Erie City Council Meeting - June 19, 2026: Public Outcry Over Transphobic Remark, Rental Ordinances, and Juneteenth Resolution
Erie City Council Meeting - June 19, 2026
A largely procedural meeting was overtaken by an unprecedented public response to a transphobic comment made by a council member at the previous meeting. 58 speakers, the most in recent memory, addressed the council over nearly four hours, calling for accountability, a decorum policy, and the resignation or censure of the offending councilor. The council also passed several routine appropriations, advanced a rental inspection ordinance on first reading, and unanimously adopted a Juneteenth resolution.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the minutes from the June 9, 2026 meeting.
- Approval of bills dated June 19 and June 26, 2026. (All passed unanimously, 7-0)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Rental Inspection Ordinances: Several landlords and members of the Apartment Association of Northwest PA spoke against the proposed changes to the rental registration and inspection program. They argued that moving inspections in-house would be costly, that the ordinances were rushed, and that the city should first negotiate improvements with the current third-party inspector (BIU). They requested more collaboration and a comprehensive plan. Some speakers supported the changes, citing poor housing conditions and the need for stronger enforcement.
- Transphobic Incident (Majority of Speakers): A large majority of the 58 speakers condemned the actions of a council member who had intentionally misgendered Council President Dr. Titus at the previous meeting. Speakers described the act as bigoted, disrespectful, and harmful to the LGBTQ+ community. Many called for the council member’s resignation, a formal censure, removal from liaison assignments, and the creation of a clear code of decorum. Several speakers noted that the silence from other council members in the moment was complicit. A few speakers expressed support for the council member or urged unity, but the overwhelming sentiment was for accountability.
- Other Issues: A few speakers raised concerns about park construction, police conduct, accessibility, and the importance of Juneteenth.
Discussion Items
- Ordinance 16619 (First Reading) – Rental Registration Amendments: The council heard a first reading of an ordinance amending Article 330 of the city code. The solicitor explained that changes include: moving definitions from a previous tenant bill of rights ordinance, reducing the inspection cycle for properties with good inspections from four years to two years, adjusting fees ($55, $100, $150), and requiring housing authorities and similar entities to submit annual inspection reports to the city’s Building Code Official (BCO) for equivalence review. The council clarified that this ordinance does not change the current contract with BIU or immediately implement in-house inspections. It passed 7-0 on first reading.
- Ordinance 16620 (First Reading) – Enforcement of Non-Compliance: An ordinance updating policies and procedures for enforcing rental housing codes, with changes to notice delivery (adding regular mail as an option). Passed 7-0 on first reading.
- Juneteenth Resolution: Councilman Troop sponsored a resolution recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth. Councilman Horton gave an impassioned speech linking the struggle for Black liberation to the LGBTQ+ community, noting that the council member’s remarks particularly harm black queer and trans people. The resolution passed unanimously (7-0).
- Council President’s Remarks: Dr. Titus addressed the public, stating they felt embarrassed, humiliated, and angry after the incident but chose to focus on action. They reaffirmed commitment to reviewing council rules and procedures, and called for truth-telling and accountability.
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All consent calendar items and the final passage of five HUD appropriations (ESG, HOME, CDBG) and three historic designation ordinances were approved 7-0.
- First Reading: Two rental inspection ordinances (16619 and 16620) were adopted on first reading 7-0.
- Resolution: The Juneteenth resolution passed unanimously 7-0.
- No Formal Action on Misconduct: No motion for censure, resignation, or removal was made during the meeting. Council President Titus indicated plans to review council rules and decorum policies.
- Meeting Duration: The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and concluded after 10:00 p.m., with a record 58 public speakers.
Meeting Transcript
6 31 so we will call this meeting to order. Roll call for the city council meeting of Wednesday, June 17th, 2026 at 6 30 p.m. President Titus here. Brzezinski. Yes. Flores. Yes. Horton. Poll here. Shaw and True. All right. At this time we will stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Beginning with a silent moment of silence. Dr. Titus, if I may, um I just want to say in our moment of silence that we can remember the um the uh family members and the Erie community that knew uh Mr. William Atkinson. He owned a barbershop on 21st Street um around Reed or somewhere like that for 60 years, and he um was a barber for like three generations of people. So keep him in your keep the family in your prayers. Dr. Titus, if I may, um Mark Alexandro, which is a former city councilperson's wife has passed away to um uh I apologetically can't remember her name. Thank you. Thank you. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of June 9th, 2026, and bills under the dates of June 19th and 26th for approval. Members Brzezinski, Flores, Horton, Paul, Shaw, yes, yes, Titus. Yes. We'll get everybody in the routine at that. All right. At this point, we do have a presentation this evening by Miss Angela McNair. Wasn't sure if I had seen her come in. She here. Do we know if Miss McNair is here at this time? Go on once. Okay. If you want me to, I could say some things that maybe she would have said. That'd be wonderful, thank you. Okay. I'll I'll try to pull this up on my um phone here. Um just bear with me here. I was no, and as you're doing that, I'm just gonna before you the cameras get set up over here on this side. If I could have you come over all on this side, yeah, just so the public has a straight line down. Thank you. Sorry, go ahead. Yeah, I'm just trying. Okay, let me get this up. Here it is. So I do know that um Angela McNair um has been organizing the June Juneteenth in the area for quite some time. And you know, there were people before her who actually did that too, like uh Miss Cynthia O'Mahm and some other people from the past, but she kind of um took over the mantle from them. Um so I do know that along with Erie's Black Wall Street, they've been doing some things. Um it looks like they have a uh a Juneteenth mix and mingle coming up on June 19th. That's gonna be on the Victorian Princess.
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