Board of Aldermen 02-22-2022 Page 31
a disability don't have to walk around and show our letter anymore to say I've got a disability and | can't wear a mask under
number six of the ordinance and a mandate is not law. If you would like me to read it, | just looked it up in my phone.
Mandates are not laws. So I'd like to say thank you.
The other thing I'd like to say is that for $5 million, you don't debate anything like this. You just spend $5 million like that but
on amask we debate. You were killing the horse. You're beating the horse to death basically but that's not what | want to
talk about here right now.
Back in March - excuse me, December 17, 2021 and December 28, 2021, Alderman Wilshire you got a letter from Sue
Lovering, City Clerk, talking about three aldermen, and | know one of them was sick, missed three regular meetings. They
have to pay back their stipend. And what happened was on Alderman Kelly, there was a motion to table. Now if you
remember Alderman Wilshire when we were on the Board together, we had an Alderman that didn't show up most of the
time and we wrote that. | wrote that ordinance and its NRO 5-6. It basically says if in any quarter, and then it got amended
later on, if in any quarter any member of the Board of Aldermen is recorded absent at three or more regular meetings of the
Board, the City Clerk shall transmit a communication stating to the fact that the Board of Aldermen and the stipend for that
quarter shall be withheld. That did not happen. So | don't care. They don’t have to repay back the money. | mean other
than former Alderman Laws was out May 12, May 26, and June 3. | understand former Alderman Skip Cleaver was ill.
That was accepted and then Alderman Kelly was out three times. This basically states that you can't be out in a quarter.
Good cause shall include - because | wrote this with...
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
30 seconds
Paula Johnson
...Attorney Clarke on this whole thing and | think Ms. Graham you were up in the office at that time that for maternity, health,
and other things adoption. So | am as a public citizen, and also elected, and if | was out, | would have to give back my
money. Whatever the stipend was for that time period, we need to get it back or Alderman Kelly doesn't get her stipend
check. Enough, is enough, is enough here.
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
Time.
Paula Johnson
| mean and it shouldn't be. It should not be like this ever.
President Wilshire
Your time is up Mrs. Johnson.
Paula Johnson
Excuse me? A freudian slip there.
President Wilshire
Yeah.
Paula Johnson
| still retain the title if | want to and “honorable” | guess and “Representative” because | went up the scale like that. Some
people might not like it, but it is what it is.
President Wilshire
Okay. We need to get on to the next.
