Board of Aldermen 02-22-2022 Page 14
help a Chair that was not here. Through the meeting, it was cumbersome. | don't think it was as productive as it would
have been if the Chair had been here. The Vice-Chair was at the meeting and | really think the Vice Chair is the person
who should have sat in at that meeting and not me kind of coaching, and helping, and so on. | am not for this type of
thing. Truthfully, I’d like to see Zoom gone but, you know, that's just my opinion. The bottom line is, | think the Chairs
have got to be here to conduct the meeting. | think someone referred to them as being, you know, the leader of an
orchestra. They don't see what's happening in the audience. They don't see what's happening in the horseshoe and it's a
detriment. So | believe the Chair at a minimum has to be here. So thank you very much.
Alderman Lopez
Yeah, | just wanted to comment on the public comment made earlier. | want to apologize to Miss Hogan regarding her e-
mail. Her e-mail has a username which looked like a random collection of letters at first glance but in reviewing it, | realize
it's actually an anagram of her name. When | had seen it go by, it looked like it was one username and then a different
person signing it which can look like it might be a hack. So | erroneously concluded that | shouldn't answer it and would
just wait for more. | appreciate her coming in person in order to make sure that she put her face to her name.
| agreed that that's why if you're chairing a meeting, it's important to be in person in the chamber managing it. | think
there's going to be situations that will happen here in the chamber that a Chair really needs to be able to take note of and
be able to respond to where having that limited by the technical capabilities of any teleconferencing software is
problematic. Cameras not necessarily pointing in the right direction. You're not getting the whole sense of what's going
on. It is challenging enough to Chair a meeting and have Zoom as well. Doing it the other way around, | understand
Alderman Klee struggled with that. She did not struggle with regular clerking the other night. So | think it's just a
testament that some things are times better spent focusing on who's in the room with us not necessarily trying to Chair a
meeting.
Alderman Comeau
| requested a roll call vote please.
President Wilshire
Yes. Further discussion on the motion?
Alderman Jette
| just want to clarify something. | was confused by Alderman Comeau said that he attended the meeting and there was
substantial support for this. Did you really mean to say “support”? This ordinance is proposing that a member who was
not here was participating by Zoom can Chair the meeting? Are you in support of that?
Alderman Comeau
Thank you for the correction. Alderman Jette is correct. | meant opposition to the ordinance. Thank you.
Alderman Jette
Okay.
Alderman Lopez
If | might clarify in the committee, there was overwhelming objection by the members in the room, | guess, present but the
committee members themselves supported a recommendation for final passage.
Alderman Jette
If | could clarify. | watched the meeting and | understood that there were three members of the committee there. One of
the members of the committee said that he was voting in favor of it because he thought the full Board should have an
opportunity to vote, but also said that he would probably vote against it. | think he was under the impression that the
committee had to vote in favor of it in order for it to come before us. But actually if the committee had voted against it, it
still would have come before us. So | just want to clarify that although the committee vote was in favor, it is kind of
questionable whether — and the Alderman in question can speak for himself.
