Special Board of Aldermen 07-25-2022 Page 6
like here and not to say that's a bad thing. People are friends, it's fine but I'm worried that some things might be stalled
out in that type of environment. What's your thoughts on that?
June M. Caron
Well | think everything is everything is different. Everything is new. When you come into this circle or wherever you are
— committees. | mean | sit on the Board of Directors for the Senior Center for a long time and there was a lot of very
different issues that came up and trying to work through it. The thing is you don't have to like everything someone puts
out there. Your job is to try to - | don't care what political party you are, | don't care where you come from. The point of
you being here is to do the right thing for your community. It's not about what this group wants or that. It's what you
think you feel is right for the community. You try to persuade others within the circle to follow what you're doing but if
they don't, you don't lash out at them because they've made that decision based on how they feel. | think that's why |
have gotten elected. | didn't always agree. People would say you sit quietly by but when you talk, you try to explain
yourself. I've always tried to be very careful of what is said, that's why | stay off social media because | feel that you get
wrapped up in that and you can find yourself in a place you don't really want to be.
So my feeling is that | have seen over the years that people disagree and then they get into angry arguments and then
they don't speak to each other. That's not how you should be. You have to work together. You have to compromise.
You may win today, you may lose the next three after that, but the point is you've made your point across and you've
made people understand why you do. I've always told the people in the neighborhood, | can only do what | can do. In
the final analysis, my opinion is based on what | think is right for the city. | was not a big proponent of the Performing
Arts Center but we came to a compromise former Alderman when we said that. We wanted the private sector to come
up with $4 million to show that the community was in on this adventure. Didn't really work out that way and | wasn't too
happy about it but it proceeded. When something else came up and they said it was part of the performing, no this
wasn't but | didn't get angry at the other people who decided to, you know, keep pushing in. That was your opinion and
that's okay because then what’s evident, most people didn't want the performing arts center. | said if we can do it and
do it right, let's do it but we also have to make sure that the private sector - the community were gonna buy in on it.
That's an analogy that has stuck with me because this particular Alderman and | we didn't get along. We came from
two different but he always came to me to ask questions and | asked him questions. We didn't always agree but we
were never angry with each other and | think that's what's important and | think that's what | bring to the table. Like |
said, the final decision is this group here. Not mine, not Tim's, not Ray’s, or the other gentleman that has applied.
Alderman Moran
Thank you.
June M. Caron
You're welcome.
Alderman Klee
Thank you, Madam President. | want to ask a question something very specific to your Ward and that is the asphalt. |
know it's probably a hard thing to discuss but | personally feel it's gonna have a negative effect on your Ward. I'd just
like to know, how you feel about it, if you’ve spoken to any residents about it, or what would be your concern if it does
goes through?
June M. Caron
A few people have mentioned it but as | said before, why would we bring in an asphalt company in the middle of an
area that we're trying to redevelop? We're trying to take the old shoe shop and turn it into workforce housing. That
hasn't happened but you know, this is something that we've been looking at for a long time. Then you have a
restaurant across the street. Why would you want a smelly ‘old asphalt company near you? | can't imagine how they
could do this. | mean the last one that was in the city was up in Broad Street before the city bought it and, you know,
we have the high school there. It's not something that | would think is needed here. If you want to put it somewhere,
put it out in the cow pasture. Don't put it here. It would be like them wanting to put it up in 13 acres that they just
opened up on 5 Fields Street. What a crazy idea. So no, | would not be in favor of it. You couldn't convince me that
that would be the right thing to do for Ward 7.
Alderman Klee
