 --> 02:14:46,920
All right.

1812
02:14:47,860 --> 02:14:53,760
We are now to line item number two, and I hope Rob's still here, there he is.

1813
02:14:54,960 --> 02:14:56,100
Don't know, it's not Rob's yet.

1814
02:14:56,240 --> 02:14:59,980
That's a request from the Administrator of Parks and Recreation to award the bid.

1815
02:15:00,000 --> 02:15:07,500
For sodium hypochlorite, that's pool chemicals, to the low-bitter, surpassed chemical

1816
02:15:07,500 --> 02:15:11,660
company incorporated. May I have a motion and a second, please?

1817
02:15:12,760 --> 02:15:13,540
So moved.

1818
02:15:15,240 --> 02:15:16,040
All in favor?

1819
02:15:16,280 --> 02:15:16,440
Aye.

1820
02:15:18,000 --> 02:15:22,140
Item number three is a request from the fleet manager to authorize the purchase

1821
02:15:22,140 --> 02:15:36,420
of 1,217 Chevy and Palace sedan, 2,217 Chevy Tahoe PPVs for $85,973.93 from the New York

1822
02:15:36,420 --> 02:15:43,940
State vehicle marketplace. You have Brent's memorandum. Brent could not be here tonight,

1823
02:15:44,100 --> 02:15:47,540
but Commander Hornick is here in case you do have questions. May I have a motion

1824
02:15:47,540 --> 02:15:48,280
in the second place?

1825
02:15:48,280 --> 02:15:48,900
So much.

1826
02:15:49,320 --> 02:15:49,700
Second.

1827
02:15:51,340 --> 02:15:52,040
All in favor?

1828
02:15:52,400 --> 02:15:52,580
Aye.

1829
02:15:53,260 --> 02:15:53,460
Okay.

1830
02:15:54,040 --> 02:15:54,560
Anyone oppose?

1831
02:15:54,840 --> 02:15:55,440
The motion carries.

1832
02:15:56,420 --> 02:16:02,440
Item number 4 is a request from the Director of Planning for the Town Board to authorize

1833
02:16:02,440 --> 02:16:09,100
the supervisor to sign a contract with MJ Engineering for open space planning services.

1834
02:16:11,020 --> 02:16:15,020
Rob, could you give a brief overview of what this item is about?

1835
02:16:15,200 --> 02:16:16,120
We talked about the tour.

1836
02:16:16,260 --> 02:16:16,520
Thank you.

1837
02:16:16,760 --> 02:16:17,920
Just because I think Nancy left.

1838
02:16:17,920 --> 02:16:24,000
but could you just address the concerns that she raised as far as what exactly is this going

1839
02:16:24,000 --> 02:16:29,920
to be doing mapping versus targeting lands versus, you know, all of that that keeps coming

1840
02:16:29,920 --> 02:16:30,100
up?

1841
02:16:30,540 --> 02:16:30,920
Sure.

1842
02:16:31,340 --> 02:16:38,020
So just what you have before you is a contract provided by MGA Engineering, which is based

1843
02:16:38,020 --> 02:16:42,480
on my memo that was submitted to you and discussed with you at your November.

1844
02:16:44,640 --> 02:16:45,120
No.

1845
02:16:47,240 --> 02:16:47,640
Is that better?

1846
02:16:50,080 --> 02:16:50,200
Okay.

1847
02:16:50,200 --> 02:16:57,000
Yeah, I think it's on Nancy. Is it on just say something? Hello. Hi Rob.

1848
02:17:00,790 --> 02:17:02,970
Sure. So, okay.

1849
02:17:03,390 --> 02:17:08,990
So what you have before you is a contract from M.D. Engineering, which is really based

1850
02:17:08,990 --> 02:17:13,050
on a memo I submitted to the board and we discussed at a November 9 town board meeting

1851
02:17:13,050 --> 02:17:19,710
with regards to open space planning efforts for the town. These efforts really associate

1852
02:17:19,710 --> 02:17:26,490
with mapping. What we're looking to do is utilize MJ Engineering and the GIS services

1853
02:17:26,490 --> 02:17:31,430
to provide open space mapping services to the town. We'll look at areas of community

1854
02:17:31,430 --> 02:17:37,490
importance from a standpoint of community values, so areas that are valued for water quality,

1855
02:17:37,850 --> 02:17:43,390
so looking at our stream corridors, the Hudson River, areas that are important for farming,

1856
02:17:43,390 --> 02:17:46,390
areas that have, you know, good farmland soil.

1857
02:17:46,950 --> 02:17:56,890
Taking a look at the town from a perspective of what are ways we can look to preserve open space in town with willing landowners.

1858
02:17:57,430 --> 02:18:02,230
But in order to do that, we really need to identify what it is important to us.

1859
02:18:02,530 --> 02:18:04,110
What areas of the community are important to us?

1860
02:18:04,210 --> 02:18:06,550
Is it flood protection along streams?

1861
02:18:06,790 --> 02:18:08,510
Is it preserving water quality?

1862
02:18:08,510 --> 02:18:16,430
Is it maintaining, you know, keeping good farm soils out of development?

1863
02:18:16,690 --> 02:18:22,190
Is it looking at areas to recreate places that we enjoy from a scenic value?

1864
02:18:22,390 --> 02:18:26,010
So we have a lot of data that's out there,

1865
02:18:26,090 --> 02:18:32,190
whether it's data for wetlands and steep slopes and prime farmland soils.

1866
02:18:32,950 --> 02:18:36,430
And past open space services have mapped those.

1867
02:18:36,430 --> 02:18:40,500
but we've never really done an analysis of what it is we as a community are looking to,

1868
02:18:42,030 --> 02:18:44,570
I'll say, recognize as being significant to the town.

1869
02:18:45,150 --> 02:18:49,610
And so it's really taking the past open space efforts one step further

1870
02:18:49,610 --> 02:18:53,410
and looking at these open spaces from a value standpoint.

1871
02:18:53,910 --> 02:18:55,370
And MJ will be able to help us with that.

1872
02:18:56,170 --> 02:18:58,310
We'll have a working group of myself.

1873
02:18:58,770 --> 02:19:03,110
We now have a part-time person who's helping us out with some open space efforts.

1874
02:19:03,110 --> 02:19:09,910
the conservation easement review board has certainly willing to participate in

1875
02:19:09,910 --> 02:19:14,970
efforts to act as an advisory group. And so phase one would really be the mapping

1876
02:19:14,970 --> 02:19:20,210
effort. Phase two is then holding workshops with the community to discuss

1877
02:19:20,210 --> 02:19:24,790
the mapping effort, getting the community feedback, and then finally

1878
02:19:24,790 --> 02:19:29,130
putting together a document that incorporates all the open-space mapping

1879
02:19:29,130 --> 02:19:35,230
efforts and talking about what are the next steps to implement a program.

1880
02:19:35,610 --> 02:19:40,010
We have somewhat of a program now where we have a conservation easement agreement where

1881
02:19:40,010 --> 02:19:44,390
folks can sign up to put a conservation easement on their property.

1882
02:19:45,250 --> 02:19:49,650
Identifying areas in town that are important to us will certainly help the conservation

1883
02:19:49,650 --> 02:19:55,290
board in their decision making on one best to approve or one best to recommend an

1884
02:19:55,290 --> 02:19:56,850
approval for conservation easement.

1885
02:19:56,850 --> 02:20:00,910
And so these open space mapping efforts will be providing guidance to both the Conservation

1886
02:20:00,910 --> 02:20:07,630
Board and the Town Board at a time of financing efforts or funding efforts that may be in

1887
02:20:07,630 --> 02:20:13,050
place to purchase property, purchase easements, or put conservation easements on property,

1888
02:20:13,250 --> 02:20:14,710
all with willing land owners.

1889
02:20:14,850 --> 02:20:19,170
We're not looking to restrict someone from developing their land.

1890
02:20:19,490 --> 02:20:25,510
This is only intended to help inform the Board at times of preserving land with willing

1891
02:20:25,510 --> 02:20:25,970
land owners.

1892
02:20:30,230 --> 02:20:38,090
Yes, Rob, some people have voiced some concerns to me, mostly with large landowners, which

1893
02:20:38,090 --> 02:20:43,530
I happen to be one of them, but I don't think they want to see, and I don't think we're

1894
02:20:43,530 --> 02:20:48,670
going there, but they don't want to see, like, a map identifying their farm or their

1895
02:20:48,670 --> 02:20:57,130
property or something as being, say, a target of wanting to keep this as open space,

1896
02:20:57,890 --> 02:21:01,850
because maybe in the future their family may want to sell a property or something

1897
02:21:01,850 --> 02:21:06,250
like that, and that would, you know, put shed poor light on that.

1898
02:21:06,690 --> 02:21:14,030
And actually the irony on that, Giles, is that a lot of land trusts don't like to

1899
02:21:14,030 --> 02:21:19,110
show the areas where they want to protect because they're afraid that it will

1900
02:21:19,110 --> 02:21:21,950
create a bidding war and drive up the value of a property.

1901
02:21:22,550 --> 02:21:22,770
Yes.

1902
02:21:22,830 --> 02:21:25,330
If you've got multiple people that are interested in a property that doesn't

1903
02:21:25,330 --> 02:21:28,510
to depress the value of a property, it tends to increase the market value.

1904
02:21:29,330 --> 02:21:33,350
Kennedy, I could see that, absolutely. But, sorry, excited to talk to you.

1905
02:21:33,350 --> 02:21:35,970
Sotomayor, but it might make them feel targeted before they're ready, like they're

1906
02:21:35,970 --> 02:21:38,510
not thinking about it, this is their family land, and all of a sudden now it's

1907
02:21:38,510 --> 02:21:42,450
labeled, ooh, good land, and then that's scary, because they don't want, you

1908
02:21:42,450 --> 02:21:44,330
know, it's, again, sort of like, unknown that.

1909
02:21:44,830 --> 02:21:50,130
Kennedy, they're concerned as long as we get, put those concerns and consider

1910
02:21:50,130 --> 02:21:55,050
them when we start mapping this stuff out or whatever.

1911
02:21:55,050 --> 02:21:59,810
Right, I think one way to address that concern is to avoid putting property lines on any

1912
02:21:59,810 --> 02:22:00,450
maps that are made.

1913
02:22:00,650 --> 02:22:02,230
That can be, you know...

1914
02:22:02,230 --> 02:22:03,130
Yeah, I can see that.

1915
02:22:03,170 --> 02:22:04,210
That can be a good idea.

1916
02:22:04,710 --> 02:22:09,890
But, you know, past open space efforts have gone back to 2008 and maybe even beyond.

1917
02:22:10,410 --> 02:22:13,590
We do have maps that are out there on the town website, as it was mentioned earlier,

1918
02:22:14,090 --> 02:22:16,930
that identify lands that are currently under agricultural use.

1919
02:22:17,610 --> 02:22:22,190
It's under a tidal report cover that says report on open space needs and opportunities.

1920
02:22:22,190 --> 02:22:28,750
I mean, I've been with the town for 10 years, I have not seen any result in someone being

1921
02:22:28,750 --> 02:22:33,190
denied the ability to develop their property based on using maps that are out there now.

1922
02:22:33,590 --> 02:22:38,510
And I certainly don't see a change in that dynamic as we move forward with this effort.

1923
02:22:40,550 --> 02:22:46,430
One of the other things that I think Nancy Neff raised that I wanted, she kind of took

1924
02:22:46,430 --> 02:22:50,470
the view that well, a consultant was hired to come up with a comprehensive plan.

1925
02:22:50,670 --> 02:22:51,130
That's true.

1926
02:22:51,130 --> 02:22:54,550
that's normal and other plans were done with the consultants and here we're

1927
02:22:54,550 --> 02:22:59,570
looking at a consultant for mapping but it is never the consultant's plan it's

1928
02:22:59,570 --> 02:23:04,170
the town plan nothing happens without the town board adopting it the whole

1929
02:23:05,050 --> 02:23:10,070
process would be guided by public input back and forth both through the local

1930
02:23:10,070 --> 02:23:13,270
waterfront revitalization plan the group we have and all the public

1931
02:23:13,270 --> 02:23:17,430
engagement for that and anything else that we would add to that to design

1932
02:23:17,430 --> 02:23:20,350
an open space plan for the whole town.

1933
02:23:20,490 --> 02:23:22,470
It would be something the board and the town does,

1934
02:23:22,790 --> 02:23:24,210
not that the consultant does.

1935
02:23:24,390 --> 02:23:26,330
So saying that, you know, you're using a consultant

1936
02:23:26,330 --> 02:23:28,150
means it isn't really correct.

1937
02:23:28,310 --> 02:23:30,390
And in this case, we are getting,

1938
02:23:31,110 --> 02:23:32,170
I don't want to go too far,

1939
02:23:32,210 --> 02:23:33,850
but it seems a rather good value.

1940
02:23:33,930 --> 02:23:37,310
It's less than we were expecting to pay

1941
02:23:37,310 --> 02:23:40,230
for something that we've not been able to come to ourselves.

1942
02:23:40,370 --> 02:23:43,550
We have one GIS person who was kind of taken up

1943
02:23:43,550 --> 02:23:46,550
for the county E911 project,

1944
02:23:46,550 --> 02:23:50,670
project and is now involved with other projects. And meanwhile, while he's been doing

1945
02:23:50,670 --> 02:23:55,610
that, everyone else has been waiting. So there's a lineup from engineering and for

1946
02:23:55,610 --> 02:24:00,730
other tasks. And using this resource that has great experience in this area will

1947
02:24:00,730 --> 02:24:05,170
really help us move forward a lot more quickly. So it's a matter of efficiency

1948
02:24:05,170 --> 02:24:09,510
for the town. The funds would come from our local government efficiency

1949
02:24:09,510 --> 02:24:13,310
fund. So it's not that we're, you know, raising taxes. This is all from the

1950
02:24:13,310 --> 02:24:19,530
reward money that we got several years ago, and I see it as a very effective way to advance

1951
02:24:20,570 --> 02:24:25,630
to the next steps of open space planning. But I did want to address that. I'm looking

1952
02:24:25,630 --> 02:24:28,470
at my notes. Is there anything else we left out that Nancy had raised?

1953
02:24:28,730 --> 02:24:35,430
Actually, Rob, I have one question for you. And this builds on a point that Ms.

1954
02:24:35,430 --> 02:24:45,090
and that is the town and the Hudson Valley are littered with plans that were finished

1955
02:24:45,090 --> 02:24:53,990
and forgotten. And when I read the contract, I don't, it's unclear exactly what the final

1956
02:24:53,990 --> 02:25:00,950
product will be from the consultant. And so my question to you is how are we going

1957
02:25:00,950 --> 02:25:07,590
to ensure that the plan that we develop with these funds and through this process will result

1958
02:25:07,590 --> 02:25:15,930
in a product that actually helps us make decisions in the town, as opposed to sitting on a shelf

1959
02:25:15,930 --> 02:25:16,470
forgotten.

1960
02:25:16,990 --> 02:25:24,070
Well, when you look at the final task of phase two, it talks about incorporating all the

1961
02:25:24,070 --> 02:25:27,770
activity from the previous phases, which includes the open space mapping, the public

1962
02:25:27,770 --> 02:25:32,470
work-stop efforts, inculminating that into an implementation strategy of how we're going

1963
02:25:32,470 --> 02:25:34,570
to implement this open-space preservation effort we have.

1964
02:25:34,990 --> 02:25:40,890
And so I expect that we'll take a look at what ways can the conservation easement board

1965
02:25:40,890 --> 02:25:48,410
can be engaged to help the open-space efforts, whether it's more advertisement of the conservation

1966
02:25:48,410 --> 02:25:54,270
easement program and that maybe these lands that are on the preservation map are eligible

1967
02:25:54,270 --> 02:25:59,070
for a conservation easement, but it's identifying funding sources, maybe the town board would

1968
02:25:59,070 --> 02:26:04,990
be encouraged to take a look at funding sources to purchase conservation easements with willing

1969
02:26:04,990 --> 02:26:06,990
landowners, purchase land with willing landowners.

1970
02:26:07,490 --> 02:26:11,630
But we'll have an implementation plan in that final document that gives us next steps

1971
02:26:11,630 --> 02:26:13,770
on how to move forward.

1972
02:26:15,290 --> 02:26:16,650
That's the initial thought.

1973
02:26:16,890 --> 02:26:21,750
It certainly is flexible as we move forward with the project.

1974
02:26:21,750 --> 02:26:28,530
You know, I think the benefit of not using a grant from a state agency or an agency that

1975
02:26:28,530 --> 02:26:32,210
has a scripted process, you've got to follow this step, and then once you're done with

1976
02:26:32,210 --> 02:26:37,730
that step, you've got to follow this step, we can be flexible in our process as we

1977
02:26:37,730 --> 02:26:38,210
go forward.

1978
02:26:38,290 --> 02:26:41,890
So as we hear things from the public at the public workshops, the direction that

1979
02:26:41,890 --> 02:26:44,470
I'm telling you now about the final product may change.

1980
02:26:44,670 --> 02:26:46,810
And that's in response to what we hear from the public.

1981
02:26:46,950 --> 02:26:51,630
So while there is some vagueness in the contract, I think it's a bit of a benefit

1982
02:26:51,630 --> 02:26:55,050
fit to be flexible as we go forward and get into the process with the public?

1983
02:26:55,490 --> 02:27:02,490
I agree, especially as it allows us to be more receptive to input from the community,

1984
02:27:02,550 --> 02:27:07,450
which I think is going to be key. And as you know from listening to me talk about

1985
02:27:07,450 --> 02:27:11,650
open space for the last decade, this is a process I'd very much like to be involved

1986
02:27:11,650 --> 02:27:13,650
with if that would be possible.

1987
02:27:14,390 --> 02:27:14,810
Absolutely.

1988
02:27:15,330 --> 02:27:15,550
Thank you.

1989
02:27:16,310 --> 02:27:21,550
I would say, actually, we're making steady progress. I wouldn't say the plans are

1990
02:27:21,550 --> 02:27:25,310
sitting on a shelf. A lot of what was done and packed for that group didn't come to

1991
02:27:25,310 --> 02:27:30,050
consensus about, you know, ultimately what we would do. A lot of that work led to

1992
02:27:30,050 --> 02:27:34,390
other work. We now are one of three-shown statewide with a conservation easement

1993
02:27:34,390 --> 02:27:41,350
program. We're proceeding with an open space mapping initiative that I don't know

1994
02:27:41,350 --> 02:27:44,530
that any of our other surrounding communities even have that. I mean,

1995
02:27:44,530 --> 02:27:49,310
in the immediate area. And so I think we get to an accept. Ultimately, it will come

1996
02:27:49,310 --> 02:27:54,930
to us, and there are some hard decisions out there. We had a tremendous amount of people

1997
02:27:54,930 --> 02:27:58,770
on one item today, but there have been big crowds for open space, too, in sharply

1998
02:27:58,770 --> 02:28:03,330
divided opinions. So we're proceeding to a point where the town board will be in

1999
02:28:03,330 --> 02:28:08,030
a place to make a decision after a lot of public input, and I see that as very

2000
02:28:08,030 --> 02:28:08,490
positive.

2001
02:28:11,700 --> 02:28:14,660
What is the action we're taking tonight, Rob?

2002
02:28:14,660 --> 02:28:19,800
This would, the action would be for the Board to authorize the supervisor to sign

2003
02:28:19,800 --> 02:28:23,700
the agreement, sign the contract with MJ Engineering for the open-space planning

2004
02:28:23,700 --> 02:28:24,060
services.

2005
02:28:24,460 --> 02:28:30,500
And did the supervisor properly read that motion and was it, I don't think I did.

2006
02:28:30,660 --> 02:28:32,160
I feel like you just called Rob up.

2007
02:28:32,380 --> 02:28:32,460
I did.

2008
02:28:32,520 --> 02:28:33,660
Yeah, I don't think I did.

2009
02:28:35,620 --> 02:28:36,060
So,

2010
02:28:38,110 --> 02:28:40,190
yeah, let's see, where is my agenda?

2011
02:28:40,610 --> 02:28:41,430
Can I, I'll read it.

2012
02:28:41,730 --> 02:28:42,810
Yeah, well, great.

2013
02:28:42,810 --> 02:28:47,170
So request from Director of Planning for Town Board to authorize the supervisor

2014
02:28:47,170 --> 02:28:51,270
to sign a contract with MJ Engineering for Open Space Planning Services.

2015
02:28:52,390 --> 02:28:52,910
So, Ms.

2016
02:28:54,410 --> 02:28:55,310
All in favor?

2017
02:28:55,710 --> 02:28:56,330
All in favor?

2018
02:28:58,780 --> 02:29:00,400
We're now to new business.

2019
02:29:00,600 --> 02:29:02,040
I've located my agenda.

2020
02:29:04,340 --> 02:29:11,180
And given the time, I'm loath to bring it up, new business, but I'm going to mention

2021
02:29:11,180 --> 02:29:14,360
a couple things that we'll be doing at the next meeting in February.

2022
02:29:14,360 --> 02:29:21,060
We'll have a report out on overtime for the town generally and also BPD specifically.

2023
02:29:21,760 --> 02:29:24,100
We'll be doing 2016 transfers.

2024
02:29:24,340 --> 02:29:27,260
That's the year ending transfers for 2016.

2025
02:29:28,400 --> 02:29:32,560
We will have a report out on a contract on a sewer odor consultant.

2026
02:29:33,000 --> 02:29:39,020
And that's important work because we want to make our sewers work as well as they possibly can.

2027
02:29:39,020 --> 02:29:45,460
plan. And we'll have a capital bonding presentation. There are a number of items that we've been

2028
02:29:45,460 --> 02:29:50,040
working on for some time. They're in the capital plan. They're not new, but we get to the stage

2029
02:29:50,040 --> 02:29:57,120
of bonding. So make that sort of announcement. And I also wanted to complete something we

2030
02:29:57,120 --> 02:29:59,840
raised at the last meeting, which was the governor's local

2031
02:30:00,000 --> 02:30:06,180
Local government efficiency proposal. I have since then located the budget language

2032
02:30:06,180 --> 02:30:10,020
which specifies the program, and it's not much more than you would read in the one paragraph

2033
02:30:10,020 --> 02:30:15,160
that describes it. The county executive, in our case, is expected to come up in consultation

2034
02:30:15,160 --> 02:30:23,640
with mayors and supervisors with a plan for efficiency, and that plan will go to the

2035
02:30:24,420 --> 02:30:29,280
the county legislature, which will work on it and put it before the voters for a vote.

2036
02:30:30,380 --> 02:30:36,280
And if the voters turn it down, then it will come back to the county executive for reconfiguring.

2037
02:30:37,460 --> 02:30:41,780
And the last time I was fairly positive about, you know, if you're supporting the general

2038
02:30:41,780 --> 02:30:44,860
direction that we ought to look at efficiencies, which I think we all are.

2039
02:30:45,040 --> 02:30:47,880
We ought to keep an open mind with regard to what might be there.

2040
02:30:48,600 --> 02:30:54,140
Now that I've seen the Article 7, that's the budget legislation, which really doesn't

2041
02:30:54,140 --> 02:31:01,340
add any greater clarity than what I just told you, I must say my open mind, and this

2042
02:31:01,340 --> 02:31:04,080
is dimmed a little bit because it's hard to see how this would work.

2043
02:31:04,160 --> 02:31:07,920
We have had meetings at the county level to try and reach efficiencies.

2044
02:31:08,140 --> 02:31:10,120
We've even had the potential of aid together.

2045
02:31:10,260 --> 02:31:13,700
But without some real push from that level, I don't think it will happen.

2046
02:31:13,700 --> 02:31:19,540
And I think the program would work much better if New York State really had some

2047
02:31:19,540 --> 02:31:24,200
skin and some effort in the game, if you would, if the State was out there helping

2048
02:31:24,880 --> 02:31:29,780
municipalities and counties and towns look at ways to save money and helping us get

2049
02:31:29,780 --> 02:31:35,860
there. That said, I will go to the meeting on Valentine's Day. It's a lovely

2050
02:31:35,860 --> 02:31:41,360
way to spend it. And I will report back on how it goes. But it doesn't appear

2051
02:31:41,360 --> 02:31:44,480
that there's a substantial program developed in legislation.

2052
02:31:46,020 --> 02:31:50,760
I'll await Jim's review, but I'm still not sure it's technically legal because, you know,

2053
02:31:50,840 --> 02:31:54,940
but it's an amendment to the home rule law, so maybe it is, but, you know.

2054
02:31:57,360 --> 02:31:58,160
You're right, Johnny.

2055
02:31:58,320 --> 02:32:01,720
Basically, the county executive has developed a plan.

2056
02:32:01,900 --> 02:32:03,320
It goes to the county legislature.

2057
02:32:03,540 --> 02:32:06,620
If the county legislature approves it, it goes to the county voters.

2058
02:32:06,620 --> 02:32:14,060
If they disapprove it, it goes back to the county executive, then back to the county

2059
02:32:14,060 --> 02:32:20,720
legislature, and then it's considered in 2018, and then if it's not adopted then, then presumably

2060
02:32:20,720 --> 02:32:21,280
it dies.

2061
02:32:22,340 --> 02:32:31,480
If the plan provides for, for example, the elimination of any elective offices, which

2062
02:32:31,480 --> 02:32:38,280
it could, then you have to follow the procedures of the State Constitution, Article

2063
02:32:38,280 --> 02:32:44,020
9, Section 3, which I was just trying to read furiously as we were going through

2064
02:32:44,020 --> 02:32:45,480
this, because I just got the law.

2065
02:32:45,780 --> 02:32:47,960
I haven't had an opportunity to take a look at that yet.

2066
02:32:48,380 --> 02:32:54,580
Well, any one thinks of what the county legislature would have the power to compel

2067
02:32:54,580 --> 02:32:57,000
and isn't really very much of all.

2068
02:32:57,120 --> 02:33:00,460
If, for example, you went to eliminating elective officials, but let's

2069
02:33:00,460 --> 02:33:04,600
pick something more pedestrian. Let's say they decided we should consolidate

2070
02:33:04,600 --> 02:33:09,040
police forces. They don't have the power to require that, as far as I know.

2071
02:33:09,580 --> 02:33:09,600
Kennedy, Jr.

2072
02:33:10,140 --> 02:33:15,200
That's one thing I'll have to look at in this, because this does have language

2073
02:33:15,200 --> 02:33:19,580
at the beginning of it talking about, you know, notwithstanding other laws.

2074
02:33:20,180 --> 02:33:25,020
So this seems to be, the intention here seems to be to draft a superseding

2075
02:33:25,020 --> 02:33:29,480
law, but the devil's in the details. And, you know, I just looked at this

2076
02:33:29,480 --> 02:33:33,200
and haven't had an opportunity to review that, but that would be a potential concern.

2077
02:33:33,660 --> 02:33:36,420
And it's not, by the way, that I think that's a likely outcome.

2078
02:33:36,520 --> 02:33:40,940
But even the most pedestrian things which won't save us much money like getting together

2079
02:33:40,940 --> 02:33:45,440
on purchasing, which we'd like to do, and then we have some examples of big savings,

2080
02:33:45,880 --> 02:33:49,300
I still don't see those as being within the purview of being required.

2081
02:33:49,840 --> 02:33:53,940
And for these things to work, you have to get consensus from the group of municipalities.

2082
02:33:54,080 --> 02:33:59,060
And usually you have to offer them a win-win for a town or a city or village

2083
02:33:59,060 --> 02:34:06,440
to give up something, you want to get it cheaper, better, working better. And without that happening,

2084
02:34:06,840 --> 02:34:11,720
they usually don't go very far, very fast. Moreover, the time that's been allocated

2085
02:34:11,720 --> 02:34:16,920
to this, given what I've seen in other efforts, just simply isn't enough. This group won't

2086
02:34:16,920 --> 02:34:21,060
be getting together until the spring, and it's supposed to have something together

2087
02:34:21,060 --> 02:34:26,900
by, I think, July 30th. I just don't see that happen, you know, in any level

2088
02:34:26,900 --> 02:34:31,540
detail. But we will go to the process, our report back. We'll keep trying. There are some

2089
02:34:31,540 --> 02:34:36,200
old ideas that have been around that might be picked up and dusted off. And we'll see

2090
02:34:36,200 --> 02:34:39,420
also if the legislature adopts it. We don't know if that's going to happen.

2091
02:34:40,640 --> 02:34:46,120
So that's my report back. And looking at both sides of the table now, I think I'm

2092
02:34:46,120 --> 02:34:49,180
ready to, and we all are, to entertain a motion to adjourn.

2093
02:34:51,000 --> 02:34:51,880
So moved.

2094
02:34:52,600 --> 02:34:53,040
Second.

2095
02:34:53,500 --> 02:34:54,300
All in favor?

2096
02:34:55,300 --> 02:34:55,560
Aye.

2097
02:34:55,900 --> 02:34:56,100
Aye.

2098
02:34:56,860 --> 02:34:58,620
You can come up here and talk to us afterward.

2099
02:34:59,800 --> 02:35:01,720
Thank you very much all for coming tonight.