Board of Aldermen 03-12-2019 Page 15
Thank you very much.
Alderman Tencza
Just a logistical question for Corporation Counsel on a 15 member Board if someone steps down and there
is s tie 7-7 as to who is going to fill the open position, who breaks the tie?
Attorney Bolton
Someone would have to get a majority so if it stays 7 to 7 you haven't elected anyone.
Alderman Clemons
Thank you just briefly the only reason that, well the reason | am supporting sending this back to committee
is because | don’t support the way that it is currently written. | think that the way that we did it prior to
having a special election is a better way to do it because it promotes democracy and it promotes making
sure that the public is involved as much as the public can be involved in a democratic process.
So you know my suggestion would be to go back and change this to the way that we used to do it prior to
the charter change with the election because that way we are never appointing somebody more than 2
years to aterm. | think that would be a better balance and would balance the public’s right to vote on their
representative with the expediency of filling the vacancy. So for those reasons, are the reasons | think we
should send it back in addition to the fact that clearly from what | can see here tonight there still is some
debate that should be had on it.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
Actually | feel the same way that it should go back | agree with Alderman Jette, Ben Clemons and who
else, Alderman Laws. | agree with them all: | was one of the ones that did not care for it in the very
beginning when we first started this process. So for me, | am glad that it will go back, | am really happy that
people came out and spoke about their concerns with this particular bill. So maybe we can all do a little
more diligence in changing it to something that is more amicable to everyone basically.
Alderman O’Brien
| would just like to say that we are not on any uncharted waters here or an legalities or anything else like
that. Many States, when a Senator steps down the Governor appoints, there is no special election. And |
think, | do trust my colleagues here on the Board to make the proper choice. If you want to usurp your
authority than that is up in a way to you but | think this bill was brought together by good intentions and
legal means and | think we lost sight of the goal of saving the tax payer the undue expense of $30,000.00
per election.
And yet may | remind that from | hear in some testimony my brother Alderman Laws says that kind of a little
bit of term what was the term? Frustrated. | am not frustrated, | think the proper term definition would be
perplexed. And the reason | am perplexed is as well as myself, let me read to you the endorsers and the
endorsers of this bill is the late Alderman-at-Large Brian McCarthy; Alderman-at-Large Shoshanna Kelly;
myself Alderman O’Brien; Alderman Schmidt; Alderman Lopez; Alderman-at-Large Brandon Michael Laws;
and Alderwoman Mary Ann Melizzi-Golja. So | am perplexed. Where was the vetting, if this is the 6"
reading, where was, this is the 11'" hour, | hope we can get this done by June to perhaps to get it on the
charter, but this is the 11" hour, parachute that got thrown right about here.
Alderman Dowd
