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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.24.2002• • COUNCIL WORK SESSION June 24, 2002 3:25 p.m. Council Chambers Members present: Mayor Rooff, Berry, Welper, Greenwood, Clark, Jordan, Hurley, Getty. Moved by Jordan, seconded by Berry that the Agenda, as proposed, be approved. Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. The council reviewed the proposed ordinance which provides for runoff elections for municipal elections. Councilperson Berry asked the council to please reconsider and not adopt the proposed ordinance because of class, race and ethnicity. Councilperson Berry stated she thinks people will vote for candidates based on race and class rather than qualifications. Councilperson Berry stated she feels a person running for a position in the city may not win a seat on the council because of race or class. Councilperson Berry stated she does not think the city is ready to elect a candidate based on qualifications. Councilperson Berry stated everyone knows the difference between a convention and a runoff. Councilperson Berry urged the council to leave the election as it currently stands because if a person wins by popular vote they should be the winner. Councilperson Hurley asked Councilperson Berry if she was saying a municipal election where a candidate who gets the most votes is the winner is less of an evil than if there is racism. Jim Walsh, City Attorney, stated that the city election is a non -partisan election. Councilperson Jordan asked if the city could hold a referendum to let the citizens decide. Councilperson Jordan stated he has no problem with a runoff. Mr. Walsh responded that there is no mechanism in the state code to allow for a referendum on the runoff issue. Mr. Walsh stated the council could let the runoff issue go for six to nine month, and that maybe now is not the time to make a decision on a runoff election. Councilperson Hurley stated that since there is no municipal election coming up it may be prudent to set aside this issue for six to nine months, but that Councilperson Berry's issue may not go away. Councilperson Getty stated that after the city election in November, the new council members wanted to look at the election process. Councilperson Greenwood stated that there is no municipal election until 2003, and the council has other things they need to discuss that are probably more important than this issue at the present time. Councilperson Hurley stated the council could revisit the runoff election in November. Councilperson Clark stated he has a tremendous amount of sympathy for Councilperson Berry. On the other hand, this issue has been talked about since 11:00 p.m. on election night, and the citizens want something done that would require a majority vote. Councilperson Clark stated the proposed ordinance providing for runoff elections has been on the news, on the city's Web site and the council has held several work session to discuss this issue. Councilperson Clark stated that if the council waits to November to make a decision, the same people will be back here for or against the runoff election. Councilperson Welper stated he agrees with Councilperson Clark that if we do no keep the runoff election in the public eye's, six months from now we will be right back where we started. Mayor Rooff stated that he feels the constituents matter and asked council members to ask their constituents what they want to do with the elections. Councilperson Berry stated she will make a motion at tonight's council meeting to table the runoff ordinance. Councilperson Jordan stated he would agree with the tabling motion if there is a timeline to bring the ordinance back. Councilperson Hurley stated he is still trying to see the link with Councilperson Berry's situation during the Democratic Convention for House District 22 and runoff elections. Councilperson Hurley stated that for all the reasons stated today, he will agree with the tabling to allow council to get more feedback from the citizens. Council Work Session June 24, 2002 Page 2 Councilperson Getty stated that people he has talked to are saying candidates should be elected by a majority vote. Councilperson Welper stated he does not think we should let it die, but keep it in the open. Councilperson Greenwood stated he has been hearing that citizens want candidates to be elected by a majority vote. Councilperson Clark stated he agrees with tabling the ordinance tonight, but not to table indefinitely or until November, but to table for one or two weeks. Mayor Rooff stated it is the consensus of the council to table the ordinance indefinitely to allow time for council to receive feedback from constituency citywide. Mayor Rooff asked the City Clerk to monitor this issue to see if the council is ready in two to three weeks or as soon as the council has collected data. Councilperson Berry stated she will not change her position as this will hurt people of color and class and keep them from ever holding a seat. David Goodson asked why the council is so bent on a runoff and asked what is the benefit to the city. Councilperson Clark stated that to him the democratic process is based on majority, it has to do with numbers and majority rules. Councilperson Clark stated he supports the idea that public officials should serve with a majority of the people wanting them to serve. Mr. Goodson stated that in this community with the low percentage of minority, it would be impossible for a black candidate to get a majority vote. Mr. Goodson asked the council to leave the elections as it is also because of the cost factor. Mr. Goodson stated he does not believe it is the majority of the constituencies that want the changes. Reverend Mary Robinson applauded the council for tabling the ordinance, but she would prefer the ordinance be tabled for a date certain. Ms. Robinson stated she is concerned that the council not bring the ordinance back in a short time. Ms. Robinson stated a lot of people don't have the Internet who have a right to be heard, and the council should be fair and allow enough time for feedback from the citizens. Ms. Robinson stated this needs to be coordinated or planned, and we need to get a sense of what the community wants. Anna Mae Weems stated none of the council understand how race plays into this. Ms. Weems stated the Democratic Convention could have been an explosive issue. Ms. Weems explained that any racial unrest and the city could lose federal funds. Ms. Weems stated she does not see any racism yet, but she would like to hold a council work session to show how that works. Frieda Weems stated that after last Monday's council meeting information was received by some that was very frightening, and she would like discussion or action. Ms. Weems stated we need to listen to all views and explained how we can deal with different points of views. Ms. Weems stated there are a lot of misconceptions because we are not informed. Ms. Weems stated she is trying to meet the needs of the disenfranchised, and a lot of people feel they are not part of the process because they are locked out. Ms. Weems stated that a council member made a comment last Tuesday morning, and she cannot understand where that came from. Ms. Weems stated that the council member expressed that he would like to find those who spoke out against the runoff ordinance, find their address and bomb it. Ms. Weems stated we should not expect something like this to happen in Waterloo. Ms. Weems stated she is concerned because this is very serious, and it has to be dealt with. Ms. Weems stated she hopes the Councilperson will say something. Ms. Weems stated she takes offense for all those who were at the council meeting last Monday. Ms. Weems stated she was hoping they would have gotten a call today, and that a bomb threat is not a joke. Ms. Weems stated that is not Christian, it wasn't healthy, and she would never have expected that from a council member in a million years. Waterloo will not have any tolerance for this kind of thing. Ms. Weems stated she trusts the council has the citizens best interest at heart. Ms. Weems stated that she contacted the FBI and both senators as this is very serious. Ms. Weems demanded an apology and Councilperson Welper's resignation. Ms. Weems explained that a person threatening to blow up an airport, whether it was in jest or not, would be arrested. Mayor Rooff stated that the council cannot make a decision tonight as we have not given public notice. • • • • Council Work Session June 24, 2002 Page 3 Tom Jennings, Police Chief, stated that the FBI is investigating this matter, and it would be inappropriate to discuss this. Chief Jennings stated that the Police Department has been made aware of the situation and is taking appropriate action. Reverend Ted Keys stated a child in school making a similar comment about blowing up homes would be expelled or even put in jail. Reverend Keys stated when he heard of this incident he immediately contacted Mayor Rooff that something needed to be done, that the individual involved needed to make a public apology for his misdeeds. Anna Mae Weems stated that racial outcomes have lots of results. Ms. Weems stated that the city needs to have new officials understand or be desensitized. Frieda Weems talked about what happens if we have passivity. Ms. Weems stated she should not have to curb her coming and going. Revered Mike Coleman stated that everyone has the right to be safe in our community and be able to express opinions. Reverend Coleman stated he agrees with Reverend Keys. Mr. Goodson stated that whatever Mayor Rooff does will dictate what he does, and he is not afraid of any man. Mr. Goodson stated whether it was a joke or not, that for the first time in a long time he is looking over his shoulder. Mr. Goodson stated that kids are expelled from school for much less than this. Mr. Goodson stated he is a community activist, and he does not take lightly to threats whether they are a joke or not. Mr. Goodson asked Mayor Rooff to take leadership. Mr. Goodson recommended that Mayor Rooff call for an immediate resignation from Councilperson Welper. Mr. Goodson stated that Councilperson Welper needs to be locked up for a while and he will go through the channels. Reverend Mary Robinson stated she is saddened because she feels that something has died or been lost here, and that is a lost of trust. Reverend Robinson stated that she listened to the pain in those who spoke here today. When people have to beg for an apology because of a bomb threat on their life, then something has died or been lost. Reverend Robinson stated we have worked together to make this a community and have come too far to let this go adrift. Reverend Robinson stated she feels we need an apology. Anna Mae Weems stated that last time they had no one to protect them, and she is doing things the city should do. Ms. Weems stated she wants to be protected. Ms. Weems stated she travels all over the state desensitizing, and she would like to put Councilperson Welper through training. Councilperson Welper stated he has sat side by side by Councilperson Berry for the past six month, and they have been good friends, and because of that maybe he got too comfortable. Councilperson Welper stated he did not realize he had made a bad comment until two days after the incident took place. Councilperson Welper apologized to anyone he might have offended, he did not mean to offend anyone. Mayor Rooff stated that he spoke with Councilperson. Berry, Mr. Goodson and Councilperson Welper because they came to him. Mayor Rooff stated he also spoke with the Police Department and the County Attorney called him. Mayor Rooff stated he was told by the Police Department and County Attorney to stay out of this until we hear from the DCI, that after their investigation they will get back to us. Mayor Rooff stated that his error was that he thought council members understood our community. Mayor Rooff apologized to everyone that the council has not been more active in visiting their homes and talking to them. Mayor Rooff asked that requests for council to appear at functions be submitted sooner than a week before the event. Mayor Rooff stated we have come too far in this community, and we want to do the appropriate thing, but we are waiting for the report. Mayor Rooff stated he will make sure the council is desensitized and that they work more closely with the community. Councilperson Berry stated that she did not know how to take comments like Councilperson Welpers. Councilperson Berry stated she took it very seriously, and she did feel threatened. Councilperson Berry stated Councilperson Welper has to be sensitive to the times we are living Council Work Session June 24, 2002 Page 4 in, in a time of war. Councilperson Berry stated she went to Mayor Rooff right away and called a friend. Councilperson Berry stated that her constituents have a right to speak. Councilperson Berry stated the comment offended her and feared her. Mayor Rooff stated there are programs for desensitizing. Mayor Rooff asked council members to accompany him to the Fourth Ward with Councilperson Berry, go to church events and visits the schools and neighborhoods. Frieda Weems invited the council to spend a day with her and her Mom. Ms. Weems stated she does not feel any better, but she is happy the individual is saying what he is saying. Ms. Weems explained there are things she could do, that she has a brother, a male friend and a gun. With no further business before the council, it was moved by Getty, seconded by Jordan that the meeting be adjourned at 4:50 p.m. Ayes: Seven. Motion carried. Nancy Eckert City Clerk • 1