07-13-15 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JULY 13, 2015 Dr. E. Michael Jones — 206 Marquette Ave, South Bend— I am the editor of Culture Wars magazine. I would like to discuss the political implications of the Mayor's announcement that he is a homosexual and I would like to have thirteen (13) minutes to do so. Councilmember Oliver Davis made a motion to defeat the request for thirteen (13) minutes. Councilmember Dr. Fred Ferlic seconded the motion which carried by a voice vote of nine (9) ayes. Dr. E. Michael Jones — I would like to say what we have witnessed in the past three (3) months is an assault on representative government in the state of Indiana. It began with the attack on RFRA where a group of people and a CEO from San Francisco flew into the state shut out legislature and over turned a law that was passed in the state of Indiana. This was a cabal of CEO's and homosexual activist, what we are seeing here across the country is the same type of pattern. The pattern that is an assault on democracy because of the revelation the Mayor just made. My son went to St. Joes and he went to Harvard, the same trajectory as the Mayor. When he was elected we all gave him the benefit of the doubt. By this announcement he has changed that whole political atmosphere. By this announcement, he announced that he is a part of a political movement to overturn the majority of government in this country, in this state, and in this city. I propose a few questions. When I saw the Mayor on tonight, I thought this would be the opportunity to ask the questions. I am asking you as our elected officials to ask the questions for the people in South Bend who have no voice. We need someone to step up to the plate and represent the citizens of South Bend, IN. ( Councilmember Dr. Fred Ferlic exited the meeting) Jesse Davis — P.O. Box 10205, South Bend— I will make this brief I have two privileges of the floor with several documents. One document is regarding a contractor that we were talking about with some explanations. The other he eludes to expanding the policy, which there are three (3) other companies that I have personally investigated. The Council needs to raise some question as to why they are still getting multi - million dollar contracts when they are under state police investigation and possibly federal investigation. Samuel Brown — 222 E. Navarre St., South Bend — I represent the group Citizens United for a Better Government. I would like to say this to the Council that you are doing a good job. We have witnessed something in the U.S. in South Carolina, where good people got together and said we are going to bring something to an end that has been going on for 15 years and they brought that flag down. Now in the city of South Bend, the Council has brought something forth to name a street after the Nobel peace prize winner, Martin Luther King Jr. I hope when the Council is together, that good people will make a good decision to get Martin Luther King Dr. to the way it is supposed to be. Christian Susanna — 126 Napoleon Blvd., South Bend — I came here tonight expecting to have an opposition. Some of you may or may not know, there are people that are flying signs. There has been people coming together over social media and Facebook, the Michiana Panhandler invasion group, where the group posts pictures of citizens doing what they're doing with signs and ridicules them. I was hoping to see them today, begging the council to do something about it. I agree it is a problem in our community. I think the real issues is the way we see it, personally. I think the issue is not whether or not we give them money, but whether we feel like bad people. That issues is not on them but on us. I would encourage the Council if an issue to criminalize poverty comes to a vote, to vote against it. We should be proud of the institutions that we have in place to prevent homelessness and to help those people. We will probably never solve it, and we never will. It is important that we don't make those people out to be criminals. Jason Banicki- Critchlow — 3822 W. Ford St., South Bend — I would like to thank everyone that came out tonight. If we can get this many people here every Monday, maybe we can have more progress in this city. One issue which was tabled today, is the raising of trash fees. When the Mayor sends his people, as he is seldom here, they send it forward as a rate increase. But yet we are paying for his fees, the city clerk fees, the city council fees that aren't administration fees but are just extra fees. It is just a way to add to the tax space. It is time to go back, I know it's been discussed to draw up some alternative proposals, but what can we do besides tax the working 43