2014-04-28 reg Part 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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professional administrators should refrain from participation in the election of members of the employing legislative body.” Mr. Hales said the City Manager has put his own personal punitive interest ahead of the interest of this City, further dividing an already divided City, and effectively destroyed any opportunity to heal. Mr. Hales stated that for the record, not a single citizen has stood up in support of the decision made by the City Manager. Mr. Hales stated that Mr. Walker sent his resume to then candidate for Mayor, Shelley Welsch six days before the 2010 election. And following four months of communications between Mr. Walker and certain members of Council after this City’s elected officials told its residents that the City would conduct a national search for the next manager, weeks later they announced the hiring of Mr. Walker. Mr. Hales stated that ethics mattered when Council met in closed session to quietly remove those requirements from the contract prior to Mr. Walker’s censure, and ethics matter today, to all of the people who have come out in support of this City’s firefighters. Mr. Hales concluded by stating that on the eve that Mr. Walker’s contract was executed the Mayor said something that he thinks is now kind of famous, “The deed is done”. So what he would like to know is how long members of this Council will continue to bind themselves to this deed. I. COUNCIL COMMENTS Ms. Carr stated that she would like to remind her colleagues that there is a task force on Washington University that should commence soon and her hope is that they will be looking for people to appoint to this group. Mr. Crow thanked everyone who took the time to come out tonight to express their views and be a part of this process. He also thanked everyone who participated in supporting kids who took the MAP Test this week. Mr. Crow stated that he would concur with the comments of his colleague Mr. Kraft when he said that we are all professionals and we all need to work on rebuilding relationships. So he wants to make sure that his colleagues and everyone else understands that rebuilding relationships is a two-way street. Mr. Crow stated that his belief is that the firefighters, whom Mr. Kraft quoted, had actually issued an apology for some of the tension that was created. And yet, that apology was met with 30 day suspensions. Mr. Crow stated that as it relates to public safety long term for this City. He asked is there really anybody on this Council who thinks that asking our employees to work overtime and supposedly getting employees from other cities is a good idea. To quote from Nancy Wagoner, Mr. Crow stated “Does the punishment fit the action”? Which leads him to the last question in his mind, where do we go from here? Mr. Crow stated that he has seen more citizens fill this room tonight than at any time during the period that he has served as a member of Council. While these issues now reside with the seven members of this body, it does not mean that they have to solve it all by themselves. Mr. Crow stated that there are a lot of smart people sitting out in the audience who have provided Council with a number of options, so he believes that it is incumbent upon every member to look at those options and come up with a solution. It seemed to be pretty clear that doing nothing is unacceptable. Mr. Price stated that to piggyback on the comments made by Mr. Crow, his question would also be, where do we go from here? And the next question that must be taken into consideration by Council is whether the actions that were taken were necessary and worth the fallout or long-term damage that they may have created for this City. Mr. Price stated that although he may not be on this Council to see what takes place in the final analysis, as a resident he would be humiliated if he had to continue to see resources being misallocated and University City in the news over and over again. The decision needs to be corrected. Ms. Carr stated that she started out as a citizen advocate, believing that there was a problem with the City’s budget and its government. She stated that many the residents who now say that they hate her, actually walked with her at that point in time. Ms. Carr stated that she is still a citizen advocate and appreciates every single person that came out here tonight. She stated that whether you spoke or just sat there, it is important that Council hears their voice. Ms. Carr encouraged residents to make their wants, desires and dreams known to Council, because they can only make