Board of Aldermen 08-09-2022 Page 17
people use on Zoom. A lot of them are also seniors. They don't have Zoom. They don't even want to know about Zoom.
What they tell me is could you fix my phone? | want to be able to call my daughter. How do you do this? How do you do
that? Can you take a picture? Other than that, that's the older population in my group. They’re just not on Zoom. I'ma
baby boomer and we’re just not that savvy. A lot of us are but most of us are not. But my constituents, which the city, a
lot of are not on Zoom so I'm gonna support this legislation.
President Wilshire
Thank you.
Alderman Caron
Thank you. As the new kid on the block, | just want to say that | think six months ago | said we should stop Zoom
because it was time to get people back into the room so that we can see them, listen to them. | think we need even more
so because as we talk about the comments that are made, | have been listening for the last six months on - | watch it on
TV - and when | hear some of these comments and in the way people are very nasty and rude, that's sad because we
can't shut them off. Here at least we can stop them from talking, escort them out of the building. | don't care. | support
eliminating Zoom. If we want to take it up and talk about it as Alderman Jette said, how can we fix it? How can we get IT
to figure out things that we can do as Alderman Dowd said? Delete people, take them off, don't allow them back on if they
continue with their rantings and ravings.
But | think we need to get people here. We're not taking the right of public comment before or after a meeting. | watched
Board of Ed and you're right, it's a lot of people that go there. If you have big cities like Manchester and Concord and
those people that do not do Zoom, then we're not taking away anybody's rights. It was there. It was a need for the last
two years but it's not a need now. | think we need to eliminate it and then if we want to have a discussion in one of the
committees, how can we fix it and what's the cost as Alderman Thibeault said, then we can have another discussion and
look how to do it. | know for myself and Alderman Dowd came in that the Aldermen that were sitting in these seats both
got ill and they will give him permission to make phone calls. | don't have a problem with that. | think that should be on a
case by case basis. So | will be voting to eliminate this. Thank you.
Alderman Dowd
Would you ask Corporation Counsel since there's only 13 members present does seven votes carry?
Steve Bolton, Corporate Counsel
Yes.
Alderman Dowd
Thank you.
Alderman Moran
Point of order. If the Board's will is to support this would it go intersect at tonight's meeting? Meaning tonight's public
comment at the end? Would that only be allowed for the people in the in the room. Maybe through you to Corporation
Counsel.
President Wilshire
| mean if it passes, we're going to finish the evening.
Alderman Sullivan
Thank you, Madam President. Could you please just clarify the motion so | understand if | vote yes then what I’m voting
for and if | vote no, then what I’m voting for.
Alderwoman Kelly
| would like to request a roll call vote.
