Finance Committee — 02/16/2022 Page 8
MOTION CARRIED
GENERAL DISCUSSION
Alderman Klee
Thank you Mr. Mayor. Yesterday | believe Alderman Comeau had asked about the Records of Expenditure and signing
the document that we all sign. | had suggested that | believe when we get the Record of Expenditures there’s a sheet on
the back that he could sign that and then just bring that in. | just want to make sure that | was accurate when | told him
that and the same would apply to Alderman Moran.
Mayor Donchess
Okay, yeah. | think that’s correct and | do have it here for those that are present.
Alderman Klee
Thank you very much.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Laurie Ortolano
Laurie Ortolano, 41 Berkeley Street. I’d like to talk to you a little bit tonight about the barriers and the barrier issue. I’m
really disappointed to learn and today | learned there was a public meeting of the Downtown Improvement Committee
January 14" that was never posted. | would say legally such that the public knew the meeting took place. It was a 90
minute meeting. The bulk of the discussion was about the placement of the barriers. On January 12*, | sent an e-mail to
Alderman O’Brien and Tim Cummings requesting any information on this committee, any committee meetings that were
going to happen. The Right to Know was actually ignored. | never got a response on the 12".
This is my file that | put together today that has about six e-mails that were sent to Alderman O’Brien and Cummings
trying to find out when meetings were going to happen, how the committee was being set up, and how | could participate
or Know about it. | got stonewalled for two months. | learned through a back door that there was never going to be a
committee picked as said in the public meeting on December 8" that the stakeholders — and | have confirmation of this
through e-mails — was going to be just a downtown committee of stakeholders. Well | realize now that that committee is
the Downtown Improvement Committee. It was never directly said. Tim Cummings was meeting with them for two
months to go over developing the plan and getting input from them. | can tell you if the public had known, there would
have been 25 people out there. | know there would have been. The best place for the public to have their input is in
these smaller subcommittee meetings. They're much more productive that coming to a board meeting.
| received the most offensive e-mail last night from Tim Cummings telling me that | didn’t miss anything. | shouldn't be
concerned that those two meeting weren't really posted because you'll have all the opportunity you need when it goes to
the board. You know what, that’s the normal process. The normal process is that I’m allowed to attend all public
meetings that are public meetings. You don’t get to pick what meetings | get to go to. At any time the Board of Aldermen
can cancel public comment. They’ve done it before. The Board of Aldermen doesn't answer questions.
I’ve got a drawing in front of me now that | actually have questions about. If | had gone to those two committee meetings,
| could have asked questions. When this come up...
Alderman Gouveia
30 seconds
Laurie Ortolano
...| can’t ask questions. Today | went over to City Hall to try and get the records for the minutes for the Downtown
Improvement. | was treated so hostile by Tim Cummings | was floored. | waited 45 minutes outside this office at that
table just left a message when he was done his meeting that | wanted to talk to him. He literally ran down the stairs,
yelled at me that | didn’t have an appointment and refused to answer if the minutes were in his office.
