Well, all the council members coming to the well, so we can start the meeting.

Thank you, Madam Clerk, please call the role.

Griffin.

Here, Bishop, Conwell, Davis, Gray, Harsh, House Jones, Hudson, Jones, Casey, Polencick, Santana, Shaw, Slythe, Star.

You have core, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Will everyone please rise for a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance?

Thank you.

No person with purpose to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting shall do any act which obstructs or interferes with the due conduct of such meeting.

Members of the public are invited to speak only under the rules set by this council.

Disruptions, including but not limited to speaking out of turn and making loud noises and loud utterances, are a violation of the rules and interfere with the due conduct of this lawful meeting.

Such disruptions may constitute a misdemeanor and a violation of Section Six O five dot oh four.

Come on up here.

I can use all of this.

Up here, up here.

I'm gonna come down here.

Use all of this to come fill around all up top.

Uh any of our youth, star, uh bishop, anybody want to join us?

Any of the uh leadership council, anybody else want to join us?

Councilwoman Santana, anybody feel free to help join us up here, okay.

All right.

So this honor, and it's always a great honor to honor our own.

You know, the schools get honored.

Uh, we know that many of the championship teams come and get honored, but today we actually get a chance to honor our own.

Uh, these are young people that we fund through our recreation centers to do AAU basketball, which they travel all over the country for AAU.

And this year, the team Cleveland, ninth and tenth grade AAU girls' basketball team are the national champs.

We also have the team Cleveland 10th grade AAU boys who are the national basketball champs.

I was joking with my colleague this uh past weekend because uh my college professor sent me a picture of me graduating, and he asked me how did what degree did you get and how did you graduate?

I said, Some people graduated sumacum lati.

I graduated, thank God almighty.

And the reason that was was because basketball really was a way for me to have escape some of the poverty and some of the things that I experienced in life as a young man in Youngstown, Ohio.

So if you know me and I tell Director Nichols this all the time, you won't hear me always talking about police.

You won't hear me always talking about building and housing because these young people and recreation center is something very special to me and very important to me.

So let's get them a round of applause if you all right.

Uh I'm gonna bring up their coaches, and I won't read this entire resolution.

Uh but it once again says, whereas the members of Cleveland City Council are proud to congratulate the young women of the Team Cleveland Girls Amateur Athletic Union basketball program, including its ninth and tenth grade teams upon an outstanding 2026 season filled with remarkable accomplishments, personal growth, perseverance, and success, including the ninth grade team's extraordinary achievement of capturing the night national championship that was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July the 9th, 2026.

It goes on to say, be it resolved that the members of Cleveland City Council does hereby congratulate the ninth and tenth grade teams of the Team Girls AAU basketball program upon their outstanding 2026 season and proudly recognizes the ninth grade team upon capturing the night national tech championship.

The this council further commends head coach Ashley Jackson, coach, is it Slate?

Shea, Coach Shay, the coaching staff, the athletes, their families, and all who have supported Team Cleveland for their dedication to empowering young women through basketball and extends best wishes to both teams for continued achievement on the court in the classroom and throughout their lives.

Young ladies, congratulations.

Thanks for making Cleveland proud.

Come on.

Commissioner Commissioner.

Thank you, everybody.

I just want to say to this body, without your support, um, I've been the commissioner now for 16 years, and every year you guys give us funding to take care of these kids, whether it's uniforms, basketball, they don't have to pay for anything.

And our kids have received scholarships to go to college behind that.

So I want to say thank you.

Good evening, everyone.

As the first Parks and Recreation Director in many, many years, it's an honor to have inherited a team with such dedication to youth sports development.

Um and really having folks who really take time and energy into youth development, not just making them great athletes, but traveling and giving them experiences they might not otherwise get, and to ensure that they grow up to be successful adults that hopefully one day can become a recreation director.

And I really, really want to give thanks to the parents that comes out.

They come to practice, they come to tournaments, they travel, and that's our biggest supporters right there.

So I want to give a shout out to our parents that comes out, come out and support us.

Uh who made us proud.

And once again, I'll read the first and last stanza of this resolution.

And we also have resolutions with everyone's name on it that will also go to the coaches as well.

And this says that whereas the members of Cleveland City Council proudly congratulate the Team Cleveland 10th grade AAU boys basketball team on an extraordinary achievement, capturing the championship title at the Las Vegas National Tournament and bring national recognition home to the City of Cleveland.

And be it resolved that the council members of the City of Cleveland do hereby congratulate the team Cleveland 10th grade AAU boys basketball team and head coach Herman Jackson on winning the Las Vegas National Tournament.

This council further commends them for an unforgettable season of achievement and extends its very best wishes as these exceptional young men continue to continue pursuing their dreams on and off the court in the cat in the classroom and wherever their talents may lead them.