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[CALL TO ORDER ]
I CALLED THIS MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER AT 6:00 PM UH, ITEM NUMBER ONE IS THE INVOCATION.LORD, I SEARCHED FOR SOME WORDS OF WISDOM TONIGHT, AND I'LL BE HONEST.
THEY WERE, THEY WERE KIND OF HARD TO FIND.
BUT I WILL SAY A COUPLE THINGS THAT I DO KNOW.
I YOU SAY IN THE BIBLE, UH, BETTER, A NEIGHBOR WHO IS NEAR THAN A BROTHER WHO IS FAR AWAY.
WELL, I KNOW, AND I THANK YOU FOR THESE WONDERFUL NEIGHBORS WHO ARE HERE BESIDE ME TONIGHT.
YOU SAY IT IS BETTER FOR A MAN TO HEAR THE REBUKE OF THE WISE THAN THE SONG OF FOOLS.
WELL, I AM GRATEFUL THAT YOU HAVE SURROUNDED ME WITH SO MUCH WISDOM IN MY COLLEAGUES TONIGHT.
YOU SAY, WALK IN THE WAYS OF YOUR HEART.
AND I THANK YOU FOR THE HEART YOU HAVE GIVEN ME.
THAT LETS ME HAVE FEELINGS OF CAMARADERIE, RESPECT, AND OF A PEACEFUL NATURE TO ALL THAT ARE UP HERE WITH ME TONIGHT.
NOW, ALLEGIANCE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
NOW, THE TEXAS PLEDGE HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE.
[3. MINUTES OF THE APRIL 14, 2025 MEETING, APRIL 28, 2025, MAY 5, 2025, AND MAY 12, 2025 MEETINGS ]
ITEM NUMBER THREE, UM, MINUTES OF THE APRIL 14TH, 2025 MEETING APRIL 28TH, 2025, MAY 5TH, 2025, AND MAY 12TH, 2025.COUNCILMAN HUTCHIN, RIDER MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO PROVE THOSE MINUTES AS PUBLISHED.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, THAT IS SIX ZERO WITH COUNCILMAN HUM, UH, OUT AT THE MOMENT.
[4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORUM ]
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORM.UM, WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF SEVERAL CARDS IN ADVANCE OF THE 5:00 PM DEADLINE, SO I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE.
AND THEN, UM, I DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE SPEAKERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO, UH, MAKE COMMENTS TONIGHT.
SO I'LL READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, UH, SUBSEQUENT TO ACKNOWLEDGING THE CARDS.
UH, FIRST IS MS. KATHY MURPHY, UH, NINE 11 BEACHWOOD DRIVE.
UH, UH, HAS SUBMITTED, UH, COMMENTS ON ITEM NUMBER SIX, ELECTION OF MAYOR PRO TEM.
UH, NEXT IS MS. UH, PATRICIA GRIFFIN OF, UH, 4 41 VALLEY GLEN.
UH, SHE HAS, UH, ALSO SUBMITTED, UM, COMMENTS ON ITEM NUMBER SIX AND MAY BE HERE TO SPEAK.
AND THEN FINALLY, EXCUSE ME, UH, MS. DEB SING OF 1404 CHICKASAW.
UM, AND SHE IS ALSO SUBMITTED COMMENTS ON MAYOR PRO TEM.
UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO, UM, MAYOR, UH, COUNSEL, UH, RIGHT AT 4 59, YOU RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM MR. NICK ZAKI.
UM, THERE WAS NO ADDRESS, BUT IT WAS REGARDING ZONING FILE 25 0 4.
SO I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THAT AND LET HIM KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE HIS COMMENTS AS WELL.
UH, AND WE WILL HAVE THOSE TO, UH, TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO MS. NEER, I WILL READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.
THESE ARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH, UH, THE VISITORS, UM, AND, UH, COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS, AS WELL AS THE ONE PUBLIC HEARING THAT WE HAVE TONIGHT.
DURING THIS PORTION OF THE COUNCIL MEETING, 30 MINUTES IS ALLOCATED FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO PROVIDE COMMENTS TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON AGENDA ITEMS. IF YOU ARE HERE TO SPEAK ON A PUBLIC HEARING, PLEASE WAIT UNTIL THAT HEARING IS OPENED.
IF THERE IS TIME LEFT DURING THE INITIAL 30 MINUTES ALLOCATED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THE REMAINING TIME WILL BE PROVIDED AS A VISITOR'S FORUM OPEN FOR ANYONE WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL ON ANY TOPIC IN WHICH THE SUBJECT MATTERS WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE CITY.
IF THE FULL 30 MINUTES ALLOCATED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IS REACHED, THEN SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SUBMITTED A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD MAY SPEAK AT THE VISITOR'S FORM SCHEDULED.
AT THE END OF THE MEETING, ALL SPEAKERS SHOULD COMPLETE A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND SUBMIT IT TO THE CITY SECRETARY.
SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED IN THE ORDER THAT THEY RECEIVED.
WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE STEP TO THE PODIUM AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD.
ALL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM OF FIVE MINUTES AS INDICATED BY THE TIMERS.
WHEN THE TIMER BEEPS, THE SPEAKER SHOULD CONCLUDE THEIR COMMENTS PROMPTLY.
SPEAKERS MUST NOT PHYSICALLY APPROACH MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OR STAFF AND SHOULD REMAIN AT THE PODIUM DURING THEIR COMMENTS.
SPEAKERS WITH HANDOUTS MUST PROVIDE THEM TO THE CITY SECRETARY FOR DISTRIBUTION.
SPEAKER SUBMITTING COMMENTS ON THE SAME TOPIC ARE ENCOURAGED TO REDUCE REPETITIVE REMARKS BY INDICATING THEIR COMMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED.
OR BY SELECTING A REPRESENTATIVE SPEAKER, THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT PROHIBITS THE CITY COUNCIL FROM DISCUSSING OR TAKING ACTION ON ITEMS THAT ARE NOT POSTED ON THE AGENDA.
CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF WILL NOT AFFIRM OR OPPOSE ANY SPEAKER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
THE MAYOR, CITY MANAGER MAY RESPOND WITH FACTS, A
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POLICY OR DIRECT CITY STAFF TO RESPOND TO THE SPEAKER.AFTER THE MEETING, THE AUDIENCE HAS ASKED TO REFRAIN FROM APPLAUDING OR OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION, A COPY OF THE COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE.
AND THESE GUIDELINES MAY BE FOUND AT THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE TO SILENCE THEIR PHONES FOR THE DURATION OF THE MEETING.
MS. NEER, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO CALL OUR SPEAKERS PATRICIA GRIFFIN.
I'M SORRY, MS. GRIFFIN, COULD YOU PAUSE ONE SECOND WHILE MS. NEME RETURNS ON THE MICROPHONE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.
UH, PAT GRIFFIN, 4 41 VALLEY GLEN DRIVE, DISTRICT FOUR.
AND, UH, I'M REALLY HERE TO TALK ABOUT AGENDA ITEM SEVEN.
OUR CITY SECRETARY TOLD ME IT WAS OKAY.
NOW I THINK I MISTAKENLY SAID SIX, BUT, UH, THAT'S NOT MY MAIN CONCERN.
WE HAVE AN IMPORTANT ITEM TODAY ON THE AGENDA WITH THE SELECTION OF A MAYOR PRO TEM.
BUT FIRST I WANNA LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK'S MEETING AND THE TRANSITION THAT WE'RE SEEING BETWEEN THE 2325 COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL THAT'S STARTING THE TERM TODAY.
UH, FIRST THANK YOU FOR SERVING.
I THINK IT WAS COUNCILMAN CORCORAN WHO SAID THIS CAN LIVE STREAM THE MEETINGS, EAT DINNER, GO TO BED EARLY, WHILE THE REST OF YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO REMAIN FOR THE ENTIRE MEETING.
AS ALMOST ALL OF YOU NOTED, THIS IS A VOLUNTEER POSITION AND YOU SACRIFICE PERSONAL TIME TO GO THROUGH THOSE 200 PAGE AGENDA PACKETS.
STUDY UP ON DRAINAGE FEES AND BOND ISSUES.
ACT AS LIAISONS WITH RICHARDSON'S BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND SHOW UP AT COMMUNITY EVENTS ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND.
SECOND, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE SOME AWESOME RESPONSIBILITIES, AND I USE THAT WORD AWESOME DELIBERATELY.
CITY STAFF CAN ADVISE YOU ON MANY OF THE AGENDA ITEMS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT CAN BE CATEGORIZED UNDER WORK SESSIONS.
BUT IT FALLS ON YOU TO VOTE ON ITEMS LIKE REZONING PROPOSALS.
AND THOSE ARE THE AGENDA ITEMS WHERE WE ALL LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR VOTE.
UH, YOU ARE LITERALLY RESHAPING RICHARDSON WITH SOME OF YOUR VOTES.
THINK OF THE PALISADES DEVELOPMENT, WHOSE INITIAL PLAN HAS NEVER BEEN FULLY REALIZED, OR THE POLK STREET APARTMENTS.
A PROJECT TO SUCCESS REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
YOUR JOB IS TO BALANCE BUSINESS INTERESTS WITH THE WELLBEING OF OUR RESIDENTS, KEEPING IN MIND THAT THE CITY HAS TO REMAIN FINANCIALLY SOLVENT.
THAT BRINGS US TO KNIGHT'S MEETING.
IN THE YEARS SINCE 2019, COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE LOOKED MORE AND MORE LIKE THE COMMUNITY YOU REPRESENT.
THIS PAST ELECTION WAS YET ANOTHER VOTE FOR CHANGE.
I'D LIKE TO SEE US JOIN IN THAT EFFORT TOGETHER.
MAYOR OMAR HAS ALREADY TAKEN A BIG STEP TOWARDS INVOLVING OUR COMMUNITY.
WHEN HE SPOKE WITH SO MANY RESIDENTS IN THE YEAR AND A HALF OR SO BEFORE HE PUT HIS NAME ON THE BALLOT, I THINK HE WOULD BE SURPRISED AT THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE HE MET WITH AND LISTENED TO.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE NEIGHBORS WHOSE POLITICAL VIEWS DIFFER WIDELY, BUT WHO HAVE SPOKEN WITH MAYOR OMAR AND COME AWAY IMPRESSED.
SINCE MOST OF YOU RAN IN UNCONTESTED RACES, WE HAVEN'T HAD THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR FROM YOU.
ALTHOUGH COUNCIL COUNCILMAN, UH, BARRIOS REMINDED ME THAT HE'S AVAILABLE ANYTIME, AND I'M SURE THE REST COULD BE SAID OF YOU.
UM, YOU WERE RECOGNIZED AT CANDIDATE FORUMS, BUT YOU WEREN'T ASKED TO ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CITY COUNCIL, WHERE THE DIRECTION YOU THINK RICHARD SHOULD, SHOULD TAKE.
YOU WEREN'T ASKED TO SELL YOURSELVES.
I THINK WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE MORE WITH ALL OF YOU.
AND WE CAN BEGIN TONIGHT BY HAVING AN OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW YOU DEFINE THE ROLE OF MAYOR PRO 10 AND HOW YOU THINK SOMEONE, YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE ON COUNCIL BEST FITS THAT ROLE.
SPEAKING TONIGHT IN AN OPEN MEETING GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR VIEWS ON WHO WILL BEST REPRESENT RICHARDSON AND ITS RESIDENTS IN THE ABSENCE OR IN THE EVENT OF THE MAYOR'S ABSENCE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.
[00:10:01]
EVENING.MY NAME IS PAUL NICHOLS, FOUR 12 RIDGE HAVEN PLACE, UH, RICHARDSON RESIDENT FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
UH, FIRST OFF, I WANTED TO CONGRATULATE THE CITY OFFICIALS FOR HAVING A BOND RATING HIGHER THAN OUR COUNTRY
I KNOW THAT'S A LOT OF WORK, UH, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF.
UH, BUT REALLY I CAME HERE TONIGHT TO JUST TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU HAVE HERE TONIGHT.
UH, SOME OF US ARE OF AN AGE WHERE WE REMEMBER THE TERM GLASNOST OF OPENNESS, AND I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO STRIKE A REALLY STRONG MESSAGE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR AND THIS TERM IN TERMS OF MAKING THE PRO TEM DISCUSSIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC RATHER THAN DOING THAT, UM, IN SECLUSION.
AND THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO MENTION HERE TONIGHT.
I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF VALUE IN DOING THAT.
MY NAME IS JENNY LAUGHLIN AND I LIVE AT 8 0 4 FIRESTONE IN RICHARDSON.
AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TONIGHT, UM, FOR ALLOWING US TO DO THIS SPEAKING TIME, UM, TO WEIGH IN ON SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY MUCH MORE YOUR PURVIEW THAN OURS.
UM, THE SELECTION OF WHO WILL BE THE MAYOR PRO TEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS, UH, HAS BEEN, IT'S BEEN THEIR THING.
UM, BUT I CAN SAY FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND FROM SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY, THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN AS WELL.
WE HAVE AN OPINION, WE HAVE QUESTIONS.
WE HAVE, WE, WE ARE INVESTED IN THIS.
AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION KNOWN, WE MIGHT COME AWAY GOING, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THERE? AND I THINK THAT THE, THE, THE, THAT LEAVES A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME UP WITH THEIR OWN STORIES BECAUSE WE'RE MEANING MAKERS.
AND SO THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A CHANGE IN THAT TO WHERE WE ARE GOING TO BE, UM, A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, I THINK IS, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.
AND IT IS AN IMPORTANT THING BECAUSE THE MAYOR PRO TE IS NOT JUST AS MAYOR PRO TEM PAST RF KNOWS.
UH, IT'S NOT JUST A CEREMONIAL THING.
THERE'S ACTUAL, UH, RESPONSIBILITY INVOLVED IN THAT.
AND, UM, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE AS CITIZENS COULD VERY WELL BE AFFECTED BY THE SAME REASON THAT WE CHOOSE OUR OWN MAYOR NOW INSTEAD OF THE COUNCIL CHOOSING THAT.
SO I WANT TO JUST SAY MY PIECE IS THAT I DO HOPE THAT YOU GUYS WILL EMBRACE THE IDEA OF HAVING THAT CONVERSATION BE MADE PUBLIC.
AND, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ALWAYS AND FOR YOUR OPENNESS TO HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC.
MAY I HAVE NO ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS, BUT I DO HAVE THREE CARDS ALL STATING THEY DID NOT WANNA SPEAK, BUT THEY'RE IN SUPPORT OF ITEM SIX AND SEVEN.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN SPEAKING THAT DIDN'T FILL OUT A CARD? IF, IF YOU'LL PROMISE TO FILL OUT A CARD AFTERWARDS, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME.
IS THAT SANDY HANNEY? 6 3 7 WEST BELTLINE ROAD.
UM, I JUST WANNA ADD MY VOICE TO THE CHORUS AND SAY THAT WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR TRANSPARENCY AND WE TALK ABOUT THAT.
AND SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THAT BE A TRANSPARENT DISCUSSION.
ANY OTHERS IN THE AUDIENCE? MS. NEER? I THINK MS. MCGARRY IS HERE.
I I DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE ON MY CARD.
UM, I AM VERY, UH, IMPRESSED WITH, UM, OUR CITY COUNCIL AND I WISH YOU WELL, MR. DUBY.
UM, YOU ARE A HUGE REASON WHY I'M HERE TODAY.
UM, I THINK I'VE TALKED HERE THREE TIMES.
THIS WILL BE MY THIRD TIME AND I'M NOT GOOD WITH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I HAVE, IT'S FIVE MINUTES.
SO I'M GONNA START WITH A STORY FIRST, UM, SO THAT I CAN SEE IF I HAVE MUCH MORE TIME TO EXPLAIN WHY I'M TELLING THE STORY.
[00:15:01]
IT WAS, I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE DATE, UM, BUT IT WAS WHEN CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS WERE BEING HELD AT THE RICHARDSON POLICE DEPARTMENT.I WAS JUST GOING TO BE A VISITOR TO, TO KIND OF, UM, PURSUE MY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, UM, KIND OF LIFESTYLE THAT I HAD HAD GOTTEN INTO, UM, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
AND, UM, I ARRIVED LATE AND, UM, THE DOOR WAS LOCKED SO I COULDN'T GO IN AND, UM, KIND OF BUMMED, BUT YOU KNOW, A GENTLEMAN I THINK MAYBE FROM THE JANITORIAL STAFF COMES OUT AND HE'S LIKE, OH, WERE YOU TRYING TO GO INTO THE, INTO THE MEETING? I WAS LIKE, YEAH, YEAH.
HE'S LIKE, WELL, IT'S, IT'S LOCKED.
BUT I CAN TAKE YOU FOR A TOUR IF YOU WANT.
SO, LO AND BEHOLD, THIS GENTLEMAN, UM, SPENDS ABOUT 20 MINUTES WITH ME AND TAKES ME THROUGH THE ENTIRE GORGEOUS BUILDING THAT IS THE RICHARDSON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, IT WAS QUITE IMPRESSIVE, UM, THE, NOT ONLY THE FACILITIES, BUT UM, THE, THE SERVICES THAT WERE BASICALLY OFFERED THERE, BOTH TO THE POLICE OFFICERS AND TO, TO THE RESIDENTS.
IT WAS JUST, IT WAS, I KIND OF FELT LIKE I WAS IN A TV SERIES OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW? AND, UM, SO WE'RE LEAVING AND I WAS JUST REALLY IMPRESSED AGAIN, AND, AND WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE, THE PERSONAL KIND OF TOUCH, UH, THAT I GOT FOR, FOR THIS TOUR.
UM, AND THEN WE START WALKING OUT AND I WAS LIKE, OH, YEAH, WHAT'S THAT OVER THERE? AND HE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF THE, THAT'S THE HOLDING CELL.
AND I MEAN, FORTUNATELY, UM, I HAVEN'T HAD TOO MANY RUN-INS WITH LAW OFFICERS, SO, UM, UH, DIDN'T EVEN REALLY KNOW WHAT TO ASK, UM, AS IT RELATED TO THAT.
BUT HE, HE SAID SOMETHING THAT STRUCK ME.
UM, HE SAID, UM, YEAH, THERE'S, WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF WOMEN IN THERE THESE DAYS.
WE GOT A LOT OF WOMEN COMING IN HERE THIS, THIS PAST WEEKEND.
OH, UM, DO YOU, I I, I DON'T, I HONESTLY DON'T REMEMBER MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
I DON'T REMEMBER IF I ASKED WHAT, WHAT THE CRIMES WERE OR WHAT HAVE YOU, BUT IT JUST DIDN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME.
IT JUST KINDA MADE ME A LITTLE NERVOUS.
SO, UM, WE PARTED AND, UM, I KIND OF HADN'T STOPPED THINKING ABOUT THAT EVER SINCE.
UM, LIKE I SAID, I HAVEN'T HAD TOO MANY RUN-INS WITH THE LAW.
UM, THIS WAS KIND OF THE FIRST TIME THAT I SAW, YOU KNOW, AN INSIDER'S VIEW.
UM, AND RICHARDSON, I'VE HAD A COUPLE OF OTHER INSTANCES WHERE I'VE, I'VE, I'VE SPOKEN TO POLICE OFFICERS.
UM, ONE WAS FOR GRAFFITI ON MY PORCH.
UM, AND, UH, ONE WAS, UM, SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO MORE WITH A PRIVATE MATTER THAT, UM, I CAN'T GO INTO HERE.
BUT, UM, I GUESS WITH THE MINUTE THAT I, THAT I HAVE LEFT AND WITH THE SITUATION THAT WE ARE IN TODAY WITH THIS, THIS NEW, UM, ADMINISTRATION, UM, BUT ALSO WITH, UM, SOME PRETTY IMPRESSIVE, UH, LEADERSHIP THAT HAS BEEN HERE FOR DECADES, UM, I JUST ASK THAT WE AS A CITY TRULY LOOK AT DATA AND ANALYZE IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IS COMPLIANT AND SECURE AND IS EQUITABLE TO ALL THE RESIDENTS THAT, THAT COMPRISE THE CITY.
UM, I FEAR THAT WE'RE KIND OF COMING ALONG TOUGH TIMES.
UM, THINGS LIKE HOMELESSNESS, UM, AND DESPAIR ARE GOING TO AFFECT OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
AND, UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE TRAINED, UM, CAN HELP DEESCALATE SITUATIONS ARE, UM, COMFORTABLE, EMPOWERED IN THEIR JOBS, UM, THAT THEY USE THAT FACILITY TO THE BEST OF ITS ADVANTAGE.
UM, WE HAVE IT IMPRESSIVE IQ HQ GOING ALONG TOO.
ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? OH, WE'LL NEED YOU TO FILL OUT A CARD RIGHT AFTER YOU FINISH SPEAKING, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT? YES.
I'LL, HELLO, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING ELECTED.
I VOTED FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN HERE.
IF, IF YOU, I'M SORRY IF YOU'LL START WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
[00:20:01]
JUDITH WRIGHTER, UM, 3 0 0 7 WINDHAM LANE.UM, I WAS RAISED IN RICHARDSON SINCE FIFTH GRADE CLASS OF 1981, JJ PIERCE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND NOW I AM, UM, ON THE, UH, HOME OWNER ASSOCIATION BOARD, UH, FOR CHERYL PARK.
UM, AND, UH, WE ARE VERY TRANSPARENT IN OUR BOARD MEETINGS AS YOU GUYS ARE AS WELL.
I WATCH YOUR MEETINGS EVERY MONDAY ONLINE, SO I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE TRANSPARENT.
UH, AND IN OUR MEETINGS WE ARE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT OUR DECISIONS, WHERE WE, UH, WHAT WE CHOOSE TO DO WITH THE, WITH THE, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALSO WHO, HOW WE ELECT OUR OFFICERS FROM PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT.
I'M THE SECRETARY, UM, THE TREASURER, VERY TRANSPARENT.
THE ONLY TIME WE DO, UM, HAVE, UH, AN EXECUTIVE SESSION IS IF WE DO NOT WANT TO NAME A NEIGHBOR FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR PRIVACY.
BUT IF IT IMPACTS THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD, THEN WE DEFINITELY MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS INPUT.
SO THAT'S WHY I DO ENCOURAGE THAT WE HAVE A TRANSPARENT PROCESS IN ELECTING OUR MAYOR PRO TEM.
[5. CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC HEARING, ZONING FILE 25-04, A REQUEST TO AMEND A PD PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ON 33.36 ACRES LOCATED AT 3051 RESEARCH DRIVE, AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF SHILOH ROAD AND BRECKINRIDGE BOULEVARD CURRENTLY ZONED PD PLANNED DEVELOPMENT FOR THE I-M(1) INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT WITH DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS TO ACCOMMODATE AN OUTDOOR DRONE DELIVERY DISTRIBUTION CENTER. (THIS PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE CONTINUED TO JUNE 9, 2025.) ]
THE PUBLIC HEARING.UM, ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS A CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC HEARING ZONING FILE 25 DASH OH FOUR A REQUEST TO AMEND A PD PLAN DEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT 3 0 5 1 RESEARCH DRIVE TO ACCOMMODATE AN OUTDOOR DRONE DELIVERY DISTRIBUTION CENTER.
I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION IF THERE IS ONE.
MR. MAYOR, I MOVE TO CONTINUE THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ZONING FILE 25 0 4 TO JUNE 9TH, 2025 AT 6:00 PM WONDERFUL.
AND COUNCILMAN DORIAN, I'LL SECOND THAT.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT.
[6. DISCUSS THE PROCESS/PROCEDURE FOR THE ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM ]
UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX.UH, DISCUSS THE PROCESS PROCEDURE FOR THE ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
IT IS MY, UM, MY PLEASURE TONIGHT TO, UH, FACILITATE AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION.
UM, AS YOU'LL SEE HERE ON MY FIRST SLIDE, UM, I'VE REALLY, UH, TRIED TO BOIL THIS DOWN TO THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR, UH, THIS DISCUSSION ITEM.
UH, ONE IS TO CONFIRM THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
UH, SECOND WOULD BE TO DISCUSS QUALIFICATIONS, UH, OF A MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND THEN FINALLY, TO CONSIDER ELECTION PROCESS AND PROCEDURE, UM, FOR, UM, UM, THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO, UM, IS, UH, RUN THROUGH EACH OF THESE AND, AND, AND, UH, KIND OF CONFIRM WITH YOU, UM, THAT, UH, THERE'S A CONSENSUS AND AGREEMENT AMONGST THE COUNCIL ON EACH OF THESE TOPICS.
UM, I DO WANNA MAKE, UM, NOTE HERE THAT, UH, AS STAFF IS NOT MAKING A RECOMMENDATION IN THIS CASE, UM, I AM, UH, FACILITATING A, A DISCUSSION, UM, THAT, UM, THAT IS REALLY ENTIRELY YOURS.
BUT, UM, I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT AND, UM, HAVE, HAVE, UH, DRAWN ON, UM, SOME IMPORTANT DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, WITH, UH, OTHER CITY MANAGERS AND, AND LOOKING AT THEIR PROCESSES, UH, UM, JUST, UH, BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'VE PICKED UP, UM, OVER, OVER THE YEARS.
AND OF COURSE, UM, UH, MARYL MAR AND I HAVE, HAVE DISCUSSED, UH, THIS AS WELL IN ADVANCE OF TONIGHT.
UM, SO LET ME GET, LET'S JUST BEGIN AND GET RIGHT AT IT.
UM, UH, THE FIRST, UH, UH, TWO ITEMS HERE, UH, TWO SLIDES HERE IS JUST A REMINDER.
THE MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, IS REALLY, UM, ARTICULATED IN TWO DIFFERENT, UH, UM, UM, IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS.
ONE IS THE CHARTER WHERE IT STATES THE COUNCIL SELECT ONE OF ITS MEMBERS AS MAYOR PRO TEM.
THAT PERSON WILL PERFORM THE DUTIES OF THE MAYOR IN CASE, UM, IN, IN THE, IN CASE OF THE ABSENCE OR INABILITY OF THE MAYOR TO PERFORM SAID DUTIES.
UH, AND THAT PERSON, UM, FOR SUCH TIME SHALL BE VESTED WITH ALL THE POWERS BELONGING TO THE MAYOR.
UH, THE REMAINING THREE BULLETS THERE ARE DIRECTLY OUTTA SECTION 3.03 OF THE CHARTER, BUT REALLY ON APPLICABLE, THEY TALK TO, UM, OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE MAYOR PRO 10 SERVICE, UM, AS YOU ADOPTED EARLY, UH, IN YOUR, UM, PRIOR TERM IN 2023, A, UH, RULES OF ORDER AND ENGAGEMENT.
UM, YOU ALSO REFERRED TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, AND STATED, THE COUNCIL SHALL SELECT AGAIN, ONE OF ITS MEMBERS WHO WILL, WHO SHALL TEMPORARILY PERFORM THE DUTIES OF THE MAYOR IN CASE OF THE ABSENCE OR INABILITY OF THE MAYOR TO PERFORM SET DUTIES.
UH, HERE ALSO MADE NOTE, UH, THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM DOES NOT ASSUME THE OFFICE OF MAYOR AND NO VACANCY IS CREATED IN THE OFFICE OF MAYOR OR THE MAYOR PRO TEM.
UH, WHEN THE MAYOR IS IN UNABLE TO DO THAT, UH, DO, UM, HIS OR HER DUTIES OR THE MAYOR PRO TEM STEPS UP.
AND SO JUST A POINT OF CLARIFICATION IN YOUR RULES OF OR PROCEDURE.
SO IF YOU KIND OF TAKE THOSE TWO AND YOU COMBINE THEM, UM, IN TERMS OF THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS, UM, JUST TO SUMMARIZE, AND HERE I'M LOOKING, UH, WOULD BE LOOKING TO, TO GAIN YOUR CONSENSUS THAT, UM, THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM IS TO TEMPORARILY PERFORM THE DUTIES OF THE MAYOR
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WHEN HE'S UN HE OR SHE IS UNABLE TO DO, TO DO SO, UM, THAT THE DUTIES OF THAT OFFICE, UH, FOR SUCH TIME BE VESTED WITH, UM, UM, THE MAYOR PRO TEM WHEN HE IS FILLING IN FOR THE MAYOR.AND THEN AGAIN, UH, JUST CLARIFYING THAT NO VACANCY IS CREATED.
SOME EXAMPLE DUTIES, UH, THAT, UH, SHOULD BE VERY, UH, FAMILIAR TO, TO YOU AND, AND THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, IS THAT THE MAYOR PER PRETEND WOULD PRESIDE OVER COUNCIL MEETINGS WHEN THE MAYOR'S UNABLE TO DO SO.
THE, UH, THE MAYOR PER PRETEND WOULD REPRESENT THE CITY ON CEREMONIAL OCCASIONS AS REQUESTED, UM, BY THE MAYOR.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, UH, SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL AT FUNCTIONS AS REQUESTED, UH, BY THE MAYOR.
AND THEN WE, WE'D LIKE TO STOP HERE, UH, AND AGAIN, JUST CONFIRM THAT THAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING.
AND THEN ALSO YOU SEE THE FINAL BULLET.
THERE ARE OTHERS, UH, TO TAKE ANY, UH, INPUT OR FEEDBACK THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE WE MOVE ON, UH, TO TALKING ABOUT THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE MAYOR PRO TE.
SO GUYS, IF THERE'S ANY, ANY THOUGHTS ON WAYS THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT WANNA EDIT OR ADJUST WHAT YOU SEE IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION KIND OF TITLE THERE, OR ANY OF THE, UH, ASSUMED DUTIES.
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME THAT WERE MISSED THAT YOU MAY, YOU MAY BE THE FRESHEST WITH THE MEMORY OF THINGS THAT YOU, UH, DID ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT ISN'T LISTED.
ANY OTHER INPUT? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
SO IN TERMS OF QUALIFICATIONS, IF, IF YOU BASE, UH, YOUR, UM, YOUR EXPECTATIONS ON BOTH THE CHARTER AND THE RULES, UH, OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE, UH, SOME EXAMPLE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE, UH, OBVIOUSLY IT'D BE A REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF, UH, COUNCIL MEETING PROCEDURES, UM, UNDERSTAND BOTH OUR LOCAL AND REGIONAL SENSITIVITIES AS SOME OF THOSE ASSIGNMENTS COULD BE REGIONAL IN NATURE AS WELL.
UM, UM, AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR, UH, IMPORTANTLY AVAILABLE TO FILL IN FOR THE MAYOR, INCLUDING SOMETIMES WITH VERY LITTLE NOTICE.
AND SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLE, UM, QUALIFICATIONS.
AND AGAIN, WANTED TO PAUSE HERE, COUNCIL, UM, AND ASK YOU IF THERE ARE ANY OTHERS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO, TO PROVIDE, UH, FOR CONSIDERATION.
I AM GONNA JUST WAIT FOR A MOMENT.
I SEE A COUPLE OF YOU DIGESTING SOME OF THE ITEMS, BUT REALLY THE, THE GOAL HERE IS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHAT ALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO SELECTING THE BEST PRO TEM CANDIDATE.
AND IF THERE'S ANY OTHER QUALIFICATIONS OR ANY OTHER ITEMS, LOVE TO DISCUSS THOSE.
COUNCILMAN JUSTICE? UH, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD.
I WOULD JUST SAY I THINK THIS ENCOMPASSES IT.
UM, THERE'S NOTHING MORE THAT I, I THINK WOULD REQUIRE SOMEONE TO, TO, TO HAVE TO BE THE MAYOR, PUT ANYBODY ELSE HAVE INPUT.
ALRIGHT, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL ADD A LITTLE BIT OF INPUT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.
AND I, I'D LOVE Y'ALL'S PERSPECTIVE ON THIS AS WELL.
UH, CLEARLY WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT, SO I'D, I'D LOVE TO GET YOUR SENSE.
UM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I LOOK AT, UH, THE ROLE OF MAYOR PRO TEM, AND I THINK, OKAY, THIS IS THE PERSON THAT'S GONNA BE STANDING IN FOR ME, UH, IN THOSE MOMENTS WHERE I'M NOT AVAILABLE.
AND THAT COULD HAPPEN IN SCENARIOS WHERE THERE ARE Q AND AS, UM, ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY OR THE DIRECTION, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ENVISION FOR THE CITY AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND, AND I THINK OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE GOING TO ALWAYS BE SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EACH OF US, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND, AND MAYOR AND I'M, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
CLEARLY, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I'D LOVE TO KNOW THAT AMERI PRO TEM WOULD BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ME, UM, IN, IN A WAY THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH, YOU KNOW, THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT I'VE DISCUSSED OVER, UH, MOST RECENTLY A CAMPAIGN, BUT OBVIOUSLY BEYOND, BEYOND THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, UH, THE THINGS THAT I WOULD BE NORMALLY ADVOCATING FOR.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SQUARE THE CIRCLE.
SO I, I'D WELCOME DISCUSSION IF THERE IS ANY, OR IF THERE ARE ANY THOUGHTS ON, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE THAT A MAYOR PRO TEM AND A MAYOR ARE ALIGNED WHEN IT COMES TO SUBJECTS AND ISSUES THAT MAY COME BEFORE US.
COUNCILMAN CORCORAN? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO ALIGNMENT, I MEAN, THE MAYOR PRO TIMM, I THINK THERE'S A REASON THAT THE MAYOR PRO TIMM IS CHOSEN BY THE ENTIRE COUNCIL, RIGHT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHOEVER, I GUESS WHOEVER HAS THE CONFIDENCE OF THE ENTIRE COUNCIL IS, I GUESS THAT'S JUST MY, WHOEVER HAS THE CONFIDENCE IN THE ENTIRE COUNCIL WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE OUGHT TO LOOK FOR.
THAT DIDN'T REALLY COME OUT, THAT THOUGHT DIDN'T REALLY COME OUT RIGHT.
BUT I THINK WE'RE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE, YOU'RE A LAWYER.
MAYBE YOU EXPLAIN WHAT I, MY THOUGHTS BETTER THAN I WELL, I, YEAH, HAPPY TO.
WHAT I THINK YOU WERE SAYING IS, I THINK TRADITIONALLY THE COUNCIL, UM, SUPPORTS THE DECISIONS OF THE ENTIRE COUNCIL.
AND SO I DON'T, I DON'T VIEW THE ROLE
[00:30:01]
OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM TO SORT OF, FOR THE LACK OF BETTER TERMS TO, UM, SORT OF STAND IN FOR YOU.I THINK IT IS TO STAND IN AS THE FIGUREHEAD OF THE CITY, UM, NOT NECESSARILY TO, UM, PRESENT YOUR MESSAGE TO, BUT TO PRESENT THE COUNCIL'S MESSAGE.
SPIRIT OF WHAT YOU WERE SAYING CORRECTLY? ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK, I THINK IF WE GO BACK TO ANOTHER SLIDE, AND DON YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK, BUT SOMETHING THAT WAS THERE THAT WE, WE INTENTIONALLY SAID IS, HEY, THE MAYOR PRO TEM STAYS THE MAYOR PRO TEM, EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF THE MAYOR FOR, YOU KNOW, GOD HELP US FOR SOME, YOU KNOW, FULL-TIME REASON, RIGHT? AND DID I READ THAT RIGHT GUYS? WHERE THE MAYOR PRO TEM STAYS MAYOR PRO TEM, THEY DON'T ASSUME THE TITLE OF MAYOR.
AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY POWERFUL STATEMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE REALLY THERE TO, IF THEY'RE THERE ON A TEMPORARY BASIS TO AS ASSURE THAT BUSINESS CONTINUES AS USUAL, RIGHT? JUST THAT THE ROUTINE BUSINESS OF COUNCIL GETS DONE.
AND THAT'S, I MEAN, PHILOSOPHICALLY, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN, BUT I THINK THAT THIS, I THINK THAT THESE FOUR BULLETS REALLY JUST FILL IN THE SPIRIT OF THAT.
THAT'S, THAT'S MY KIND OF PHILOSOPHY AND SURE.
UM, MAYOR, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN JUSTICE ON THIS, AND I THINK SHE STATED, UM, APPROPRIATELY SUCCINCTLY THAT WHEN, AN EXAMPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WERE, IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO MAKE A, UM, I DUNNO, A MAYOR'S MEETING OR SOME KIND OF MEETING WITH, UH, A VISITING BUSINESS, UM, THE MAYOR IN THAT PLACE IS THERE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE, OFTENTIMES OBVIOUSLY IN CONVERSATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER, THERE'S USUALLY BULLET POINTS.
IF THERE'S ANY MIC TIME, RIGHT? BULLET POINTS, DECIDE AHEAD OF TIME, UH, FOR VARIOUS REASONS, THEN, THEN I THINK THE MAYOR PERAM, IF THOSE BULLET POINTS HAVE BEEN DECIDED, THEIR JOB IS TO READ WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOU AND, UM, C MANAGER OR WHOEVER, UH, COMMUNICATIONS HAS, HAS PUT TOGETHER AS THEIR REMARKS ON BEHALF OF YOU.
UH, YOU KNOW, IF THERE THERE'S ANY SPECIFIC, LET'S SAY FOR EXAMPLE, IT, IT'S A, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING, LIKE WE WENT TO, UH, ON SATURDAY MORNING, SOMEBODY'S BACKYARD.
IF IT WAS SOME IN THAT SITUATION AND FOR SOME REASON THE MAYOR COULDN'T MAKE IT, THEN WHEN SPECIFIC POLICY QUESTIONS ARE ASKED, IT'S, AND OBVIOUSLY WE'RE JUST, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT STEP ONE OF THE DANCE, RIGHT? SO WE DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU STAND ON EVERYTHING QUITE YET.
UH, I THINK IT'S ALWAYS FAIR TO SAY, WELL, SINCE IT'S A SPECIFIC POLICY QUESTION ABOUT THE MAYOR HIMSELF, YOU SHOULD REALLY SHOULD ASK HIM.
I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M HERE.
I'D BE HAPPY TO TELL YOU WHERE I STAND, BUT I'M NOT HEARING IN THAT CAPACITY RIGHT NOW.
I'M FILLING IN FAIR, SO TO SHARE GENERAL MARKS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN ASKED SPECIFIC POLICY THINGS THAT WOULD HAVE, I THINK WHETHER WHOEVER IS THERE, THEIR JOB IS TO REFER BACK TO THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS.
BACK TO THE MAYOR, OUT OF RESPECT FOR YOU AND YOUR POSITION.
UM, HAVING SERVED NOW ON, I'M ON NOW IN MY SEVENTH YEAR.
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE I'M THE LONGEST ONE SERVING ON, ON COUNCIL.
UM, HAVE, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE WITH THREE MAYORS.
I THINK THAT EACH MAYOR HAS ALWAYS COME ON BOARD AND HAD A, UM, DESIRE TO PUT FORTH IDEAS, THOUGHTS, AND THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO IN THE PAST, AND MAYBE TO WHERE IT WOULD HELP TO BRING THIS TOGETHER IS WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN, I THINK IN A FEW WEEKS.
I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT DATE, WHEN WE SIT DOWN AND WE TALK THROUGH OUR GOALS AND OUR TACTIC, OUR GOALS AND STRATEGIES AND GOALS.
EXCUSE ME, I'LL GET THE RIGHT WORDS OUT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY KIND OF HAMMER OUT, IF YOU WILL.
YOU, YOU WE'RE, WE'RE WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE, WHAT ALL OF OUR THOUGHTS ARE AND WHERE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.
I DO FEEL STRONGLY, AND I'VE ALWAYS FELT STRONGLY ABOUT THIS, IS THAT WHENEVER WE COME TO A DECISION, EVEN IF IT'S A FOUR, THREE VOTE, WE ALL HAVE TO GET UP AND SAY, OKAY, THAT WAS THE DECISION OF THE COUNCIL.
AND I, I DO FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THAT, AND I'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES.
I'VE BEEN ON THE, HOWEVER YOU SAY THAT, I'VE BEEN ON THE FOUR SIDE, I'VE BEEN ON THE THREE SIDE.
AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE TIMES THAT YOU GET UP AND YOU'RE LIKE, WELL, I LOST THAT ONE.
BUT ANYTIME I'VE EVER GONE OUT AND, AND TALKED IN PUBLIC, AND I THINK EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS DIOCESE HAS DONE THE EXACT SAME THING, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE'VE ALWAYS TALKED AS A UNIFIED, UNIFIED FRONT.
SO I THINK I, I, I HEAR EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND, AND SUPPORT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF, I THINK WE'LL HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER, HAMMER THAT ALL OUT, AND THEN I THINK WE DO, WE, WE WILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND WORK, UM, TOGETHER.
AND I THINK IT'LL BE IN THAT, THAT GOALS AND, AND, UM, UM, STRATEGY SESSION THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THAT.
BUT I, BUT I HEAR, I HEAR YOUR POINTS ON THAT.
WELL, FIRST APOLOGIZE THAT I WAS LATE FEW MINUTES.
MY FLIGHT WAS DELAYED FOR 22 HOURS, 49 MINUTES, MOSTLY
[00:35:01]
STAYED IN THE AIRPORT.BUT ANYWAY, UH, NOW, YOU KNOW, MALE PRO, THIS IS NOT LIKE VICE MAYOR, THIS IS MALE PRO WE CALL KNOW.
I GET QUESTIONED THIS THING VERY OFTEN.
THAT IS THIS VICE, VICE MAYOR, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A VICE MAYOR.
THERE'S A REASON WHY IT CALLED MALE PRO.
UH, THAT MEANS, WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, VICE MAYOR OR VICE PRESIDENT NORMALLY WILL STAND AND FIGHT FOR THE PRESIDENT IF IT'S THE VICE PRESIDENT.
AND, UH, MAYOR PRO IS, IS NOT, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, I VOTED MANY TIMES DIFFERENT WAY THAN THE MAYOR VOTED LAST TIME.
SO EACH COUNCIL GET ELECTED BY THEIR OWN WAY, AND THEY'RE, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN VOICE.
SO ALSO THE SAME TIME WHEN WE MEET OUT, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT OUR INDIVIDUAL POLICY, UH, IN A PUBLIC FORUM.
WHEN WE REPRESENT THAT CITY, WE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THIS IS THE CITY'S POLICY THAT WE ADOPTED.
AND THEN YES, PERSONALLY I HAVE SOME OTHER CHOICE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT'S OUR CITY POLICY.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, RICHARD, ON OUR CULTURE, OUR STRUCTURE IS DIFFERENT THAN MANY OTHER CITIES, MANY OTHER, UH, PLACES.
SO WE ARE UNIQUELY, YOU KNOW, UH, UNIQUE WAY OF SETUP.
SO, SO THIS IS, UH, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WHEN COUNCIL DECIDES SOMETHING, IF IT IS A FOUR TO THREE, THEN DEFINITELY WHEN YOU, IF I'M THE THIRD ONE, I WOULD SUPPORT AS A WHOLE THAT WE, WE DON'T WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL BREAK, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE IS TRYING TO BUILD SOMETHING THEN, BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE IT, I'M GONNA START BREAKING THIS THING FROM THE BEHIND.
THAT'S NOT REALLY THE RIGHT POLICY, RIGHT, UH, UH, ATTITUDE.
SO, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU DECIDE SOMETHING AS COUNCIL, UH, MEMBER KEN HUDSON MENTIONED, THAT IS OUR COUNCIL DECISION.
WE'LL GO AND SUPPORT IT ALL THE WAY, MAKE SURE THAT WE BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
SO PERSONAL, UH, CHOICE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DECIDE, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THE VOTE GOES THE OTHER WAY, MY VOTE VOTE GOES DIFFERENT WAY.
I DID NOT WIN THAT TIME, BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY, YOU KNOW, I, TO ME, I THINK I WON ANYWAY BECAUSE SEVEN, SEVEN MIND WORKS BETTER THAN ONE MIND, AND THERE IS ALWAYS MULTIPLE SOLUTION FOR ONE PROBLEM.
SO WE CAN GET THERE TO THE SOLUTION.
THE MAIN THING IS LIKE, WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER, AND ALSO WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR MIND OPEN THAT WE DON'T, THAT WORK TOGETHER DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SUPPORTING AND ECHOING WHATEVER THE OTHER PERSON IS SAYING IT, BECAUSE THAT WAY WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH THE BEST IDEA, BEST SOLUTION.
THAT'S WHY DIVERSITY IS SO IMPORTANT THAT IT EXPEDITE THE CREATIVE PROCESS.
YOU CAN COME UP WITH MANY MORE IDEA BECAUSE OF DIVERSITY.
AND DIVERSITY IS NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE COLOR, IT'S ALSO BECAUSE OF THE MIND, THE WAY THE PERSON GREW UP, THE SCHOOL THAT THEY GO, THE THINGS THEY SEE.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SOMETHING, IT'S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT SOMETHING IN YOUR MIND.
SO IN THAT, I THINK, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT WHAT I HAVE SEEN, THE MALE NEVER REALLY ASKED ME, OR EVEN NOT SINGLE TIME ENTERTAINED THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO SPEAK WHAT I BELIEVE SOMETHING.
SO THAT INDIVIDUALITY IS VERY IMPORTANT, THAT WE PROTECT, WE MAINTAIN, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR CITY.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONE OF THE STRONGER FOUNDATION THAT OUR CITY HAS THAT CULTURE.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THAT.
AND, AND I THINK, JUST FOR SAKE OF CLARIFICATION, I WASN'T NECESSARILY THINKING, UH, POLICY BY POLICY POSITION, BUT, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, IN, IN MY CASE, I MADE A FAIRLY LARGE ISSUE OUT OF THINGS LIKE TRANSPARENCY.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE THE AGENDA ITEM THAT WE HAVE TONIGHT.
AND SO, UM, WHAT I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR IS HOW WILL THIS PERSON CONDUCT THE MEETING IF, IF I'M NOT HERE? AND THERE, THERE ARE DECISIONS THAT THE MAYOR, UH, OR IN THE CASE OF THE ABSENCE OF THE MAYOR, THE MAYOR PRO TEM MAY MAKE, UH, SO THAT'S THE REASON I WAS ASKING THE QUESTION.
BUT I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE INPUT AND I THINK, UH, ALL REALLY GOOD POINTS.
UM, COUNCILMAN BAR, I'LL CALL ON YOU NEXT, BUT I ALSO WANT TO OPEN UP, UH, UH, ONE OTHER QUESTION TO YOU GUYS, WHICH IS, AS WE THINK OF THESE QUALIFICATIONS, UM, IF WE LOOKED AT THIS AS A, A GRADING SYSTEM, ARE THERE FEELINGS ABOUT WHICH OF THOSE ITEMS AND THOSE FOUR THAT ARE THERE, UM, THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT MORE HEAVILY THAN OTHERS? ARE WE LOOKING AT THEM ALL EQUALLY? I REALLY WANT YOU GUYS TO THINK AROUND THE, UM, AROUND THE PROCESS OF ALMOST BEING ABLE TO LISTEN TO EACH OTHER WHENEVER WE GET TO THAT POINT, UH, AND BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, SAY, HEY, I, I THINK THIS PERSON IS AN A PLUS ON BULLET ONE, BUT A B PLUS ON BULLET TWO, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
SO I'D BE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS LOOK AT, UH, THAT PARTICULAR ELEMENT.
UM, BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID PRIOR TO, TO YOUR
[00:40:01]
FINAL COMMENT, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, I WOULD HOPE THAT I, I AGREE WITH YOU, IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.UM, THAT LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SET CERTAIN PROCEDURES FOR TRANSPARENCY IN HOW YOU RUN A MEETING.
WHOEVER IS THE MAYOR PER TIM, I WOULD HOPE WOULD, UM, WOULD, WOULD, UM, UPHOLD THE, THAT PROCEDURES, UH, WHILE THEY, UM, TEMPORARILY FILL IN FOR YOU AND ON A PROCEDURAL SENSE, BECAUSE AT THAT POINT, AGAIN, THEY'RE FILLING IN FOR THE MAYOR.
AND THAT ROLE IS, AND BY NO MEANS IN MY VIEW, UH, MEANT TO YOU'RE THE MAYOR PRO TEM, THEREFORE THE MAYOR'S GONE FOR THE DAY AND THEY'RE THERE TO OVERRIDE OR TO CHANGE ANYTHING PROCEDURALLY.
UM, I WOULD ALSO REMIND EVERYBODY PRESENT THAT IF SOMEBODY WERE TO DO THAT, WHOEVER IS ELECTED MAYOR, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, AND IF THEY WERE TO DO THAT, WE DO HAVE A PROCEDURE IN PLACE TO, UH, RECALL A MAYOR PRO TEM.
SO, UM, SO 'CAUSE I, TO ME THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS VERY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE DO RESPECT THAT THE PROCEDURES IN PLACE.
'CAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT ANY MAYOR PRETENDS, UH, ROLE IS, IN MY OPINION, IS TO, I GUESS, HIJACK PROCEDURES IN, IN THE MAYOR'S ABSENCE.
I AM, I JUST, I WANNA REITERATE, 'CAUSE THE QUESTION HERE IS WHAT IS A, WHAT DO PEOPLE LOOK FOR IN A MAYOR PRO, TIM? AND HONESTLY, THOSE FOUR BULLET POINTS ARE EXACTLY WHAT, UM, IS, IS PREVALENT HERE.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU NEED TO KNOW THE PROCEDURES AND HOW TO RUN A MEETING.
YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY ACTING ON JUST BEHALF OF THE MAYOR, BUT YOU'RE ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
SO YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT YOURSELF, REPRESENT THE CITY.
YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK INTELLIGENTLY.
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO COMMUNICATE THOSE, THESE DETAILS.
AND YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BASIC BACKGROUNDS OF GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES.
MEANING A LOT OF, UH, SOME COUNCIL HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS PRIOR TO BEING ELECTED, WHICH IS VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, INCLUDING ANYTHING FROM LEADERSHIP RICHARDSON TO POLICE ACADEMY.
THOSE ARE INVALUABLE PROGRAMS TO GET TO KNOW, TO EVEN GET TO THE POINT OF TRYING TO BE ELECTED, KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THAT PROTOCOL AND UNDERSTANDING THAT PHILOSOPHY OF HOW, HOW TO GET THERE AND HOW TO PROCEED.
SO I THINK IN ORDER TO BE A MAYOR PRO TEAM, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE BACKBONE OF THE CITY AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CITY.
AND YOU NEED TO BE ON HERE LONG ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS WELL.
SO I'M SUPPORTING ALL FOUR OF THOSE BULLET POINTS.
UM, YOU, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING IN YOUR COMMENTS, AND I, I WANNA PROBABLY HELP MAYBE INTRODUCE A, A FIFTH BULLET UN UNLESS THERE'S A DIFFERENT FEELING HERE, WHICH IS, UM, EXPERIENCE SHOULD EXPERIENCE FILL IN, IN OTHER WORDS, IF, IF ONE OF YOU WERE A BRAND NEW COUNCIL PERSON, SHOULD THAT BE A PART OF OUR CONSIDERATION? UH, AND SHOULD THAT BE WEIGHED AS A PART OF, INSTEAD OF FOUR BULLETS AND 25% EACH, IS IT FIVE BULLETS AND 20%? OR DO WE FEEL LIKE THAT PART'S NOT CRITICAL? MAYBE IT'S SELF-EVIDENT.
UH, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW AS MANY OF THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL SENSITIVITIES IF YOU WERE BRAND NEW AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
COUNCILMAN DORIAN? NO, I AGREE.
UH, EXPECT EXPERIENCE IS A LOT.
UH, AGAIN, AS I REITERATE, UH, GENERALLY SPEAKING, WHEN SOMEONE RUNS FOR A SEAT OF OFFICE, YOU GENERALLY HAVE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF HOMEWORK, MEANING YOU MAY HAVE, IF YOU'RE GONNA RUN FOR A SPECIFIC CITY, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE SOME OF THE BACKGROUND.
LUCKILY, RICHARDSON PROVIDES A LOT OF THOSE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING CARES AND LR AND COURSE L AND T NOW.
SO I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS, UH, INSTRUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND UNDERSTANDING THE BACKBONE.
IT HELPS YOU WITH THE GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES.
COUNCILMAN BARRIOS? YEAH, I THINK EXPERIENCE, OBVIOUSLY WAYS, I MEAN, JUST ALL OF, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE CHARACTER, JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO SPEAK TO THE PUBLIC AND THE ABILITY, WHICH IS SOMETHING I THINK EVERYBODY IN THIS COUNCIL POSSESSES.
UM, AND, UM, I THINK WHEN WE START LOOKING AT THOSE LITTLE THINGS THERE, THERE'S SO MANY SPOKEN AND UNSPOKEN FACTORS THAT GO INTO IT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD EVEN, WE SAT HERE THE NEXT HOUR AND WENT THROUGH THAT I COULD COME CLOSE TO TOUCHING YEAH, THE MANY DIFFERENT ANGLES, UH, THAT GO INTO WHAT, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS FACTORS AND WEIGHTS THAT WE MAY INDIVIDUALLY GO INTO WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US.
SO I CAUTION, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, UH, I START TO WORRY IF WE'RE GONNA START NITPICKING EVERY LITTLE THING.
I DON'T WORDSMITH IN JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY FACTORS AND WE DON'T WANNA, I DEFINITELY DON'T WANNA GIVE THE AUDIENCE THE IMPRESSION OR THOSE WATCHING AT HOME THAT THOSE ARE THE ONLY THINGS BEING CONSIDERED I, WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M HOPING FOR THOUGH, UH, I RECOGNIZE WE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS TO SOME DEGREE NEW TO EVERYBODY.
WE WE'RE ALL DOING THIS FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
WHAT I DON'T WANT DO IS I DON'T WANT TO ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE SOME FACTOR THAT WE ALL KNEW MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR, UH, BUT WE DIDN'T WANNA SAY IT OUT LOUD.
UM, IF THERE, IF THERE IS A FIFTH ITEM, IF THERE IS
[00:45:01]
A SIXTH ITEM, IF THERE'S A SEVENTH ITEM, UH, WE MAY NOT GET ALL 28 INTANGIBLE ITEMS, BUT I THINK THERE, THERE SHOULD BE A CERTAIN, UH, IF WE THINK COLLEGIALITY IS AN ITEM, THEN LET'S CALL IT OUT NOW, UH, AS SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL LIKELY WEIGH AS A WAY OF DOING THIS, I RECOGNIZE WE WON'T TOUCH EVERYTHING, BUT I DO WANT TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT WE'RE GONNA CONSIDER WHEN WE WEIGH EACH OTHER.I MEAN, COUNSEL, MR. CORCORAN.
AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'D ALL SAY IN PUBLIC ANYWAY, RIGHT? I MEAN, I THINK THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT KNOWLEDGE OF COUNSEL, MEETING PROCEDURES IMPORTANT.
IF YOU HAVE A COMPLEX ZONING CASE AND YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR CAN'T SORT OF SHEPHERD ALONG THE RIGHT MOTIONS, UM, IF SOMEONE'S STANDING IN, YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT PERSON STANDING IN CAN'T DO THAT.
THAT'S, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY, UH, MAKES, THAT WOULD MAKE ME PERSONALLY AS, AS JUST MY LONE VOTE DISINCLINED TO VOTE FOR THEM KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL SENSITIVITIES.
I THINK THAT JUST PLAYS INTO EXPERIENCE.
I MEAN, THERE ARE SO MANY LOCAL AND REGIONAL SENSITIVITIES THAT I DON'T PLACE VALUE ON ONE SPECIFIC AREA THERE.
I MEAN, SOMEONE CAN KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE WATER DISTRICT AND NOT A LOT ABOUT DART OR NOT A LOT ABOUT COG, OR THEY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT COG AND NOT A LOT ABOUT SOME OTHER THING.
AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S FINE, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S TOUGH FOR ME TO, TO WEIGH ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR, I MEAN, MY, MY VISION OF MAYOR PRO TIM IS TO OCCASIONALLY STAND IN FOR THE MAYOR TO SPEAK AT EVENTS AND RUN THE MEETINGS.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY BE AN ELOQUENT, UH, AN ELOQUENT SPEAKER TO ME.
UM, BUT ABILITY TO FILL IN FOR THE MAYOR, INCLUDING WITH VERY LITTLE NOTICE, I DO VALUE THAT.
I THINK THAT THAT'S, UM, A VERY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SORT OF A CORE, A CORE TENET OF MAYOR PRO TIM, IS THE ABILITY TO QUICKLY FILL IN FOR THE MAYOR IN CASE YOU'RE IN TRAFFIC JAM STUCK ON A LONG PLANE, A DELAYED PLANE FLIGHT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
COUNCILMAN DORIAN, I JUST WANT TO ADD ONE THING TO, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH,
SO HE MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, JUST NOT, NOT ONE PERSON KNOWING EVERY DETAIL ABOUT EVERY SUBJECT MATTER, AND THAT'S TRUE.
I THINK A GOOD MAYOR, PRO TIMM IS SOMEONE THAT DRAWS FROM EACH TALENT ON THE COUNCIL, AND THEREFORE, IF YOU ARE SPEAKING ON THE MAYOR'S BEHALF, POTENTIALLY YOU'LL HAVE ONE OF US OR SEVERAL OF US IN THE ROOM THAT CAN DRAW UPON THAT EXPERIENCE AS WELL AND BE ABLE TO DELIVER THAT INFORMATION.
I'M NOT HEARING A CLAMORING FOR A FIFTH BULLET, WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE.
I JUST WANTED TO TEST AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE WASN'T ANYTHING ELSE OUT THERE.
UM, LAST CALL FOR FIFTH BULLET.
UM, WITH REGARD TO A, UH, PROCESS OR PROCEDURE FOR ELECT ELECTING THE, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, THERE'S SEVERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
ONE THIS YEAR, OBVIOUSLY, UM, UM, I DID NOT FIND, UH, ONE CITY THAT, UM, WOULD NOT HONOR THE FIRST TWO, UH, SENTENCES ON THIS SLIDE, WHICH IS THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THAT HAVE AN INTEREST IN SERVING AS MAYOR PRO TEM SHOULD BE PROVIDED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DECLARE THAT INTEREST AND THEN ALSO SHOULD BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A, UM, A STATEMENT, UH, OR PLEAD THEIR, THEIR CASE FOR, UH, SERVING IN THAT WAY.
AND IF YOU ASSUME THOSE THINGS TO BE TRUE, UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT, UM, WE FOUND TO BE APPLICABLE HERE AND APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR DISCUSSION.
ONE WOULD BE, UM, IF THERE ARE MORE THAN, UM, UM, SEVERAL, UH, CANDIDATES, UH, FOR MAYOR PRO TEM, HOW SHALL, UH, AN ORDER OF THOSE CANDIDATES SPEECHES, UH, BE DETERMINED? UH, I, WE'VE, UH, SEEN A VARIETY OF APPROACHES TO THAT.
IT COULD BE, UH, IN PLACE ORDER, IT COULD BE IN TERMS OF, UM, UM, TENURE, UH, AND OF SERVICE ON THE COUNCIL.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S SEVERAL WAYS YOU COULD APPROACH THAT.
UM, SHOULD CANDIDATE SPEECHES BE LIMITED TO A SPECIFIC TIMEFRAME? I MEAN, IF YOU KIND OF THINK ABOUT WHAT, UH, WE ALL HEAR WEEK TO WEEK, THE SPEAKERS AND WHAT FIVE MINUTES FEELS LIKE IF THAT, FOR INSTANCE, FEELS LIKE AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME, OR MAYBE PERHAPS IT FEELS TOO LONG, UH, SHOULD COUNCIL MEMBERS BE PERMITTED TO ASK QUESTIONS OF, OF CANDIDATES? SO, UM, WHETHER YOU'RE, UH, ALSO, UH, THROWING YOUR NAME INTO THE FOR CONSIDERATION OR NOT, UH, AFTER A COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, MAKES THEIR STATEMENT, UH, SHOULD MAYBE THERE BE A FEW MINUTES, FOR INSTANCE, A LETTER FOR FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.
UM, SHOULD CANDIDATES BE ALLOWED TO MAKE A FINAL STATEMENT? UH, THAT TENDS TO BE THE, THE CASE.
AND THEN, UM, AFTER ALL, CANDIDATES HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO STATE THEIR CASE PRIOR TO THE, UH, SELECTION PROCESS BEGINNING, SHOULD A CANDIDATE BE ALLOWED TO PERHAPS DECIDE, UM, THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO WITHDRAW.
AND THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE, UH, KIND OF BEST PRACTICES THAT, UH, WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU FOR FEEDBACK, BUT ALSO OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN, ALWAYS, UH, INTERESTED IN ANY OTHERS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ANY INPUT ON THE WE CAN, WE CAN START AT THE TOP.
UH, I ASSUME IS EVERYBODY OKAY THAT THE FIRST STEP OF THE PROCESS WOULD BE TO RAISE YOUR HANDS IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN,
[00:50:01]
IN THE ROLE? COUNCILMANUH, YOU KNOW, PRETTY, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY THAT'S WHAT WE FOLLOWED THIS PROCEDURE EVEN TWO YEARS AGO.
UH, FOUR YEARS AGO PROBABLY IT WAS DIFFERENT, BUT TWO YEARS AGO WE FOLLOWED PRETTY MUCH THE SAME PROCEDURE, UH, IN A, UH, CLOSED DOOR MEETING, EDUCATIVE MEETING.
BUT WE HAD DID, WE DID GO THROUGH ALL THIS, EVERY SINGLE STEP THAT YOU HAVE, JUST SEE.
SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS SIX OF US HAVE SEEN THIS PROCESS.
UH, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE.
PART OF THE REASON WHY WE'RE DOING THIS, THE WAY WE'RE DOING IT IS SO THAT THE PUBLIC WILL ALSO KNOW WHAT OUR STEPS ARE.
UH, AND, AND ALSO SO THAT THIS CAN BE PREDICTABLE.
IT'LL BE EASIER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF FOLLOW DOWN A PATH, UH, WHETHER WE DO IT IN THE OPEN OR IN AN EXECUTIVE MEETING.
UH, WE WANT THERE TO BE AS, AS MUCH ORDER IN THE PROCESS AS POSSIBLE.
SO, UM, COUNCILMAN BARRIOS, YOU HAD A THOUGHT? YEAH, I JUST, I'M SO SORRY.
I, UH, I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM WHAT, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, SHAEL SAID WAS THAT, AND, AND AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE WILLINGNESS AND, AND THE DISCUSSION AROUND THIS.
UH, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS PROCEDURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE TIMING, IT GOES BACK AND FORTH DEPENDING, I GUESS AS CANDIDATES WITHDRAW OR SEE THAT THE VOTES AREN'T ON THE TABLE FOR THEM TO CONTINUE.
UM, BUT, UH, I CAN'T CONFIRM THAT THIS WAS THE PROCESS WE DID.
AND THESE WERE THE QUESTIONS I GUESS THAT WE KIND OF PRE FOLLOWED, UH, THE LAST, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM SELECTION.
AND AGAIN, I CAN'T SPEAK PRIOR TO THAT.
'CAUSE LAST ONE WAS MY ONE AND ONLY EXTENT.
SO, UH, TO BE CLEAR, THE, THE BULLETS THERE AREN'T NECESSARILY THE PROCESS, THEY'RE THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'D LIKE TO RESOLVE.
UM, SO IF WE, IF WE LOOK AT THE FIRST ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, WAS THERE, IS THERE A PARTICULAR PROCESS WE WANT TO GO THROUGH TO ACTUALLY HAVE AN ORDER TO THE SPEECHES? DO WE JUST WANT TO DO 'EM RANDOM SELF-SELECT WHO GOES FIRST VERSUS WHO GOES LAST? HOW PROCESS WISE? IS THERE ANY OPINION AT ALL ON THAT? OTHERWISE I'LL ASSUME, LET'S SAY RANDOM RANDOM'S.
UH, I'LL JUST SHARE MY EXPERIENCE FROM TWO YEARS AGO.
UH, YOU KNOW, DURING THE CAMPAIGN TIME, WE SEE THAT ATTITUDE IS DIFFERENT THAT I WANT BE THE LAST PERSON TO SPEAK.
AND, UH, BUT, BUT DURING THE, YOU KNOW, MALE PRO SELECTION PROCESS THAT WE HAD, THERE WAS NO REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A VERY GOOD, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS COUNCIL, EVEN THOUGH WE, WE DON'T AGREE ALL THE TIME, ALL THAT TIME ON EVERYTHING, BUT AT LEAST WE HAVE THIS FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER THAT WE DON'T TRY TO REALLY CUT EACH OTHER EVEN DURING THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING.
SO WE HAVE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO SPEAKS FIRST, WHO SPEAKS SECOND OR THIRD, THAT WAS NEVER REALLY, I DID NOT SEE THAT ATTITUDE FROM ANYONE.
UH, SO IT JUST, ANYONE, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO SPEAK EARLY OR LAST, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
SO I DON'T THINK THOSE ARE REALLY, UH, AN ISSUE THAT EXISTS WITH THIS, UH, WITH THIS SIX COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO FOR NOW, WE'LL, WE'LL PUT DOWN RANDOM, UH, AND I WANT TO BE CAREFUL, UH, NOT THAT ANYONE'S DONE ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE AGAINST THIS, BUT I OBVIOUSLY DON'T WANT TO GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL OF WHATEVER Y'ALL DID IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
'CAUSE I RECOGNIZE THAT'S NOT GONNA BE EXACTLY THE MOST APPROPRIATE THING.
BUT I, I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S GONE BEYOND ANY POINT THAT, UH, OF, OF NO RETURN THERE.
UM, SO RANDOM SPEAKING ORDER SOUNDS LIKE THE ORDER IN TERMS OF SPEECHES.
SO LET'S JUST ASSUME WE HAVE A FIRST ROUND OF SPEECHES.
DO WE FEEL LIKE THREE MINUTES? DO WE FEEL LIKE FIVE MINUTES? DO WE FEEL LIKE 12 MINUTES? WHAT, WHAT IS THE
WE ALL, WE ALL SHOULD HAVE KIND OF EQUAL, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY WHENEVER THAT TIME COMES.
I, UH, I WOULD THINK THREE, UM, SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I MEAN, I THINK GENERALLY IF YOU START GOING ON TOO LONG AND YOU REALIZE YOU ARE GOING ON TOO LONG, YOU'VE GONE ON TOO LONG AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE
MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE YOU'RE ASKING FOR THEIR VOTE MAY NOT BE, UH, FAVORABLY INCLINED
SO, SO FAR I'M HEARING THREE MINUTES.
ARE THERE ANY THOUGHTS OF SOMETHING MUCH LONGER THAN THAT IN AN OPEN, OPEN SPEECH? PERFECT.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT THE LIMITED TO A SPECIFIED TIME, UM, Q AND A.
AFTER EVERY CANDIDATE HAS SPOKEN, SHOULD THEY BE SUBJECT TO Q AND A, OPEN TO ANY IDEAS THERE? I'M, I'M SEEING A BUNCH OF KNOTTED HEADS.
EVERYBODY'S OKAY WITH THAT, SO.
[00:55:01]
THAT THERE WILL BE Q AND A, UM, AND I SUPPOSE NO RESTRICTIONS BASED ON THE WAY, UH, THAT YOU GUYS ARE RESPONDING, HOWEVER MANY Q QUESTIONS THERE ARE.AND AT THAT POINT, DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF A FINAL STATEMENT AFTER THE Q AND A HAS BEEN DONE, OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE INITIAL STATEMENT'S GOOD ENOUGH? COUNCILMAN CORCORAN? I THINK A FINAL STATEMENT IS FINE.
THREE MINUTES AS WELL FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT.
I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT MORE IS THERE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I THINK THREE MINUTE OPENING STATEMENT, A FEW QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, HOWEVER MANY THERE ARE.
UM, IF YOU WANNA HAVE A QUICK CLOSING REMARK, FINE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU NEED A FINAL STATEMENT.
UM, I THINK THIS, THE INITIAL STATEMENT AND YOUR ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ARE PROBABLY ENOUGH.
UM, BUT IF YOU KNOW THE CONSENSUS IS A FINAL STATEMENT, I WOULD SAY MAKE IT SHORT AND SWEET.
AN ELEVATOR SPEECH, 30 SECONDS TO A MINUTE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO WRAP IT UP.
SO I HEAR ONE MINUTE, COUNCILMAN DORY.
I WANNA, I WANNA REITERATE THAT AS WELL.
I THINK IT WOULD, AFTER ALL THE, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY QUESTIONS THERE ARE THERE, A FINAL STATEMENT IS, I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF IT'S REALLY NECESSARY.
I THINK ALL THE ANSWERS ARE, WILL BE GIVEN DURING THE QUESTIONS.
COUNCILMAN BARRIOS? MAYOR, I, I AGREE, UH, WITH WHAT COUNCILMAN CORCORAN SAID, I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE KIND OF SHOOTING YOURSELF INTO YOUR OWN FOOT IF YOU'RE TAKING 12 MINUTES.
UH, I GUESS I'LL CUT MY SPEECH BACK DOWN, BUT YEAH.
BUT IN ALL HONESTY, IT'S, UH, IT KIND OF JUST WORKED OUT.
UH, IT, UM, WE, WE, I DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO LIMIT THE BACK AND FORTH THAT HAPPENED WHEN WE HAD THOSE, THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
UH, SO, SO I DO WANNA CAUTIOUS, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BE RESPECTFUL AND I THINK EVERYBODY'S OPEN.
AND, AND TO BE HONEST, MY ONE, I DON'T SEE HOW THREE MINUTES WOULD'VE AFFECTED ANYTHING IN OUR LAST ONE BECAUSE IT, THEY WERE ALL SHORT AND THERE WASN'T REALLY, YOU KNOW, A BUNCH OF SPEECHES HAPPENING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT WAS A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH AND DISCUSSION.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER WE DISCUSS HERE ISN'T LIMITING OR RUSHING THAT PROCESS.
TO DISCUSS THE DISCUSSION AMONG THE COUNCIL TO GET TO, YOU KNOW, IF COUNSEL AND JUSTICE SOMETHING'S IMPORTANT TO HER, SHE SHOULD HAVE THAT ABILITY.
I SHOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO KIND OF ASK QUESTIONS TO, SO I CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME.
AND THEN EVERYBODY HAVE THAT CHANCE, UH, FOR THE BACK AND FORTH WITH THE CANDIDATE SET FROM ME.
UH, I'D LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE THING THAT, THAT HAPPENED DURING LAST TIME.
UH, YOU KNOW, BE, BE CAREFUL ABOUT TALKING TOO MUCH DETAIL OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME, BUT NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE PROCESS, SOMETHING THAT DEFINITELY WE CAN SHARE OUTSIDE.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
UNLESS I QUOTE SOMEONE WHAT, WHO SAID WHAT AND HOW THEY QUOTE IT.
BUT ABSOLUTELY THE PROCESS, I THINK THAT WE HAVE LOTS OF MEMBERS SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE.
I THINK, I LOVE THE IDEA OF TRANSPARENCY.
WE NEED TO OPEN THE BOOK A HUNDRED PERCENT WHENEVER IT'S POSSIBLE.
NOW, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROCESS, LOOK AT THOSE BULLET ITEM, AND THEN AFTER THAT, SOMETHING STOPPED THERE.
IF YOU STOP LIKE BULLET POINT LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WRITE A COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, YOU HAVE TO PUT SOMETHING THAT, IF THAT HAPPENED, IF THAT HAPPENED, THEN YOU GO THERE.
YOU THEN YOU COME BACK AND YOU DO THE PROCESS.
SO AFTER THE CANDIDATE WITHDRAW THEIR NAME.
SO THERE IS AGAIN, ADDITIONAL QUESTION AND ANSWER COMES SURE.
WITH THE CANDIDATES BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE POPS UP, NEW QUESTION POPS UP.
SO, AND THEN THAT'S HOW YOU REALLY ELIMINATE CANDIDATE.
OKAY? THERE IS MORE CANDIDATE PROBABLY WOULD, WOULD DON NAME.
YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND START.
SO THERE IS, THAT'S WHY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, JENNIFER JUSTICE MENTIONED THAT THERE IS NO FINAL STATEMENT BECAUSE WE CONTINUE THE PROCESS AND THEN SURE.
SO IT, THAT'S WHY IT TAKES SOMETIMES LONGER, UH, NOT BECAUSE WE SPEAK LIKE 10 MINUTES, TWO MINUTES, FIVE MINUTES.
IT'S LIKE JUST A SPEECH, RIGHT? IT'S JUST A PROCESS.
SO WE CAN LOOP BACK TO LIKE BULLET TWO IF NEEDED OR AS, AS WE CALL THINGS DOWN.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT OR ARE WE GOOD? WE'RE GOOD.
UH, JUST TO CONCLUDE HERE, UM, I WANNA MAKE, UM, JUST SOME, I, I GUESS POINTS OF CLARIFICATION REGARDING VOTING FOR MAYOR PRO TEM.
UM, SO, UM, THE ONLY WAY TO ELECT A MAYOR PRO TEM WOULD BE FOR A MOTION TO ELECT A COUNCIL PERSON MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND THEN OF COURSE, RECEIVE A SECOND.
UH, A MINIMUM OF FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS MUST VOTE IN AFFIRMATIVE FOR THAT MOTION.
UH, AGAIN, THAT VOTE MUST TAKE PLACE IN PUBLIC.
UM, NOW REGARDING DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION REGARDING CANDIDATES MAY OCCUR IN PUBLIC OR EXECUTIVE SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 5 51 0 7 4 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
HOWEVER, NO VOTING IS ALLOWED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
AGAIN, ALL THAT, ALL VOTING MUST OCCUR.
ONLY DISCUSSION CAN TAKE PLACE IN THAT EXECUTIVE
[01:00:01]
SESSION.SO WHERE WE, UH, I THINK FIND OURSELVES AFTER MUCH, UH, GOOD FEEDBACK FROM YOU WITH RESPECT TO THINGS LIKE ROLE QUALIFICATIONS, UH, AND PROCESS IS, UM, UH, PRIOR TO YOU ADVANCING AND TRANSITIONING TO ACTION.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, UM, UM, I THINK THAT THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO ARRIVE AT A DECISION WITH RESPECT TO WHETHER NUMBER ITEM, NUMBER SEVEN WILL BE, UH, TAKE PLACE IN, UM, REGULAR SESSION, UH, OR EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, AND THEN, UM, ONCE THAT DECISION IS MADE, UH, MAYOR, I BELIEVE WE HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO, TO PROCEED ON.
THAT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN HELPFUL, SUPER HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO BREAK THIS DOWN.
AND I'D, I'D LOVE, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT DISCUSSION ON, UM, ON OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT, ABOUT
[7. ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE 2025-2027 CITY COUNCIL (CITY COUNCIL MAY DELIBERATE THIS ITEM IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS LISTED ON THE AGENDA) ]
MOVING ON TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.UM, YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND, AND ASIDE FROM, YOU KNOW, THE CAMPAIGN WE WENT THROUGH AND THE ELECTION AND, AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF, I ACTUALLY WENT BACK AND KIND OF LOOKED AT, UM, THE COUNCIL GOALS, UH, AND THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT THAT, THAT Y'ALL RATIFIED JUST, UH, TWO YEARS AGO.
UM, AND WHAT I PULLED OUT, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND, AND ALREADY DONE, UH, WAS WHILE EXECUTING OUR DUTIES, UM, THE COUNCIL WILL INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER STAFF STAKEHOLDERS RESPECTFULLY, PROFESSIONALLY AND EFFICIENTLY.
AND I, I'M HOPEFUL, UM, THAT AS WE TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GONNA DO NUMBER SEVEN, UH, HERE LIVE, OR IF WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN ALL HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF TRUST WITH EACH OTHER, THAT THIS CAN BE DONE PROFESSIONALLY, UH, THAT THIS CAN BE DONE RESPECTFULLY, UH, THAT THIS CAN BE DONE EFFICIENTLY.
UH, THERE ARE GOING TO BE TWO FULL YEARS OF DIFFERENT DECISIONS, MANY OF WHICH ARE GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR US, UH, TO FIGURE OUT, MANY OF WHICH WE'RE GOING TO DISAGREE WITH ON EACH OTHER.
UM, BUT WE'VE GOT RULES OF ENGAGEMENT THERE TO KIND OF GOVERN HOW WE SHOULD BE BEHAVING WITH EACH OTHER.
AND I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR US TO FIGURE OUT, AND FRANKLY, IT MIGHT HELP SOME DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE MAYOR PRO TEM CANDIDATE IS THE RIGHT CANDIDATE IF, IF THEY'RE ABLE TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES IN THESE KINDS OF WAYS.
SO, UM, I'D, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM EACH OF YOU OR ANY OF YOU THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN SPEAKING ON WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ABOUT DOING THIS IN THE OPEN ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, COUNCILMAN JUSTICE.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE SPIRIT OF WHAT, WHAT YOU, UM, WANT TO DO HERE.
I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M, I'M IN FAVOR OF IT.
UM, GENERALLY SPEAKING, I THINK I WOULD CAUTION, YOU KNOW, I, I FEAR THAT PERHAPS WHILE PROFESSIONAL AND RESPECTFUL, UM, ACTUAL FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE'S SERVICE MAY, UM, NOT BE AS HONEST AS THEY OTHERWISE WOULD BE.
UM, UM, THERE WON'T BE AS MUCH CLARITY OR IRONICALLY TRANSPARENCY AROUND WHY SOMEONE MIGHT BE SUPPORTING.
UM, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I CAN ABSOLUTELY CONDUCT MYSELF IN THE WAY THAT YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBED FROM OUR PROCEDURES.
AND, UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I, I'VE, FOR THAT REASON, I THINK IT'S, IT'S OKAY TO, TO, TO DO THIS IN OPEN SESSION.
I JUST THINK, UM, AGAIN, THERE, THERE WON'T BE AS MUCH CANDOR, UM, IS THE WORD I WAS LOOKING FOR.
UM, BUT I, I WOULD SUPPORT DOING IT AN OPEN SESSION.
UH, I THINK COUNCILMAN BARRIOS, SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE NEXT PERSON.
UM, I ALSO APPRECIATE YOUR DESIRE TO DO IT AND THE SPIRIT IN WHICH YOU'RE DOING IT.
I THINK ANYBODY WHO'S, WHO KNOWS ME PERSONALLY, AND SOME OF MY FRIENDS SPOKE THIS EVENING, UH, MANY, SOME OF WHO WORKED, UH, AND VOLUNTEERED ON, ON THE, A COUPLE OF THE CAMPAIGNS.
UM, AND I AM, I'M CONCERNED I'M NOT, I'M NOT FOR IT.
UM, AND I WANT TO EXPLAIN WHY.
UH, I THINK THAT THAT DISCUSSION, LOOKING BACK AT MY ONE, UH, EXPERIENCE IN THIS, THE DISCUSSION WE HAD IN EXECUTIVE SESSION WAS ONE, WHEN THERE WAS A LOT OF CANDOR, THINGS WERE SAID, THINGS WERE SAID THAT WEREN'T NECESSARILY EASY TO HEAR OR TO SAY, AND THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHY THAT MEETING TOOK SO LONG THAT, THAT EVENING.
BUT OF ALL THE MEETINGS I'VE HAD, WHETHER THEY'RE OPEN MEETINGS OR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF EXECUTIVE SESSIONS, THAT WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST BONDING EXPERIENCE THAT THIS, THAT, THAT COUNCIL EXPERIENCED, IN MY OPINION, IN THAT, IN THAT TERM.
UH, SO TO ME, I SAW IT AS A BONDING EXPERIENCE, AN ABILITY AS A COUNCIL, THAT FIRST THING WE DID WAS A BOND, A DISCUSSION, SOME TRUTHS, AND THAT
[01:05:01]
WAS NEEDED.UM, AND I THINK ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS I'M FOR TRANSPARENCY.
I AM A HUNDRED PERCENT, I, I PUSH FOR US TO ADOPT, UH, COUNCIL PROCEDURES.
I PUSH FOR, UM, OUR COMMIT OUR, UH, THE DISCUSSION, UM, AROUND OUR CHARTER COMMISSION BEING RECORDED AND PUBLIC.
SO I, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN A BIG PROPONENT OF TRANSPARENCY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYBODY OUT THERE THAT COULD REALLY, UM, HOLD THE FLAME AND SAY OTHERWISE, UM, TO, TO THAT.
UH, BUT, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED THE BONDING EXPERIENCE.
I FEEL THAT WHEN YOU HAVE IT IN AN OPEN DISCUSSION, UM, PEOPLE AREN'T GONNA BE, AS, YOU KNOW, I, PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE A LOT MORE NOT GONNA HAVE THE CANDOR, WHAT WAS THE WORD YOU USED? CANDOR.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU START CREATING A PRECEDENT OF HAVING THESE IN AN OPEN DISCUSSION, UH, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA PUSH.
YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT CITIES AROUND US.
I WAS TALKING TO A COUPLE FRIENDS OF MINE, UH, IN DALLAS, IN ALL HONESTY, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, AND THEY, THEY DO THIS IN A OPEN MANNER AS WELL.
AND I SAID, COUNCILMAN, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? LIKE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? HE SAID, TO BE HONEST, HE GOES, WE DECIDE AHEAD OF TIME.
MAYOR COMES IN, WE ALL KNOW WHO IT'S GONNA BE.
AND IT JUST HAPPENS BECAUSE NOBODY'S GOING TO END UP WITH EGG ON THEIR FACE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE CANDOR REQUIRED.
AND, UH, THOSE ARE THE TWO BIGGEST CONCERNS OF MINE.
AND I THINK, UM, THAT WHEN I GO TO THE VOTING, VOTING BOOTH, NOBODY KNOWS WHO I VOTE FOR.
UM, NOW, I MEAN, IT'S NO SECRET.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, ANYBODY KNOWS THIS, KNOWS ME PERSONALLY, KNOWS KIND OF HOW I LEAN AND VOTE.
BUT, BUT ULTIMATELY THERE'S SOMETHING VERY PERSONAL ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND TO HAVE THAT OUT IN THE OPEN, UM, BECAUSE THINK OF IT, IF THIS PERSON, LET'S SAY THIS MAYOR PRO TEM IS ELECTED, AND, YOU KNOW, LORD FORBID SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO THE MAYOR, UH, THIS PERSON WOULD STEP INTO THAT ROLE AND IT WOULD BE LIKE ELECTING THE MAYOR.
AND, UM, THAT, THAT IS, I KNOW EVERYBODY TAKES HOW THEY VOTE VERY SERIOUSLY.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP, UM, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, I THINK THIS, THIS PROCEDURE YOU'VE WALKED US THROUGH, UM, THIS EVENING DEFINITELY HELPED SAY SOME THINGS PUBLICLY THAT PRIOR HADN'T BEEN DONE.
UH, I WILL SAY, COMING IN, I WASN'T SURE HOW THAT WAS GONNA WORK.
AND I WILL COMPLIMENT YOU, MAYOR, AND I APPRECIATE YOU, YOU PUSHING OUT ON THE AGENDA AND ALLOWING US TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THAT, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS KIND OF SLOW TO TAKE.
BUT I DO THINK THIS PIECE OF IT NEEDS TO REMAIN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, JUST A COUPLE COMMENTS AND THEN WE CAN GO TO THERE.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, AS WAS ALREADY STATED, RIGHT, ANY VOTING WE'RE GONNA DO, PEOPLE ARE GONNA KNOW HOW WE VOTE BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO DO THE VOTE IN PERSON.
UM, SO WE JUST NEED TO KIND OF KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL.
EITHER WAY, PEOPLE ARE GONNA KNOW WHO WE VOTED FOR BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE, UH, IN PERSON REGARDLESS.
UM, THE SECOND, AND, AND IT'S JUST A, A MY, MY THOUGHT, WHICH IS THIS IS OUR FIRST ACTION WE GET TO TAKE AS A NEW COUNCIL, AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SHOW OUR RESIDENTS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DO THIS.
UM, AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BREAK NEW GROUND FROM A TRANSPARENCY PERSPECTIVE, WHICH I FEEL LIKE HAS KIND OF BEEN A BIG, A BIG ITEM OUT THERE.
BUT COUNCILMAN DORIAN, LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS.
UM, AND, AND I TOO RESPECT THE FACT OF TRANSPARENCY.
I THINK THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL, IF I CAN SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, ARE FOR TRANSPARENCY AND HAVE BEEN, AND I THINK GOING THROUGH, UH, POTENTIALLY MOST OF THESE BULLET POINTS KIND OF SHOWS THE FACT THAT WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING, UH, IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT I'M GONNA HAVE TO AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN BARRIOS AS WELL.
I I DO AGREE THAT, UM, FROM MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR, UH, THINGS ARE DISCUSSED, UH, PERSONAL, PRIVATE THINGS ARE DISCUSSED ABOUT INDIVIDUALS THAT I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF WANT TO BE AIRED, SO TO SPEAK.
UM, ALL I DO ASK IS ONCE WE MAKE A DECISION IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, IS THAT WE COME OUT, WHOEVER WE'VE SELECTED OR VOTE ON, THAT WE STATE WHY WE DID.
BUT I'M OPPOSED TO HAVING THIS IN AN OPEN SESSION.
I THINK, UH, MOVING FORWARD IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION IS THE APPROPRIATE THING TO DO
[01:10:01]
TO PROTECT, UH, EVERYONE'S PERSONAL INTEREST BECAUSE EVERYONE IS CANDID ABOUT THE DETAILS OF WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF OR NOT.AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK FRANKLY.
AND THEREFORE, THERE SHOULD BE NO EMBARRASSMENT FOR ANYONE.
SO THEREFORE, I AM SUPPORTING THIS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I'VE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE DISCUSSED THIS EVENING.
SO I WENT AND I DID QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH, AND I, I, I WANT TO COME DOWN ON A FEW POINTS.
NUMBER ONE, AS I SEE THIS FOR A TRANSPARENCY STANDPOINT, WE'RE REALLY DEALING WITH WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER A PERSONNEL MATTER.
WE ARE, IN ESSENCE INTERVIEWING WHOEVER RAISES THEIR HAND AND ASKS TO RECEIVE VOTES FOR THE MAYOR PRO TIM, AS VERY MUCH INTERVIEW PROCESS, WHENEVER I LOOK AT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT, UM, BRINGING ON THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT, MOST RECENTLY, IF WE LOOKED TO DALLAS, THEY BROUGHT ON THEIR POLICE CHIEF AND THEIR FIRE CHIEF.
ALL OF THOSE INTERVIEWS WERE DONE IN PRIVATE, THOSE INTERVIEWS WERE NOT DONE OUT IN PUBLIC.
SO I SEE, I, I HEAR COMPLETELY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, AND I AGREE WITH YOU ON THE, ON BEING TRANSPARENT.
AND AS WE DISCUSSED BEFORE, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS A PART OF OUR, AS WE GO THROUGH OUR STRATEGIES AND, AND OUR, AND OUR GOALS, I VERY MUCH WANNA SEE US CONTINUE TO MOVE THIS FORWARD.
BUT I DO SEE THIS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, SO THAT, AGAIN, I KNOW THERE'LL BE PEOPLE THAT WILL DISCUSS THIS TOMORROW.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M, I'M PERFECTLY CLEAR WHY I'M SAYING THIS.
I REALLY SEE IT, AND IT'S A KEY WORD THAT'S ON THIS SLIDE.
IT SAYS, PERSONNEL, I SEE THIS AS AN INTERVIEW PROCESS.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY ONE OF US WHO'S EVER GONE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW THAT'S EVER HAD THE ROOM OPEN, AND ANYONE AND EVERYONE COULD COME IN AND BE A PART OF THAT INTERVIEW PROCESS.
SO I SEE THIS A LITTLE DIFFERENT AS COMPARED TO A TYPICAL ELECTION OF A, OF SOMEONE.
YES, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, MAYOR, WHEN WE COME, ASSUMING WE MOVE INTO, UH, INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHEN WE COME OUT, WE WILL ALL MAKE OUR, OUR STATEMENT ON, UM, I'M SORRY, WE'LL ALL MAKE OUR VOTE IN, IN PUBLIC.
I WOULD SUGGEST AS A POSSIBLY A TEMPERING POINT FOR TO, TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY.
AND AGAIN, BEING THE LONGEST, WE'VE NEVER DONE THIS, BUT WHEN WE COME OUT, HOWEVER WE VOTE, WHATEVER OUR VOTE IS, THAT IS A PART OF OUR VOTE THAT WE WOULD STATE WHY WE ARE VOTING FOR THE PERSON.
UM, WHO IS WHO, WHO WILL BE THE NEXT MAYOR PRO TEM? I THINK THAT WOULD ADD A, AN AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE TO GET IN.
I MEAN, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S SIMPLY IF WE SAY, WELL, WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IF, AS AN EXAMPLE, IF IT WAS, YOU KNOW, BOB SMITH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM, AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, I VOTED FOR BOB BECAUSE I FELT LIKE HE WAS MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE OF, OF COUNCIL PROCEDURES, UM, YOU KNOW, WAS VERY, VERY, UH, AWARE OF THE SENSITIVITIES, WHAT, WHATEVER MY REASONS WERE.
I THINK THAT WOULD ADD A, A LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY SO THAT WAY PEOPLE KNOW WHY, WHY WE VOTED, UM, OR, OR MAYBE NOT WHY WE WOULD VOTED, BUT OUR RATIONALE FOR OUR VOTING.
SO I WOULD PUT THAT OUT THERE AS MAYBE A MIDDLE GROUND TO KIND OF MEET WHERE YOU WANT, WHERE, WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING TO BE, AND WHERE WE'VE HEARD FROM OTHER COUNCIL PEOPLE.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT WE, WE, WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'VE, YOU'VE SAID IT, BUT I JUST, I DO WANNA KIND OF TOUCH ON, YOU'VE, YOU'VE MADE A COUPLE GREAT EXAMPLES.
THEY ARE PAID PROFESSIONALS, UH, CITY MANAGERS, UH, UH, CHIEFS OF POLICE AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND, YOU KNOW, RUNNING THE MEETING TONIGHT AS SOMEONE WHO HAD TO GO THROUGH A VERY PUBLIC JOB INTERVIEW, UH, WHO HAD THINGS AIRED ABOUT 'EM, BOTH REAL AND UNREAL, UH, BUT THOSE WERE ALL A PART OF IT.
AND AGAIN, UH, I PUT MYSELF UP TO THAT, UM, UH, AS A CANDIDATE, AND TO SOME DEGREE WE WOULD BE PUTTING OURSELVES UP FOR, FOR IT, IF YOU ARE PUTTING YOURSELF UP FOR MAYOR PRO TEM.
SO I JUST, I JUST WANT TO, I'M NOT, I'M NOT REBUTTING SO MUCH AS I JUST WANT YOU TO KIND OF CONTINUE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE MY THINKING IS.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU, MAYOR AGAIN.
UH, NOW ONE THING, REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ELECTED BY THE VOTERS.
SO, AND OUR CHARTER ALSO SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR IS GOING TO BE ELECTED BY THE VOTER DIRECTLY, AND THE MAYOR PROGRAM WOULD BE ELECTED BY THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO NOW IF IT IS, LIKE, IF OUR VOTERS, THEY THINK THAT THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE NEED
[01:15:01]
TO MAKE IT DIRECTLY ELECTED BY THE VOTERS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT IT, THEN THAT OPTION, MAKE IT REALLY TRANSPARENT.NOT, NOT LIKE GOING, YOU KNOW, HALFWAY, THERE IS NO HALFWAY TRANSPARENCY.
TRANSPARENCY NEED TO BE LIKE FULL WAY IF WE NEED TO DO THAT.
NOW, AGAIN, ON THIS ONE, THIS IS, UH, THIS IS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, KEN HUTCHEN MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A MORE LIKE A JOB INTERVIEW AMONG THE COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL.
SO LOTS OF PERSONAL QUESTION COMES UP.
LOTS OF OTHER OTHER THINGS COMES UP.
THAT'S NOT VERY EASY THINGS TO HEAR OR ANSWER.
AND I WISH, YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS THAT I HEAR, NOT ANYMORE.
IN THE PAST, I DID HEAR PRIVATELY PEOPLE WOULD SPEAK THOSE THINGS PRI YOU KNOW, PUBLICLY.
THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE COMMENT TO ME PUBLICLY.
UH, I HEARD MANY OF YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE.
UH, NOW, AGAIN, IF THIS WAS THE IDEAL WORLD, IF YOU BEHAVE NICELY PUBLICLY, YOU SHOULD BE BEHAVING NICELY PRIVATELY ALSO.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE IDEAL WORLD.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE NOT LIVING IN AN IDEAL WORLD.
UH, WE LIVE IN A TOUGH WORLD, AND I WAS BORN, I HAD TO ACCEPT IT, ACCEPT THIS, I'M STILL ALIVE, SO I NEED TO ACCEPT IT.
OTHERWISE, I WOULD NOT BE ALIVE.
I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS UNTIL I, MY, UH, LAST BREATH I TAKE.
SO THESE ARE, THESE ARE THE REALITY, YOU KNOW, TO ME, IF WE CAN MAKE ALL THIS TRANSPARENT GRADE, BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND REALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T REALLY GO BY DEFINITION.
THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETIMES ANOTHER VARIABLE THAT'S IN IT THAT THROW THE WHOLE ONE PLUS ONE BECOME A DIFFERENT NUMBER.
SO I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, CARTER IAN, COUNCIL MEMBER DAN BARRIERS AND COUNCIL MEMBER KEN CHEN RIDER ALREADY MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THESE ARE THE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH, UH, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE, LIKE, WE LOVE TO SEE THIS THING PUBLIC, BUT TWO HOURS OR THREE HOURS CONVERSATION BACK AND FORTH, UH, IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOTS OF CONVERSATION OUT THERE AND IT'S ALL PERSONAL MATTER, REALLY.
UH, ANY PUBLIC DECISION, ABSOLUTELY.
UH, WE NEED TO COME UP AND, UH, MENTION, UH, HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW WE MAKE THE DECISION.
UH, BUT ALSO WE NEED TO PROBABLY ADD IT ANOTHER, OUR CHARTER STILL UNDER REVIEW.
WE CAN ADD ANOTHER CLAUSE, HOW TO REMOVE THE MAIL PRO IF THERE'S SOMETHING.
DEFINITELY, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT, UH, I THINK THERE ARE ALL THE GOOD SUGGESTION, BUT I WOULD, I WOULD GO, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I LOVE TO SEE THIS THING PUBLICLY HAPPEN, BUT, UH, I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS, I WOULD SUPPORT THE EXECUTIVE MEETINGS.
SO, UH, I SEE THAT THERE'S THREE OTHER LIGHTS ON.
I'M HAPPY TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, BUT I'VE ALSO KIND OF COUNTED ENOUGH NOS TO HAVE A PRETTY GOOD FEEL FOR WHERE THIS IS GOING.
SO IF, IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT ARE DESIRED, TOTALLY, TOTALLY HAPPY TO GO THROUGH 'EM.
OTHERWISE WE'LL GET TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN, UH, UH, JUMP TO A MOTION, UH, AND, AND GO THAT ROUTE AS WELL.
BUT, UH, COUNCILMAN CORCORAN, UH, YOUR LIGHT, I THINK WAS ON NEXT.
UM, IT WAS, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THIS IS, I'M REALLY, I WAS LEANING MORE TOWARDS WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE WAS SAYING.
I MEAN, I, I JUST WANNA REMIND, THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST NIGHTS OF THE YEAR.
UH, I, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THAT OF ALL OF OUR MEETINGS, UH, THE LAST SESSION, I MEAN, THIS ONE WAS EMOTIONALLY THE MOST DRAINING AND THE HARDEST.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE THAT WAY AGAIN EVERY TWO YEARS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE WHO, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE WHO WANNA SEE THIS AND EXPECT TO BE THE FLY ON THE WALL, WHILE WE EITHER ARE OUT HERE ASKING EACH OTHER TOUGH QUESTIONS, OR OUT HERE WITNESSING A BUNCH OF BANTER BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN ALL THE COUNCIL AND JUST EXPECT TO BE THE FLY ON THE WALL IN WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN AN EXECUTIVE STYLE SESSION, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
WE'RE GONNA CLAM UP, WE'RE GONNA BE QUIET.
AND AS COUNCILMAN BARRIO SAID, SURE, YOU GET THE VOTE AND YOU GET THE MEETING IN PUBLIC.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WANT IT, FIND 'EM WILLING TO TRY IT.
BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S GONNA END UP RESULTING IN, IN LESS TRANSPARENCY.
BUT SINCE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF MY FEELING ON IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M WILLING TO TRY ANYTHING ONCE
SO, SO THAT WAS A POTENTIAL YES, I THINK WAS NO, THAT WOULD'VE, I WOULD'VE MAYOR, I MEAN, I WOULD'VE, I WOULD'VE SAID SURE.
AND I WOULD'VE SAID THOSE, YEAH, ALL THOSE SAME, THOSE SAME WORDS.
I DON'T THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WHAT THEY SEE VERSUS WHAT THEY EXPECT.
AND I, I'LL, I'LL SUGGEST THIS.
IF WE TOOK EVERY SINGLE DIFFICULT DECISION THAT WAS MADE BEFORE THE COUNCIL, CALL IT AN APARTMENT CASE, CALL IT A, ANY CASE, UH, THAT COMES BEFORE US, UH, AND IF WE DID IT IN CLOSED SESSION, WE MIGHT HAVE KNOCKED DOWN DRAG OUTS EVERY SINGLE TIME.
UH, BUT BY HAVING IT AN OPEN SESSION, WE ACTUALLY ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE TO RISE TO A LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM.
[01:20:01]
AND THAT'S, THAT'S ULTIMATELY, I, MY GOAL WAS TO MAKE THAT DISTRESS A LITTLE BIT LESS, UH, THAN IT WAS TWO YEARS, SO THAT IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE A TWO YEAR DISTRESS, BUT INSTEAD A TWO YEAR EXERCISE OF RESTRAINT AND PROFESSIONALISM.UM, COUNCILMAN BARRIOS, I THINK YOU MAY HAVE BEEN NEXT, AND I APOLOGIZE, I'LL GET BETTER AT REMEMBERING WHAT LIGHTS WENT ON FIRST.
UH, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB THIS FIRST TIME.
UM, TWO, I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THERE THAT TAKING THIS IN THE PUBLIC WILL GIVE THIS KIND OF FALSE SENSE OF TRANSPARENCY.
UM, I AM ALL FOR IT BEING, IF WE AS A COMMUNITY DECIDE WE WANT IT A MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT VERSION, AND WE DECIDE THAT'S A GOOD THING.
'CAUSE IN THE NEXT MONTH WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE CHARTER, WHAT THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION IS BRINGING TO US, AND THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PUBLIC TO COME.
AND IF THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE NEED TO CHANGE, WHETHER IT'S, YEAH, I DON'T KNOW, I AND MUCH MORE DECIDED BY THE VOTERS, HECK, I'M, I WOULD EVEN SUPPORT RANK CHOICE OF VOTING.
BUT WE KNOW THAT'S NOT ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANNA MAKE IT AND WE AS A COMMUNITY DECIDE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO IN A PUBLIC FORUM, I WOULD SUPPORT THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
BUT BASED ON WHERE IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, UM, I THINK THAT YES, DOING THIS IN A PUBLIC SENSE, UM, WILL, WILL GIVE A FALSE SENSE OF TRANSPARENCY.
AND, UM, WE HAVE ALL BEEN ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE, AND I KNOW I HAVE FRIENDS AUDIENCE WHO AREN'T VERY HAPPY WITH ME RIGHT NOW, AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, AND I STILL LOVE YOU GUYS.
AND I HOPE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY, THEY WILL STILL, UM, APPRECIATE THE SPIRIT IN WHICH I'M MAKING THIS DECISION.
BUT I REALLY THINK THAT, UH, FOR PURELY TRANSPARENT, IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, UNDER OUR CURRENT FORM OF ELECTING AMERI PRO TEM, THAT COIN EXECUTIVE SESSION IS, IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO HERE.
YEAH, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE KNOW WHERE THIS IS HEADING, BUT YEP.
I, I LIKED SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS ABOUT EITHER EXPLAINING YOUR VOTE.
I ALSO THINK THERE'S A MIDDLE GROUND POTENTIALLY, UM, SINCE WE SORT OF KNOW THE ORDER OF THINGS, THERE'LL BE SPEECHES, THERE'LL BE QUESTIONS OF SORTS OF THINGS.
PERHAPS ANYONE WHO WANTS TO RUN IDENTIFIES THEMSELF BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION GIVES THEIR SPEECH, AND THEN WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE DELIBERATE THAT WAY THAT, THAT ADDS A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY, BUT ALLOWS THE QUOTE UNQUOTE EMOTIONAL PARTS, UH, AND THE TRANSPARENT PARTS TO HAPPEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
UM, I, I, NOT SURE HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE SUGGESTION.
COUNCILMAN CORCORAN? NO, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD SUGGESTION.
UH, SO THERE, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A HYBRID IF THAT'S WHAT'S DESIRED.
OTHERWISE, UH, I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY MOTION RELATED TO THIS.
COUNCILMAN HUTCHIN RIDER, JUST TO, TO, SINCE WE TALKED ABOUT ONE BEFORE COUNCILWOMAN JUSTICE BROUGHT THIS UP, I'LL JUST START OUT BY SAYING I'LL, I'LL SAY, I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO MOVE THE, I GUESS I'LL SAY THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM SELECTION PROCESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, JUST TO ADVANCE THE DISCUSSION.
COUNCILMAN BARRIOS? I SECOND THAT.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT A MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HUTCHIN RIDER AS SECOND BY COUNCILMAN BARRIOS.
WE HAVE OUR FIRST FOUR THREE, UH, ELECTION, UM, OR DECISION I SHOULD SAY.
AND NOW THAT I'VE DONE THAT, UM, I WILL READ ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.
SO, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE 20 25, 20 27.
NO, YOU, YOU'RE JUST GONNA ANNOUNCE THAT YOU, THAT THE COUNCIL'S GOING RIGHT AFTER THAT.
I WAS GONNA GO INTO EXECUTIVE SECTION.
HE'S JUST READING THE CAPTION, THEN HE IS GONNA READ.
[EXECUTIVE SESSION ]
WITH THE SECTION 5 51 0.074 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE COUNSEL WILL CONVENE INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL DELIBERATE THE SELECTION, EVALUATION, AND DUTIES OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM.[RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION ]
WILL RECONVENE IN, OH, DID YOU ALREADY POINT AT ME? I SHOULD HAVE WAITED, UH, CONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION AND TAKE ACTION IF ANY ON MATTERS DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.I AM OPENING THE FLOOR FOR A MOTION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN, UH,
[01:25:01]
MR. MAYOR, I MOVED TO ELECT, UH, KEN HUDDER AS MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE 20 25, 20 27 IN CITY COUNCIL TERM.IS THAT, DO I HAVE A SECOND WHAT WE'RE DOING? OR COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE, ARE YOU GONNA ASK FOR DISCUSSION AFTER THE SECOND? YES, I AM.
SO I'VE HEARD OF FIRST AND SECOND LOVE TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION, UH, BEFORE WE ACTUALLY VOTE.
IS THAT I, I, I APOLOGIZE IF I DID THAT OUTTA ORDER, BUT, UH, ENTERTAIN, UH, MOTIONS OR, OR DISCUSSION AND I HEAR, I SEE YOUR LIGHT IS ON COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE, GO AHEAD.
I, I THINK WE SAID BEFORE WE WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT THIS WAS THE DESIRE THAT WE'VE COME OUT AND MAKE COMMENTS, SO I WANNA DO THAT.
UM, I 110% SUPPORT KEN, UH, FOR THIS POSITION.
HE'S BEEN, HE'S SERVED LONGER THAN ANYBODY ON THIS, UM, COUNCIL.
UM, I WILL JUST ALSO SAY WE, WE HAD, UH, AN ABILITY TO, UM, ADVANCE OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY TODAY, AND WE'VE NOT DONE THAT.
UM, AND IT'S A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTING TO ME, NOT BECAUSE OF KEN HIMSELF.
UM, HE, AGAIN, IS HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND I SUPPORT HIM A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR THE POSITION.
UM, BUT WANTED TO STATE MY, MY DISAPPOINTMENT, UM, IN THAT DECISION, UM, GIVEN OUR, UM, OUR GREAT COMMITMENT TO, TO DIVERSITY, UM, UH, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
ANY OTHER STATEMENTS ABOUT HOW WE'RE ABOUT TO VOTE? I KNOW WE AT LEAST INDICATED THAT SOME OF US WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT.
UH, IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE AS A MAYOR PRO, PRO TERM LAST TWO YEARS.
AND, UH, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO I DID MENTION THAT ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE QUALIFIED TO BE THE MALE PRO AND, UH, AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO CHOOSE ONE.
UH, BUT AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, WE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT WHO HAS THE MOST EXPERIENCE, EVEN THOUGH EXPERIENCE ARE PRETTY MUCH CLOSE TO EACH OTHER, UH, AND, UH, TO BE MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD, UH, WITH THEIR, UH, UH, RESPONSE.
SO THAT WAS ANOTHER THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, I CONSIDERED.
AND, UH, AND ABILITY TO, TO RUN BUSINESS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY PROFESSIONALLY BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS THAT QUALIFICATION, BUT ALSO SOME HAS LITTLE MORE THAN THE OTHERS.
SO THAT WAS SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT I LOOKED AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I TOOK THIS TIME.
UM, IT IS NO SECRET, UH, TO, TO THOSE WHO I'VE HAD A PLEASURE OF TALKING TO HER THE PAST FEW WEEKS THAT I WAS, UM, ONE OF THE ONES THAT WAS WILLING TO, WANTING TO THROW MY NAME TO THE HAT.
UH, WITH THAT SAID, UM, THAT THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF ASPECTS THAT GO INTO A DECISION, AND I WILL SAY THERE'S NO SECRET THAT COUNCILMAN HUTCHIN RIDER OFTENTIMES END UP ON DIFFERENT SIDES FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
AND WE'VE HAD OUR DIFFERENCES IN FRONT AND BEHIND CAMERA, ON AND OFF OF CAMERA AS THEY SAY.
AND WITH THAT SAID, I SUPPORT COUNCILMAN HUTCHIN RIDER FOR MAYOR PRO TEM.
I THINK HE WILL, UM, DO A GREAT JOB.
HE DOES HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FROM THE COUNCIL.
I THINK THAT WHO YOU SEE WHEN YOU SEE COUNCILMAN HU RIDER IS THE SAME IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA AS HE IS OFF CAMERA FOR GOOD AND FOR BAD, JUST LIKE ME.
UH, THAT'S ONE THING I THINK WE, WE SHARE IN COMMON.
UH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TEND TO EITHER LOVE US OR THEY DON'T, AND THAT'S OKAY.
UM, WHILE WE MAY HAVE OUR DIS DISAGREEMENTS, OFTENTIMES WE COME AF BEHIND THE FACT, WHETHER IT'S THE NEXT DAY OR A WEEK LATER, WE, WE DISCUSS IT AND WE, WE SHARE DIFFERENCES.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT HE HAS THE PASSION AND THE INTELLIGENCE, UM, TO, AND THE ABILITY TO SPEAK.
AND, UH, WE, I WILL SAY THAT ANY FEEDBACK I BELIEVE I'VE PROVIDED TO HIM, UH, PREVIOUSLY AND TODAY IN CLOSE SESSION, I THINK HE'LL TAKE TO HEART.
AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING HIM IN AS MAYOR PROAM.
I THINK HE'LL DO A GOOD JOB WORKING WITH OUR MAYOR, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD AS A CITY.
SO, COUNCIL, THAT'S, WE'LL BE VOTING.
WE HAD, UM, GREAT AND FRANK DISCUSSION, UH, DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I, IT'S, AS I'D MENTIONED EARLIER, AND I'VE MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES, IT IS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DECISION.
I HAVE TWO OF MY OG FRIENDS, LONGEST SERVING ON COUNCIL WITH ME, UM, WHO WERE BOTH REALLY, REALLY QUALIFIED FOR THE ROLE.
BOTH ARE GREAT COMMUNICATORS, BOTH ARE EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT, BOTH DO
[01:30:01]
THEIR HOMEWORK AND KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.UM, I LEANED SLIGHTLY TOWARDS COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE BECAUSE OF MY PERCEIVED ABILITY TO RUN FOR HER TO RUN A MEETING IF THINGS GOT REALLY DIFFICULT OR IF THERE WAS A TOUGH ZONING CASE AND WORKING THROUGH THAT PROCEDURALLY.
BUT I ALSO AM GONNA BE PROUD TO CAST MY VOTE FOR COUNCIL MEMBER HUTCH RIDER WITH THE MAJORITY, BECAUSE I THINK HE IS, I KNOW HE IS GONNA BE A FANTASTIC MAYOR PRO TO, AND HE'S GONNA REPRESENT OUR CITY VERY, VERY WELL.
CAN I ASK ONE THING? OH, UM, OH, OKAY.
I, UH, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO, I HAVE TO AGREE.
THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION.
I, I, I KNOW EVERYONE WALKS AWAY FEELING UNEASY BECAUSE IT'S A HARD DECISION.
BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, PLUS WE'VE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS AND WE'VE LEARNED TO WORK TOGETHER AND, AND, AND REALLY HONESTLY HAVE BECOME FRIENDS.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND I CONSIDER JENNIFER AS A FRIEND.
AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I I, I WAS MAKING MY NOTES HERE AS WE WERE LOOKING AT.
SHE CAN DEMAND THE ATTENTION OF HER ROOM.
SHE'S PROFESSIONAL, AND YES, SHE CAN CARRY A MEETING AND ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO DO THIS JOB.
AND, UH, AND YES, I DO AGREE THAT, UM, SPEAKING ABOUT BEING, UH, MORE DIVERSIFIED, I, YOU KNOW, I POTENTIALLY THINK THAT WE DO NEED MORE FEMALE ON THIS DIET, AND HOPEFULLY THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL, UH, RESONATE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT I ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, DID, DID, UH, SUPPORT KEN.
UH, AND I DID THAT FOR A COUPLE DIFFERENT REASONS.
ONE, I'M LOOKING AT SENIORITY AND, AND HOW THOSE DOMINOES WILL FALL OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
I, I KNOW KEN, UM, YOU KNOW, HAS, LIKE I SAID, OVER 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
HE'S BEEN ON THE COUNCIL FOR SIX YEARS.
UH, HE KNOWS, HE DOES HAVE A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, HE UNDERSTANDS NAVIGATE BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSPORTATION AND THE WATER DISTRICT.
AND HE'S KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THOSE THINGS.
SO BOTH OF THEM ARE GREAT CANDIDATES.
AND IF WE COULD CHOOSE TWO MAYOR PRO TEMS OR CO MAYOR PRO TEM, I WOULD'VE, WE WOULD'VE DONE THAT, BELIEVE ME.
AND IT, I ALWAYS FEEL BAD ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS A HARD DECISION FOR ALL OF US TO MAKE, BUT I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW MY FEELINGS AND WHERE I'M THINKING AND, AND HOPEFULLY IT, YOU KNOW, IT KEEPS US UNITED.
UH, YES, I WISH TO SEE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE TOP WISH I HAVE AS A COUNCIL MEMBER IS THAT LIKE TO SEE A FEMALE MALE IN THE FUTURE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING, NOT JUST A FEMALE, ALSO BLACK FEMALE, MA MALE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT CORRECTLY.
THERE ARE SO MANY QUALIFIED PEOPLE HAVE MET OVER THE YEARS AROUND THE CITY.
SO THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE, THERE ARE WOMEN THERE, THEY CAN STEP IN TO RUN FOR MALE EVENT.
AND, UH, AND IF WE CAN LOOK AT THAT ROTATION WISE NEXT TIME, LOOK FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
I, I SERVED LAST TWO YEARS THIS YEAR.
SOMEONE ELSE IS RUNNING NEXT YEAR, TWO YEARS FROM NOW.
SOMEBODY ELSE HOPEFULLY WILL RUN, UH, WILL BE ON THE MALE PRO TEAM ALSO.
UM, I, I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF, OF ALL OF YOU, UH, FOR JUST THE WAY YOU'VE CONDUCTED YOURSELVES, HOW YOU HANDLED THE CONVERSATION, THE DISCUSSION, UM, JUST, UH, MAKES ME THAT MUCH MORE EXCITED TO WORK WITH YOU GUYS.
UM, I KNOW THESE THINGS ARE TOUGH, UH, AND, UM, UH, BUT WE'VE GOTTEN THROUGH ONE TOUGH THING TOGETHER NOW, AND, AND HOPEFULLY THIS WILL, UH, BE A HARBINGER FOR HOW WE HANDLE THINGS GOING FORWARD.
UM, INCREDIBLY, INCREDIBLY QUALIFIED.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT WAS INTERESTED IN THIS, I THOUGHT HAD VERY LEGITIMATE REASONS TO BE ABLE TO BE THE RIGHT CHOICE.
UM, AND SO I WANT TO THANK EACH OF YOU WHO WERE INTERESTED.
UM, BUT I'M ALSO, UM, HAPPY TO BE SUPPORTING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, HUTCHIN RIDER, UH, WITH THE VOTE.
SO IF THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER COMMENTS, ALL IN FAVOR? ALRIGHT.
ALL OPPOSED, CONGRATULATIONS, KEN, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHIN RIDER.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SERVING WITH YOU.
UM, IN COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 5 51 0.0 7, 1 1, AND TWO OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE COUNCIL WILL CONVENE INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING CONSULTATION WITH CITY ATTORNEY REVIEW OF DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND STATE AND LOCAL ETHICS REQUIREMENTS FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.