OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Green, Ohio/City Council & Boards
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City of Green Veterans Advisory Commission Meeting – May 5, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, May 5, 2026
BodyGreen, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, May 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 18:42

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Blast off.

0:05

That's what I'm standing for the pledge of allegiance.

0:09

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:14

And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:30

Can we please have the roll call?

0:32

Sure.

0:34

Mr.

0:34

Mickelson.

0:35

Here.

0:35

Mr.

0:35

Sonopoli.

0:36

Here.

0:37

Mr.

0:37

Suffolk?

0:38

Here.

0:38

Mr.

0:38

Hughes is absent.

0:39

Mr.

0:40

Burgess.

0:40

Here.

0:41

All right.

0:42

Okay.

0:43

We need to approve the minutes for last month.

0:46

Last week.

0:47

Yeah, last month, I guess it is.

0:48

Yeah.

0:49

Any um make a motion to approve?

0:53

Second.

0:54

Motion approved.

0:59

Okay.

0:59

We were talking about unfinished business for uh last month on the Memorial Day details.

1:06

Um I know there was a message from uh Keith at MAPS, and he was looking at we had maybe four Jeeps or one Jeep, whatever we might need.

1:15

Uh the inquiry was is whether Jeep have enough uh room on a fender for our uh advisory commission sign.

1:23

Uh and he was supposed to, I thought might have somebody here today to give us some update on it, but uh obviously it's not it's not happening.

1:31

So uh but uh we do have a chance of having uh a Jeep to uh to do that.

1:37

So uh we'll just keep working on that.

1:40

Mike had talked, I had talked to him and then Mike had had talked to him also and got a uh an operations person for him who works for him that was gonna line this up perfectly.

1:51

So I think that'll be okay.

1:54

Um what else did we have for that?

1:57

Um on that Mr.

2:00

Uh Spate.

2:02

Yes, sir.

2:04

Would you have maybe a few ROTC cadets that could you know join us in passing out flags?

2:11

Yes I know I know that you guys usually have a lot of them that are marching, you know, between the color guard and raiders and that sort of thing.

2:17

I wasn't sure if you had any that weren't slated for one of those jobs that would be interested in helping us.

2:23

I'm sure if we put the word out, we could definitely get a few extra cadets.

2:26

I think maybe four.

2:27

Okay, yeah, four would be good.

2:29

Um like them in uniform.

2:31

Um they're gonna be running back and forth, probably something patriotic.

2:35

I think something patriotic, yeah.

2:37

Okay.

2:38

Uh because as as we went last year, we were passing out as fast as we could, and of course the cars keep going, so everybody's running back and forth like that.

2:47

So something that they can run in, but look patriotic.

2:50

Yeah.

2:50

Okay.

2:51

And if they're uniform, that'd be great.

2:52

I guess that would now that I think of it, that's probably a better idea.

2:56

OCPs would probably be good for that, um, like the camouflage pattern.

3:00

Well, BDUs.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Veterans Affairs█████████████████████████████████████████████70%
Procedural████████████████25%
Education███5%
Summary of Proceedings

City of Green Veterans Advisory Commission Meeting – May 5, 2026

The City of Green Veterans Advisory Commission met on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Council Chambers. Roll call showed Mr. Mickelson, Mr. Sonopoli, Mr. Suffolk, and Mr. Burgess present and Mr. Hughes absent. Members approved the April meeting minutes and discussed Memorial Day ceremony and parade logistics, the veteran-friendly business sticker program, a Veterans Hall of Fame nomination, a VA adaptive sports grant, and upcoming veterans recognition events. No citizen comments were offered. Note: The agenda listed the meeting at 5:00 PM; the source transcript timestamp indicates 10:15 UTC.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of the April 7, 2026 meeting were approved by motion and second; the full minutes document was not included in the source materials.

Discussion Items

  • Memorial Day Details:
    • Jeep for the parade: Keith at MAPS Air Museum was asked whether a Jeep could carry the commission sign on its fender; no MAPS representative attended, and the commission will continue coordinating through Mike and Keith's operations contact.
    • Flag distribution: Mr. Spate agreed to provide approximately four ROTC cadets in uniform (OCP/BDU camouflage) to help pass out flags and stated the cadets would be honored to help.
    • Parade route rules: Mr. Elkins asked whether volunteers returning to vehicles to reload flags would comply with updated parade rules requiring people to stay in curb lanes. He will follow up with the service department for clarification; members discussed staying on one side of the road and having vehicles stop while reloading.
    • Wreath ceremony: A service member is being lined up for each flag; ROTC cadets will escort veterans to place wreaths and escort them off afterward. The delivered wreaths are lightweight and neon; easels and securing hardware (e.g., carabiners and eye hooks) are needed. A dry run at the park is planned a day or two before the ceremony.
    • Wreath veteran selection: The commission is working with the American Legion to select a veteran from each service branch, with the exception of Space Force, and prefers veterans local to Green.
    • Flags: Flags are in the process of being ordered.
    • Ohio National Guard meeting: The Northeast Ohio Regional Inter-Service Family Assistance Committee will meet Thursday, May 14, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at MAPS Air Museum, with a virtual participation option; the commission discussed attending.
  • Veteran Friendly Businesses:
    • The sticker design was previously approved; implementation is awaiting resolution of leadership changes at the Chamber of Commerce, with Mike working on that relationship.
  • Veterans Hall of Fame Nomination:
    • The commission will discuss the nomination status offline rather than in open session.

New Business

  • Recognition: The commission thanked Nicole for her hard work in observance of National Clerks Week.
  • VA Adaptive Sports Grant: The Department of Veterans Affairs is making $16 million available in grants to eligible communities for adaptive sports programs for veterans with disabilities or active service members with disabilities; Green qualifies as a municipality. The commission will discuss whether to submit an application with service department staff, with a May 13 deadline. A local field and The Core were mentioned as potential venues for adaptive sports programming.
  • Military Signing Day: Green High School will hold its military signing day on Monday, May 18, at 9:00 AM, recognizing students enlisting in the military, joining ROTC, or attending service academies; Secretary of State Frank LaRose will provide proclamations; more than 10 students are expected to sign; participants receive dog tags placed on a tree in the high school's veterans courtyard.
  • Veterans Ohio ID Card: The commission discussed Summit County Fiscal Office-issued veterans ID cards, noting they require discharge papers, are useful for veteran discounts, and now carry a 10-year expiration period. Members noted the card could dovetail with the veteran-friendly business program.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the April 7, 2026 meeting minutes.
  • Mr. Spate will arrange approximately four ROTC cadets in uniform for flag distribution on Memorial Day.
  • Mr. Elkins will seek clarification from the service department on parade route rules for flag handout volunteers.
  • The commission will procure easels and securing hardware for the wreaths and conduct a dry run before Memorial Day.
  • The commission will consider attending the May 14 MAPS Air Museum meeting and/or participating virtually.
  • The commission will discuss the VA adaptive sports grant application with the service department before the May 13 deadline.
  • Veterans Hall of Fame nomination status will be discussed offline.
  • The meeting was adjourned by motion and second.

Meeting Transcript

Blast off. That's what I'm standing for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Can we please have the roll call? Sure. Mr. Mickelson. Here. Mr. Sonopoli. Here. Mr. Suffolk? Here. Mr. Hughes is absent. Mr. Burgess. Here. All right. Okay. We need to approve the minutes for last month. Last week. Yeah, last month, I guess it is. Yeah. Any um make a motion to approve? Second. Motion approved. Okay. We were talking about unfinished business for uh last month on the Memorial Day details. Um I know there was a message from uh Keith at MAPS, and he was looking at we had maybe four Jeeps or one Jeep, whatever we might need. Uh the inquiry was is whether Jeep have enough uh room on a fender for our uh advisory commission sign. Uh and he was supposed to, I thought might have somebody here today to give us some update on it, but uh obviously it's not it's not happening. So uh but uh we do have a chance of having uh a Jeep to uh to do that. So uh we'll just keep working on that. Mike had talked, I had talked to him and then Mike had had talked to him also and got a uh an operations person for him who works for him that was gonna line this up perfectly. So I think that'll be okay. Um what else did we have for that? Um on that Mr. Uh Spate. Yes, sir. Would you have maybe a few ROTC cadets that could you know join us in passing out flags? Yes I know I know that you guys usually have a lot of them that are marching, you know, between the color guard and raiders and that sort of thing. I wasn't sure if you had any that weren't slated for one of those jobs that would be interested in helping us. I'm sure if we put the word out, we could definitely get a few extra cadets. I think maybe four. Okay, yeah, four would be good. Um like them in uniform. Um they're gonna be running back and forth, probably something patriotic.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com