2013-07-08 Regular City Council Session

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E. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. The minutes of June 24 2013, City Council Special Session were moved for approval by Mr. Sharpe, seconded by Mr. Glickert and the motion carried unanimously. 2. The minutes of June 24, 2013, City Council Regular Session were moved for approval by Mr. Sharpe, seconded by Mr. Crow and the motion carried unanimously. Ms. Carr asked that a copy of the minutes from the Human Relations Commission meeting also be attached to the end of the minutes. F. APPOINTMENTS G. SWEARING IN 1. Dorothy Davis was sworn in to the Library Board. 2. Mr. Carl Seltzer was sworn in to the Library Board in the City Clerk’s office. H. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION (Total of 15 minutes allowed) Jackie Womack, 7300 Ahern Mr. Womack asked the City Manager and some of the Councilmembers if they knew of the Human Relations Commission meeting with Schnucks. Mayor Welsch noted that there was no back-and-forth conversation at this portion of the agenda. Mr. Womack said he was not aware of the Schnucks meeting and it was not noted on an agenda. He wondered why he was excluded from the meeting. Kathy McGinnis, 7361 Stanford Ms. McGinnis stated she was currently serving as the Chair of the Human Relations Commission and was present to provide some information about the Commission and their initiative with Schnuck’s. She said it came to the commission’s attention when a member spoke on the quality of the produce at the Schnucks in University City. The member went to the Assistant Manager at Schnuck's and asked if the poor quality of the produce was because the store was located in a Black community and received the answer, “I certainly hope not”. The member then noted that he was a member of the Human Relations Commission and provided his contact information and asked for someone to contact him. At the May meeting of the Human Relations Commission, the incident was brought up. Ms. McGinnis stated the commission said they were glad the member spoke with the Schnucks representative and he could go ahead and pursue it. The commission member did not hear back from the Assistant Manager, so he called the Manager who would not talk to him and then he called the next person in charge and again they did not want to talk to him. She said after that he wrote a letter to Scott Schnuck, which the Council now has. Ms. McGinnis said the response from the letter was a call from the store Manager to arrange a meeting. At this point, the member asked her as the Chair to attend the meeting and she asked another member to attend, who could not make it, the City’s staff liaison and the City Manager were asked to attend. The meeting consisted of three members from Schnucks, the City’s staff liaison, Ms. Bern from the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Olander and herself. Another Commission member, Charmaine Glenn, could not attend because of her 2