Board of Aldermen 11-10-2020 Page 24
Alderman Lopez
| would, however, point out that a number of things that are on public record in the last meeting are
contradicted but what was said tonight which is evident for the public to look at at itself. So there was no
public meeting where those positions were adapted or where those comments that — it was more
appropriate to just amend this to the holiday legislation, which is a direct quote that | am reading. That
seems like that’s no longer the case and there’s been suddenly a change in mind. That’s not inconsistent
with what I’ve seen. | think when we have public discussion, we are following the rules very specifically and
very carefully. But there has certainly been a lot of tension on this board over who is chairing the meetings,
whether they are being impartial or fair to specific things. And, again, that’s where the public can make its
own decision because certain issues just do not advance. And a number of Aldermen will say, we are
going to wait for this study and | guess it’s up to the public to keep track of how many months and years
they do that over and over again.
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Madam President. | was going to remain quiet but since | think what many are referring to is my
Committee of Infrastructure and may | do my due diligence to defend my particular Committee. As a State
Representative for 14 years, for 14 years | have followed the Mason’s Rule of Order. | have followed
Mason in my time here and part of my duties of Vice President of the Board of Aldermen is to support and
to maintain that Mason would be followed. So | take great umbrage to anything that would say that Masons
or if it was implied, wasn’t followed. We did hold the Hearings, they were very well vetted, everybody had
the opportunity to come up and speak. | am sorry you did not hear the answer or you did not have the votes
that was required to be in the majority. People do have the right to vote whether they are pro or con on the
issues. Many have voted and no vote was done with any fear or favor.
However, in between the meantime, the Infrastructure Committee, working with Director Cummings wants
to have the Parking Study which would have included the overnight parking. Unfortunately, in my powers
as Chairman of Infrastructure, | have no control over COVID-19. COVID-19 came into the City and
disrupted as many of you know and so that the public knows some of the parking issues. One of the things
that was interrupted was in order to help out the downtown businesses and to assist them and to enhance
our resident’s fun, we had restaurants allowing Main Street to go down to two lanes and that was supported
by Infrastructure. So we have done great things to come up with that. But because we took away two lanes
on Main in the example, we also took away parking.
So at that particular time because it was COVID related, many of the study that could have or should have
been done more in a timely fashion were affected by COVID-19. | am asking my fellow Aldermen; |
understand what you want to do. | am not against, | firmly agree that we need to discuss overnight parking.
But it is my opinion and | share the opinion that none of here are parking specialists. None of us have a
degree in the subject. And | think it would be prudent to have professionals hired by the City to which
Director Cummings has procured to come in to look at the overnight parking and to give us proper guidance
and recommendations as what we usually get from studies such as this.
So to imply, if anybody is, that we are not moving progressively on this, is untrue. And you are speaking
untruth. | think we just have to be patient and do our diligence as Aldermen, it would be my
recommendation to await the parking study that would come out that is being led, being hired by Director
Cummings and the City and follow the recommendations that the professionals will come up on this
particular subject. Thank you, Madam President.
