2014-05-27 Regular Council agenda

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endorsement, but if people are not being reasonable then you get nowhere. The assumption is that reasonable people will behave properly when everyone is looking. Mr. Keeling stated that when Mr. Kraft is sitting on the dais, he is not just Mr. Kraft, but represents the City Council and by extension, everyone who lives in University City. So when Councilman Kraft directs profanity at anyone from that chair, it is a problem. Mr. Keeling stated that this resolution was about condemning or condoning Mr. Kraft, which does not constitute a civil discourse. He stated that Council knows how to bury something they don’t want to see. Mr. Keeling asked everyone to take a step back and be people instead of politicians. Lisa Hummel, 7575 Stanford, University City, MO Ms. Hummel stated she felt compelled to speak once again about the ongoing three-month suspension of the City’s firefighters without pay. People young and old, firefighters and residents, have stood outside and in chambers displaying signs and applauding the actions of those who dared to speak up, just to tell you that this was wrong. Council is still sitting here, refusing to listen to reason. Ms. Hummel stated that people have been so outraged by the financial burden this City has placed on their firefighters that they have organized fundraisers, purchased and displayed yard signs, and donated money so that the paychecks of the suspended firefighters could be replaced. She asked Council to pass the resolutions and let Mr. Walker know that the citizens of this City disagree with his decision. Ms. Hummel stated that some feel it stifles free speech, some find it anti-union, some find it inconsistent and hypocritical, some believe it is illegal, some believe that it is costly to the City, some feel it was an abuse of power and too harsh for the perceived offense. Ms. Hummel asked Council to do their job and let the firefighters go back to do theirs. Ms. Hummel stated having five members of this Council vote to remove important items from the agenda was a cowardly act. She stated that she was particularly disappointed in Mr. Jennings, in that the first vote she had the opportunity to witness him make. Kurt Becker, 115 McMenamee, St. Peters, MO Mr. Becker presented an update as to the current number of overtime hours that have been expended thus far. He stated that to date that number stands in excess of 1,500 hours of overtime that has had to be expended in order to safely staff the fire trucks in University City in the absence of the members who have been suspended. Mr. Becker stated that all of the firefighters hope that this matter will be resolved expeditiously. Tracy Gritsenko, 737 Oak Brook Lane, University City, MO Ms. Gritsenko stated that she came to tonight’s meeting after reviewing the agenda. She noted it would be appreciated if the agenda could be amended before residents take time to attend these meetings only to find out the items were removed. Ms. Gritsenko stated that she and another resident had met with the Mayor and Mr. Walker to discuss the suspension of the firefighters. During that meeting she brought up Mr. Kraft’s actions at the last Council meeting. She stated that although the Mayor informed her that she was not aware of the incident, she did state that she would look into the matter, and said she would not condone an unacceptable behavior by Council standards. Ms. Gritsenko stated that she followed up with a letter to all members of Council, as well as the Mayor and the City Clerk, and asked that she be provided with a response regarding what had been done to address this issue. She received no response. Ms. Gritsenko stated that her belief is that actions such as these should not go unaddressed. She stated that her understanding is that Mr. Kraft, the Mayor and Mr. Glickert have all signed this pledge, which basically says that they will be respectful, honest and open. Ms. Gritsenko stated that she thinks that Council is missing their opportunity to come forward. Ms. Gritsenko concluded by stating that she ran across a quote from Mayor Welsch while conducting her research which states, “I am committed to making civility my watchword“. Stephen Arnold, 7305 Forsyth, University City, MO Mr. Arnold stated that just like in an election or a battle, there are things that occur, things that are said and things that are implied, but what cannot be condoned is a double standard. He stated that he was not present for previous elections when pamphlets and advertisements were circulated, and