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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2016
<br />Justice. 2012, 2013, I can vouch for this. Each one of us Councilmembers were called in, with
<br />you, and I'm trying to hear from the United States Department of Justice, to make sure that we
<br />were fair in our dealings with that member, because we were accused of discrimination. Each
<br />one of us Councilmembers can only go in with our attorney, and we have to stand before that
<br />person to ask them whether or not they are consequent in their decision - making. What are the
<br />criteria? Did you it in this situation? I chaired that Committee. They not only asked for us about
<br />that, they asked for all of our e- mails —Ms. Clinton —they asked for every single one of our
<br />emails. All of our correspondence. It was the most interesting time when I had the United States
<br />government coming in here, asking for everything —I sent them every single thing I could
<br />possibly send them. We aren't dealing with State Police and City Police —we're dealing with an
<br />attorney who did that smile during our whole meeting with us. After that experience, you go
<br />through that —you sit up here and go through as somebody from Washington D.0 .... okay.
<br />Whether I'm dealing with west side, east side — whether I'm dealing with somebody that happens
<br />to be as wealthy as you, Mr. Matthews, or I'm dealing with somebody who's living out in a tent
<br />tonight. Okay? I cannot just be influenced by any developer, or anybody else. I have to be
<br />consistent. So yeah, we've had to take a lot longer of time. The other night, we had a meeting —I
<br />was trying to get home because we were in the middle of, with all due respect, the Cubs were on
<br />and I was trying to get home, but I said first work comes first. And we stayed there that night.
<br />Because we have to. We are elected to be here, to go through detail after detail after detail. It's
<br />not nitpicking. I just want to be able to say, when the next developer comes up, and we make
<br />some decent changes, they may have some high - powered attorneys that get mad or go to the
<br />State or go up to Federal. If I get called into a room again, I just want to be consistent. Every
<br />single thing that we are saying right now are all being publicly documented, that's how we know
<br />what you said back in 2013 what I told you yourself, when you argued against this issue. And
<br />now we are having to come this way.
<br />All that comes back up to us. That's why we have to sit back there and deal with everything. We
<br />have to do our due diligence, we have to be consistent, and personally I would prefer that this be
<br />sent through Central Business District, as Councilwoman Broden said, and I would have
<br />championed the variance. That way, we would not have had to have dealt with this, because I
<br />really like the idea. I told you earlier, to me —and I have my Dramamine here, because my
<br />family always says I'm the Airplane Pac —you know: a tourist. And I have to fly a lot of
<br />planes —or be up there in a plane, because I can't fly no plane, I just sit there —and so they ask
<br />me what airline I should take. Should we take Southwest? Should we take American? Each
<br />airline has different rules. In some you can take luggage for free, in others you can pay. They all
<br />have different rules, you all know that. So, do we try to go with Southwest and use our American
<br />Airlines rules, or do we go up to American Airlines and tell them that Southwest lets us fly for
<br />free so you should let us ride for free? Those are the concerns that we have to deal with when we
<br />switch. We all want to arrive at the right place, but each airline has different rules. Each of these
<br />zoning laws have different rules. And when you start crisscrossing them, it creates problems.
<br />And that's why it creates longer meetings, it creates more hassle. That's my concern. So I am
<br />hopeful that over the next few weeks, that we give it the full time, because I think we all want
<br />this. I would like to see that. I do understand the concern of the person who shared from The
<br />Pointe. I moved here to work at the Madison Center that was my first job. I'm over there all the
<br />time. I'm in the area all the time. So, the issue for me is this: the shadow, which has been argued
<br />one way and is now being argued another way, is an important issue. Yeah, I wish there was a
<br />way we could work out this to be nine (9) stories, and everybody gets their tax money, we get
<br />you two - hundred and forty (240) stores, we get less shadow — everybody's happy. I am hoping to
<br />see that in the next few weeks. It may happen, it may not. But I still have that out there to hope
<br />that on December 12th, we can come for —you got your two -forty (240), others get less shadow,
<br />we get the store, which I would love to go to —and we can all land at the same place at the same
<br />time, and we can move forward. So, that's my hope and that's where I'm hoping to move
<br />forward with that standpoint and we can all move there. I don't know what that's going to take in
<br />terms of work as we try to get there. But I think we have a few days and we can make a few
<br />adjustments to, like Councilwoman Broden and Les Fox said, something that puts you in the
<br />middle —we can get there —I will be very thankful. So, I yield the floor to Councilmember
<br />Voorde.
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