2011-02-14 Reg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Burns asked Mayor Welsch about the email they sent with concerns they had. She said she appreciated Mayor’s response but in this email the Mayor talked about a Council Manager government and asked what it meant where the Mayor has no input. Mayor Welsch stated she would prefer to talk to her about this in the office but in basic form the City Council sets policy for the City but it is up to the City Manager and his staff to implement policy. The questions Ms. Burns asked would be more appropriately answered by the City Manager and he did respond to her email. Mayor Welsch said she and other members of the Council should not be answering administrative questions. Ms. Burns wanted to know what questions she could ask the Mayor. She wanted to know what her duties were and Mayor Welsch said she would be glad to sit down with her to discuss. Ms. Burns asked how the new grant was doing and Mayor Welsch stated Mr. Walker will call her the next morning with any updates. Cindy Thierry, 8135 Stanford Ms. Thierry stated when Ms. Welsch was a Councilmember she was influential in hiring Joyce Pumm as the City Clerk. She was so influential the City ended up paying thousands to settle a discrimination suit with the plaintiff. Ms. Thierry said as Mayor, Ms. Welsch has once again used her position to substitute one person for whom she apparently does not care for, for another which she preferred to be on the Economic Development Tax Board (EDTB). She wanted to know if this is going to cost the City more money? Ms. Thierry said Ms. Nickerson was removed from the EDTB from which she was appointed, approved by the Council and sworn in by the City Clerk. Mayor had asked for but did not receive Ms. Nickerson’s resignation. Without disclosing the removal of Ms. Nickerson, Mayor asked for a vote on her nominee. Unaware of the displacement of Ms. Nickerson the Council approved. She said Mayor Welsch claimed there was a Sunshine Law violation in Ms. Nickerson’s appointment which would have made it invalid. Ms. Thierry stated that Mayor Welsch and City Clerk Ms. Pumm have not been the most forthcoming with Sunshine requests. She is upset with the Mayor’s use of her position. Ms. Thierry noted what she called the “bait and switch” on the hiring of the search firm for the City Manager, engineering Mr. Walker into his position, just as she helped Ms. Pumm into hers. Ms. Thierry stated that Mayor Welsch first refused to allow two Councilmembers request to add an item on to the agenda. She noted the residents will speak out on the way Mayor is altering our government and community. Sheila Laurent, 8623 Rowland Ms. Laurent voiced concern over another dog in her neighborhood that almost killed her dog. The owner use to have three dogs but now is down to two and the dogs have been issues for about three to five years. Mr. Lansey told her to write a letter describing the attack and have a neighbor sign it to collaborate it; the dog’s owner would only receive a $100 fine. Ms. Laurent just wanted to be safe to go out on her driveway with her dog. She noted that there has to be a file on him as everyone on her street has called in to complain about him. She was told she could file a complaint with U City’s Police Department which she was told would be sent to her but she had not received it and it had been sixteen days from the date of her request. Mayor Welsch asked Mr. Walker to follow up with Ms. Laurent tomorrow on proper procedure to follow. Marva Miller, 1224 Fairview Ms. Miller was present to talk about the recommendations she received on the trash collection and the closing of the Heman Park Community Center recommendations. She stated that both recommendations would greatly affect the Seniors. She also learned that the City was 2