Graham, Donna
as
From: Laurie Ortoiano
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2022 6:42 AM
To: Graham, Donna
Cc: Kleiner, Kimberly; Legal Dept; Board of Aldermen; Laura Colquhoun; Mayors Office Email
Subject: Last nights table and chairs debacle - Could you make this part of the next board
packet.
CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is
unknown.
Ms. Graham,
I am a big fan of yours but I was disappointed in the petty behavior exhibited last night
to set the chamber up such that an unused working table was marked "reserved" for no
apparent reason other than to prevent members of the public who actively attend and
participate in their government from accessing a working space and comfortable seating.
The three chairs at the Mayor's table were removed from the public table outside his
office sometime late in the day, I believe solely for the purpose of preventing citizens
from accessing more comfortable seating. A citizen sat in one of those chairs at 4 pm
yesterday and spoke with the Mayor's assistant, who was sitting in another chair. Three
hours later, the chairs which had been there for other meetings were gone. And the
working table was pushed to the wall to be unusable.
For a little history, there were always two chairs at the table for the press. When I
started using those chairs for a while, city leaders removed the chairs. In fact, when I
questioned a custodian about the chairs, they said Kleiner had the chairs removed.
Petty.
When I came to the meeting and saw what looked like a petty move, I strolled down to
Ms. Kleiner's office and asked her about this new arrangement. She said it was a Board
of Alderman decision. Did you Alderman know about this?
When I went back into the Chamber, you were engaged in a private discussion
with Attorney Bolton, and Lori Wilshire was entering the horseshoe, and Karen Bill, Paula
Johnson and I questioned Ms. Wilshire on the change. Ms. Wilshire pointed the finger to
you and said it was your handywork. Ms. Wilshire expounded it was a press table and
that is the way it has been for 20 years. Well, if there is no press coming, can it be a
citizens table? Obviously, you didn't expect the press to be present, because the chairs
are gone. Does it really ruin your night to see citizens using that unused table in a
productive manner and for a higher degree of comfort?
The seating for the public is incredibly uncomfortable. A hard pew, with no cushioning.
Last evening, three people got up repeatedly to move around because 4 hours on a
hard pew can be painful. To be perfectly clear, four hours watching this board is
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