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Record of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Meeting – November 20, 2023: Farewell to Outgoing Members

City Council — Monday, November 20, 2023
BodyGreenville, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, November 20, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:41

All right, good evening.

0:43

I'd like to call the November 20th, 2023 meeting of the Greenville City Council to order.

0:47

I'm Mayor PJ Connolly.

0:49

I'll be presiding over tonight's meeting.

0:51

First, I'd like to call on Councilmember Will Bell for the invocation filed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:55

Please join for a moment of silence.

1:04

Thank you.

1:05

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:10

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

1:17

One nation under God.

1:20

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:27

Madam Clerk, you please call the roll.

1:29

Yes, sir.

1:29

Mayor Connolly.

1:30

Here.

1:30

Mayor Pro Tem Glover.

1:32

Here.

1:32

Councilmember Daniels.

1:33

Present.

1:34

Councilmember Blackburn.

1:36

Present.

1:37

Councilmember Smiley.

1:38

Here.

1:38

Councilmember Robinson?

1:39

Here.

1:40

Councilmember Bell.

1:41

Here.

1:41

All right.

1:41

Mayor Connolly of a quorum.

1:43

Thank you very much.

1:44

Now we'll move on to the approval of our lengthy agenda.

1:48

Mr.

1:49

Manager.

1:49

No recommended changes tonight, Mayor.

1:51

All right.

1:52

Move to approve.

1:53

Second.

1:53

All right.

1:54

Motion has been made by Councilmember Smiley, second by Councilmember Robinson.

1:57

All those in favor say aye.

1:58

Aye.

1:58

Those opposed say nay.

1:59

Motion passes 6-0.

2:01

All right.

2:01

We are going to move on to special recognitions.

2:25

Councilmember Bell, you want to come forward.

2:34

So tonight we are going to celebrate some more council representatives that will be leaving us, not forever, but just temporarily.

2:47

Just a few little things about him.

2:52

He's a strong advocate for small businesses in the downtown community.

2:56

He represented the City Council on the development or the excuse me on the downtown Greenville Partnership Board and the boards for the ENC Alliance.

3:24

He's always been an advocate for making sure that uh the city's moving forward, making sure that we're uh focusing on investing heavily into our infrastructure, making sure that the city is a safe community, bringing jobs to our area, and then also as a district uh three representative, uh representing many of those students that were in the uh at ECU, uh making sure that we we have them uh stay here in Greenville and call it home.

3:47

So we're thankful for your service.

3:49

We're thankful for all that you've done.

3:51

Um you've done an incredible job.

3:52

The city of Greenville is very lucky to have your leadership, and we just want to say thank you and present you with this plot.

4:14

Mayor, I appreciate the kind words.

4:16

And um, you know, our our former city manager is not here tonight, and wall, but had the pleasure of working her, uh working with her almost the entire time she was with the city and uh a couple meetings now with uh the new city manager, uh Mr.

4:29

Cowan and King Graves, and uh thought a lot over the last couple weeks about you know my time on council, the things we've accomplished.

4:37

Um, you know, we were able to have the lowest tax rate in every 50 years.

4:41

Uh there's a ton of new development in our downtown first hotel came to town.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████████39%
Personnel Matters████████████████████████████28%
Public Comment███████████████████████████27%
Infrastructure██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Economic Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Meeting – November 20, 2023

The Greenville City Council met on Monday, November 20, 2023, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Mayor P.J. Connolly and included a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call. The agenda was approved unanimously (6-0). The primary focus was the recognition of three outgoing council members—Will Bell, Rick Smiley, and Mayor Pro Tem Rose Glover—who were honored for their years of service. Public comments were brief, and the meeting adjourned after a round of farewell remarks.

Consent Calendar

No consent calendar items were presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jesse Smiley (spouse of Councilmember Rick Smiley) expressed thanks to the council for loaning her husband and noted she would have him back home.
  • Yukonda Don (representing the Greenville ENC Alliance) thanked the council for their vision and support of economic development.
  • Mildred Council (former council member) congratulated the outgoing members, especially Rose Glover, and praised the new city manager, Mr. Cowan. She reflected on shared service and past accomplishments.
  • An unnamed speaker urged those remaining on council to continue their good work.

Special Recognitions & Farewell Remarks

  • Councilmember Will Bell was recognized for his advocacy of small businesses, downtown development, infrastructure, and ECU students. He reflected on achievements such as the lowest tax rate in 50 years, new downtown hotel, and street resurfacing. He thanked his wife for support.
  • Councilmember Rick Smiley was recognized for his decade of service (since 2013), leadership on boards including Uptown Greenville and the Shepherd Memorial Library, and his cost-benefit analysis approach. He thanked his wife, Jesse Smiley, and said his service was an honor.
  • Mayor Pro Tem Rose Glover was recognized as the longest-serving council member in city history (24 years, since 1999). She received a plaque and was presented with the Keys to the City. She thanked her husband of 55 years, her pastor, staff, and all who supported her. She expressed pride in her service and confidence in the future leadership.
  • City Manager thanked the outgoing members on behalf of city employees and wished a happy Thanksgiving.
  • Council members (Robinson, Daniels, Blackburn, Bell, Smiley, and Mayor Connolly) each gave personal remarks of appreciation, sharing anecdotes and thanking the departing members for their mentorship, dedication, and friendship. Councilmember Blackburn noted Rick Smiley’s consistent focus on cost-benefit analysis and Rose Glover’s role as a community matriarch.

Key Outcomes

  • The agenda was approved 6-0.
  • The meeting adjourned at an unspecified time following a motion by Councilmember Smiley and a second by Councilmember Bell; the motion passed 6-0.
  • No other votes or formal actions were taken. The meeting served as a ceremonial farewell to the three departing council members.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening. I'd like to call the November 20th, 2023 meeting of the Greenville City Council to order. I'm Mayor PJ Connolly. I'll be presiding over tonight's meeting. First, I'd like to call on Councilmember Will Bell for the invocation filed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join for a moment of silence. Thank you. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, you please call the roll. Yes, sir. Mayor Connolly. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Glover. Here. Councilmember Daniels. Present. Councilmember Blackburn. Present. Councilmember Smiley. Here. Councilmember Robinson? Here. Councilmember Bell. Here. All right. Mayor Connolly of a quorum. Thank you very much. Now we'll move on to the approval of our lengthy agenda. Mr. Manager. No recommended changes tonight, Mayor. All right. Move to approve. Second. All right. Motion has been made by Councilmember Smiley, second by Councilmember Robinson. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. Motion passes 6-0. All right. We are going to move on to special recognitions. Councilmember Bell, you want to come forward. So tonight we are going to celebrate some more council representatives that will be leaving us, not forever, but just temporarily. Just a few little things about him. He's a strong advocate for small businesses in the downtown community. He represented the City Council on the development or the excuse me on the downtown Greenville Partnership Board and the boards for the ENC Alliance.

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