The Mayor and Board of Aldermen held a public meeting on June 20, 2024, at 7:00 PM. The meeting began with a recognition, approval of previous minutes, and brief comments from Mayor O'Connor (who announced his upcoming presidency of the Maryland Municipal League) and aldermen. The bulk of the meeting consisted of public testimony—most speakers urging the council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza—followed by routine consent agenda approvals and then a series of public hearings on purchases, agreements, resolutions, and an ordinance. Only three of the five aldermen were present (Mayor O'Connor, Alderwoman Kazemchak, Alderman Shackelford; Alderman Nash and Alderman McShane were absent). All votes were 3-0.
The council did not take any action or vote on the ceasefire resolution; it was solely a topic of public comment.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00 PM.
Good evening and welcome to the Mayor and Board of Alderman public meeting for the twentieth of June. We begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States mayor. I practice this all day and I'm gonna mess it up. Come a little bit closer here. Don't be shy. On June 3rd, the engineering department held a workshop at Governor Thomas Johnson Middle School, where Schrada was an integral part of the presentation on traffic calming. The focus was a project for E16th Street between East Street and Schifferstad Boulevard. Sherrata outlined the project and gathered community input. Initially, the city planned to extend bicycle lanes to Schifferstadt Boulevard, but safety concerns led to a revised plan, a buffered two-way bicycle lane on one side of the road with street parking on the south side. This change aims to enhance safety, improve connectivity, and aligns with the city's Vision Zero goals to expand transportation options and reduce traffic congestion. It is a great example of community engagement at work to solve problems. This collaborative spirit is how we get things done that benefit all 80,000 plus residents who share this community. Please join me in congratulating Shrata on this recognition and saying thank you for the work you do for our community every day. Thank you for the recognition. It's an honor to work with the city with all the exciting projects. Thank you. We have minutes to approve May 16th, 2024. So moved. Second. Motion by Alderman Shackleford, seconded by Alderwoman Kazemchek. All those in favor. That is 3 0. Alderwoman Nash and Alderman McShane had previously indicated they would be unavailable for this evening's meeting. Mayor's comments. It is a conference that happens to be at the beach. Those of us who are attending the conference are not going to the beach. We're going to a conference. And I can tell you that is specifically true in my case because on Tuesday I am expected to receive the Gavel to become the president of the Maryland Municipal League for 2025, 2024-25. And so I'm honored to take on that responsibility. Alder Manick comments. Alderwoman Kazemchak. Happy Pride, y'all. Alderman Russell. Happy Pride Saturday at the amphitheater, and congratulations to Mayor, I mean President elect Mayor O'Connor for NMO. Thank you. Alderman Shackelford. No comments. Echo my colleagues' comments. We're the third. Thank you. We have two opportunities at all of our public meetings for public comment. It is an opportunity for members of the public to address the mayor and board regarding items, whether they are on this evening's agenda or not. We ask speakers to come to the podium to give their name and a general address for the record and are reminded that these proceedings are being telecast and recorded. If you would like to make public comment, we will first call on the individuals who have signed up to make public comment, and then anyone else who wishes to make public comment will be invited to do so at that time. The first individual who has signed up is Walter Ruby. There you go. Is it green? It's now green. Perfect.