The Hampton City Council held its legislative session on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. Councilmember Billy Hobbs was excused due to illness; all other members were present. The meeting covered consent items, a proclamation, a fentanyl awareness presentation, a rezoning public hearing, public comments, and appointments. The meeting adjourned at 7:52 PM.
City Manager Response:
Good evening and welcome. I'd like to begin by asking our clerk to call the roll, please. Councilman Bowman. Present. Councilman Brown. Here. Vice Mayor Cray. Present. Councilwoman Harper, present. Councilman Hobbes. Councilwoman Muggler. President. Mayor Tuck. Present, Councilman Hobbes is under the weather and will not be here this evening. I'd like to ask Councilman Bowman to do our invocation, followed by our Pledge of Allegiance. Let us pray. Lord bless those families that lost over 200 that died in the storm. Lord, please bless and keep our ten Hampton firemen that has responded to provide relief. Lord, please bless the council to work cooperatively, cooperatively, and make decisions in the best interest of our citizens. In Christ's name, Amen. One of the real joys I have as mayor and then actually as a former council member was before the meeting starts is to kind of go out into the audience and greet some of the individuals who are here. And so I I want to follow up on that by first of all talking about uh a young lady, like she's 85 years young, uh, who has really been a tour de force uh in our city and particularly in the Aberdeen Gardens community. Uh it's Miss Margaret Wilson, who was with us last year when we went to Denver and helped us to win the uh All America City Award. And um recently she actually was gonna find my paperwork. She was recipient of the Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Hospitality Hero Award. Um we're gonna play her presentation of that at that award, and we'll tell you more about Mrs. Wilson. And here's a story that I've got to score everyone. Built by blacks for blacks is a community motto, and Ms. Wilson's never hesitates to share the stories of her youth being raised by our grandparents in this extraordinary community where every parent disciplined the kids when they were mischievous, and every family looked out for each other. Every Aberdeen home had a garden, and every family grew a different item so that vegetables could be shared with the neighbors. A must-see visitor attraction for Hampton. Now, last year when we were in Denver, um, when it came to Mrs. Wilson's time to make her presentation, and I would try and reenact it, but I'd probably embarrass myself. But it went something like my name is Margaret Wilson, and I'm 84 years young, and I'm from Aberdeen. And so last year also, she was named 80. Was it last year? Yes, I guess it was she was one of our Hampton heroes. If it was in 23 or 24, okay. So she was one of our Hampton heroes, and um she's just been a wonderful, wonderful ambassador for our city. Now she may not like the idea, but I said, hold up, why are you sitting so far in the back when you know you're gonna be recognized? So I like to ask Miss Margaret Wilson to come up here, and we're gonna ask our council members to come down so we can take a picture and also allow her to say anything she wants to say. But I reminded her, I promised another group that they'd be out by seven o'clock. So she has a time limit on how long she can speak. Mayor, if I may just add to your wonderful remarks, not only did Miss Wilson help us win one All-America City Award, but she went with us in 2014 as well and had the same wonderful spirit, and um, I think the judges called it sassy um presentation, and she made such an impression on them in 2014, they remembered her when we went last year. So she has always been willing to probably promote not just Aberdeen Gardens, but Hampton overall. We're very grateful. We need to get you a microphone before you try to speak. All right, so what the what hid the microphones? Thank you.