Special Board of Aldermen 11-24-2020 Page 18
Director Cummings
Madam President, | see Celia Leonard wants to speak and then | also just want to clarify, | think you want
to have two Aldermanic Members, | think it’s a 9 person Board, | would recommend it be 11. But with that
being said, | think Deputy Corporation Counsel has something to say.
President Wilshire
Attorney Leonard?
Attorney Leonard
Yes, thank you, if | may. | am scrolling through our Ordinances, it appears, | apologize, the Liaison portions
are in Section 5.9 of the Ordinances, not in the — so we would be amending a different section. We can
effectuate the Board’s wishes to have a Liaison it just wouldn’t — | suppose we could do it in either, but just
to let you know we did model this Legislation after the Hunt and the reason that it wasn’t in there is because
the Hunt Liaison is in Section 5.9 not in the establishing Legislation for the Hunt Committee. So we can put
it either place, but that’s a clarifying of why it didn’t show up.
President Wilshire
OK, thank you.
Director Cummings
And if | may just correct the record, | was just informed that it’s technically a non-voting member. The
Aldermanic Liaison is a non-voting member. So | think it’s the spirit in which that this be a voting member
so it would be two voting members of the Board of Aldermen.
Alderman Clemons
Can | ask why the need to have 11 is there a reason to avoid deadlocks or | don’t particularly seeing this
being a controversial?
Director Cummings
If | may, no it doesn’t need to be 11 per se, it could be less than that and we could reduce the 9 down to 7
and then add in two for 9 or we could reduce it down to 8 and add in the Aldermanic Liaison for a full
complement of 9. As you point out, it’s not going to be relatively controversial so happy to do whatever the
pleasure of the Board is.
Alderman Clemons
| guess my question is why the odd number as opposed to an even number?
President Wilshire
Well typically we do that so there’s not a deadlock.
Director Cummings
| would recommend it as good governance just so you can have an odd number in case votes are called.
