Board of Aldermen 3-10-2020 Page 26
Attorney Bolton
| mean | may have missed it, but apparently Alderman Lopez believes that the President didn’t say words to
the effect of “unless there’s any objection the rules will be suspended”. | thought that’s what she said, at
least I’m pretty sure that’s what she meant to say. What would have been proper, whether she said that or
not, if someone did not want the rules to be suspended, someone of the members of the Board to at that
point, say, “point of order, | would like us to vote on the suspension of the rules”. No one did that then. If
you don’t speak up timely, you have acquiesced and that acquiescence is the equivalent of a unanimous
vote to go along with what the President is proposing. So that happened. Meanwhile, the second reading
occurred and then a motion for final passage was made. That’s where you are now to go back a couple
steps now to when the rules were suspended, as | say rightly or wrongly at the time, you’ve got to raise it
immediately, you can’t raise it a couple steps down the road.
Alderman Lopez
Point of order at the risk of interrupting, | did say “objection” and that was my purpose. If | used the wrong
phrase and it wasn’t clear to the President what | was trying to do then | apologize but | was literally trying
to say we should object to just having the rules suspended without actually having a vote on it.
Attorney Bolton
These things happen and | am sure the President will be more careful and more aware in the future.
President Wilshire
Absolutely.
Attorney Bolton
But if you are trying to follow the rules, what’s before you right now is the motion for final passage of this
Resolution.
Alderman Lopez
And if | might interrupt one more time | would just, | was trying not to interrupt so that’s why | didn’t push it
any harder. | should have probably better terminology.
Alderwoman Lu
My recollection was simply that Alderman Lopez asked and noted at that point the motion was made or
after that point the motion was made so it doesn’t seem to me that the motion had been made yet when the
objection had come up.
Attorney Bolton
My recollection is the second reading had occurred before either Alderman Lopez or Alderman Jette
indicated any objection. Now that may be wrong, but! don’t really think it matters at this point.
Alderman Dowd
Relative to what we are doing, relative to this Ordinance, it was explained in detail by the Mayor at the
beginning of the meeting on this particular Ordinance. So when this came up, it should have been
anticipated what we were going to do.
