Good evening everyone.

Welcome.

Hope everyone had a great summer.

Um get back to normal again.

I want to thank you and joining uh some of us in person, also virtually.

Those viewing the meeting on the um Hartford Public Access TV dot org, uh channel ninety-six, on Comcast, and um Frontier on Channel Sixty Thirty Two.

Public comment, which we normally hold um the first uh council meeting of the month, uh is in accordance with the following procedure.

Each person shall give its name, address, and if he or she represents the group, then in addition to the s uh state the group's name and the address of said uh organization, each speaker shall uh again set their name and the address.

All remarks should be uh aimed at the council members and absolutely uh the council members uh is allowed to ask questions.

Um and if it the speaker becomes um boisterous, we may have to ask them not to um you know attend another public comment.

So we are starting a little bit late, it's about ten minutes after six.

So far, I believe we have gotta find my sign-up sheet.

George, is that one person signed up?

Just built okay, it's just got updated.

Okay, great.

I I just got it updated.

Okay.

So the first person to speak is gonna be Mr.

Bill Katz.

Good evening, Mr.

Katz.

Please come on up.

You have three minutes.

Three minutes, you have time.

Yeah.

I have three minutes to describe how to save the city.

Now I I that was posed to me once at an NRZ when I wanted to go around to all the NRCs explaining little things that we could do to benefit Harvard.

And the first one I went to gave me 30 seconds, and I I walked out and went home.

Anyway, I'm here just for the little picky roomy things that bug me, like um fire uh fire trucks that are first responders.

We send out these humongous expensive trucks, and we've been doing it for thirty or forty years, to go to every uh emergency.

And there's a major expense in wear and tear on these vehicles.

Why not purchase uh a line of Econo cars loaded with the emergency equipment to go out on these calls and stop wasting and wearing down our very expensive fire trucks?

I don't know.

It's it one would like to think that you know this would have been done 30 years ago, and we're we're it still hasn't been done.

That's one.

Another is uh when when a car crashes into a utility pole, the the previous pole is left hanging and tetering, and there are big splinters, and kids could get injured, and they're they're left there year after year after year.

And it's it's just it's horrible to see what how the city of Harford treats its uh neighborhoods to have these things remaining indefinitely, get with it.

They should be it should be cleaned up, they should be repaired.

Um lastly, uh little pet picky roody thing is uh fire hydrants.

Does the fire department used to paint sand and paint fire uh fire hydrants?

And that was sent over to MDC.

MDC doesn't really care about up uh upkeep on these things.

So in our neighborhoods, they're all rusted, they're ugly, the sh uh paint is peeling, but I do know that in downtown Harford, many of these fire uh hydrants are freshly painted.

So, you know, the business community gets theirs freshly painted.

I drove down uh Hungerford Street, the mayor's uh street, and those uh hydrants are one is a brand new hydrant, the others are fairly freshly painted, and I'm not accusing the the uh the mayor of having any influence on it, but it just so happens that all the hydrants on his street are rather newly painted, but we go into our neighborhoods, they're all rusted and and paint peeling, and we're the we pay the taxes here, and we're not being given uh fair shake.

Thank you very much.

Uh thank you, Bill.

I neglected to uh let everyone know all the uh council members who are here.

We have uh Councilwoman Rosado, we have uh councilwoman Kelly Billydew, uh virtually we have Councilman Thomas and Assistant Majority Leader TJ Clark, and of course I'm Shirley Surgeon, uh Council President.

So, Bill, would it be really helpful?

I'm gonna take a look at the hydrant in my neighborhood as a matter of fact.

But it'd be really helpful if you see these things, you shoot us a little, you know, a little email or text message to let us know so we could follow up on it.

So, but I do have a note about asking.

I wonder who does the fire hydrant.

Oh, okay.

So yeah, we need to find out who's in charge of making sure the fire hydrants are painted and don't have no rust or anything on it.

And we will certainly have somebody get back with you on that.

But I'm gonna take a look at the one that's about a couple blocks from where I live, just since you now brought it to my attention.

Okay, thank you, Bill.

And it's not picking you things, it's just nice to know that we're keeping up with our city and we want to make sure everything looks good.

Uh next up to speak will be Michael Downs.

Good evening, Mr.

Downs.

My name is Michael Downs.

I live at 74 Rosemont Street in Hartford.

Um here tonight talk about uh three issues.

One is the Department of Recreation.

They got the head of the Department of Recreation, named Brian Gallagher, that's way over his head in uh in that uh job.

He has no idea what he's doing.

He hires non-union workers and calls them union workers.

We uh point out to them that's they're not union workers, and he still keeps with his non-union workers and won't hire the union workers, so he's got to stop that.

And I'm not gonna stop until he's gone because I think he needs to leave now.

I I complained about him a year ago when you uh uh first approved him as the director, and uh I said that he was in over his head, he didn't know what he's doing.

I I believe that now.

And um, so I I think that you need to uh replace him.

I mean, he he is not professional.

He uh uh ambushes uh workers, union workers, and uh goes after them with two or three different people, and uh uh that that happened to uh a good friend of mine, and she'll probably tell you about that this evening.

Um also, where's the agenda?

The agenda, we haven't put that out as yet.

Oh, okay, but we can get you a copy if you would like.

Yeah, okay.

I usually try and speak when I come up and speak is speak on something on the agenda.

You should have asked us, Bill, we can uh, you know, get you, as a matter of fact, um, you know, if we can get Mr.

Downs a copy of the agenda.

We normally put copies out on the table.

And uh the past two months, thank you.

Uh past two months I've been up here twice.

And there was no meeting.

It was uh virtual.

And today with uh all these computers and hybrid uh meetings, people could go if they're away on on vacation or uh it's too hot or something, just sit home in the air conditioning.

Fine.

Get on the uh come in by Zoom.

And uh a lot of people uh all through the year come in by Zoom.

I'm sure the people tonight coming in by Zoom.

And uh, but the public should have uh an opportunity to get up and speak.

And uh I I believe that.

And and so that we uh that is what we have to do.

But I I I'd really like to uh uh see the uh well we can give you a minute, Michael for the take a look up there.

Okay, you're reappointing uh some people on uh the Harvard Commission of Cultural Affairs.

Well, I guess that's all right.

I don't know.

I don't know who's on the the opposite of the uh committee of cultural or cultural affairs, uh but uh um and the street excavations is a pain they are the necessary, so I guess we have to keep that up too.

And uh we have to respect every every citizen in this city.

So uh if we're a if we're gonna raise flags for uh religion, I guess we could raise flags for uh uh sexual orientation.

Um I think that's all I want to speak on the agenda right now, but uh I do want to repeat that Brian Gallagher has to go.

He has to either resign or be terminated.

He doesn't know what he's doing, and he's uh way over his head in uh in that in that business.

He doesn't know how to leave.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next up to speak, uh Shirley Mims.

Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is Shirley Mims.

I live in Harford, 93 Sequin Street in Harford.

I'm here to complain uh to uh advise that I've been ambushed by Brian Gallagher, Troy McCoy, and Christine, supposed to be the clock.

Um recently I was uh uh out because my mother was um dying, and so I talked to the to the former person that was in charge.

And I he said, Okay, Shirley, you know, when you come back, but he's no longer here.

So I talked to Troy previously, and I said, Okay, my mother was really sick.

She had kidneys, and she was in the last stage, and she died.

So I told him, I said, Well, I want to come back to work.

He said, Okay, but we don't have any hours right now, but in the summer we probably will have it.

So I said, Okay.

So the summer came and he said, Oh, we don't have no hours for you.

And I said, How come you don't have no hours for me when you just told me that it was okay we have a lot of stuff going on in the summer and a lot of stuff's gonna be available?

To my uh uh understanding when I called him, I I checked with them through all the year because I was gonna go back anyway.

So I was saying, is it time?

I mean, I put her in a convalescent home for a last stage of death because I that's that's too much.

I couldn't take that.

So I have been out and um I did work last year and um the community day, W Square Community Day, and um this year I worked W Square Community Day, but with volunteer because he said he was they wasn't staffing it, but then a staff member um uh um uh Robert Jones and I think OJ Wynch was there too.

So I'm like, if they're not staffing them, I I work volunteer.

My thing is I would they c they call me on the phone after I repeatedly asked them, I got in ours, owls.

I heard this one said this one, that one said that one.

So they called me on the phone.

Troy called me, and then he said, Hold on.

I said, What you mean?

I thought, you know, he said I got Brian on the phone, and I have Christine on the phone.

So I said, Oh, I thought I was gonna get you know get some hours.

They antagonized me.

Uh he was saying blah blah.

They accused me a lot of stuff, and um, and I I told them, I said, you know what, I don't mean to be loud right now.

I said, but I've been talking to you guys for three months now.

I've been putting in complaints, talking to my union rep, and I have no uh employment, and I need to be employed because I need money.

I own a house and everything.

So uh they got me on the phone.

They and finally uh on a three-way conversation, and I had to explain to them to to um Gallagher.

I said, I talked to Troy several times, and he said that he was gonna, you know, it's it's gonna be space available, so don't worry about it.

I got you.

That's what he said.

And then I talked to Christina, and she said, Um, we were talking there.

She said, Well, if anybody wants to work with you, I said, Where did you get that from?

I said, You know what I'm saying?

She said, Well, uh, if we have some hours, I'll give it to you.

If we I've been working for uh pocket rec for 30 years, I've done coaching.

I even run a simple summer program by myself.

And for them to get in and say, well, then after with the conversation, we got in a three-way conversation, and I was like, I had no representation.

All uh they was all on the phone, you know.

And he said, I didn't say this, you didn't say that, and that, blah, blah, blah.

And then I said, you know what?

Then Gallagher said, we had some uh hours available in the summertime, and it was nights.

I said, Oh, and I said, Well, Troy never told me.

He said, Troy told me that I wasn't fit enough, that I wasn't fit.

And that when I said, You how you mean I'm not fit?

I've been here 30 years.

I've run championships, I got three championships under my belt.

I've done double dutch, I've assisted all these programs and implement the program, especially for summers.

So at that point, he said, Well, if you're gonna talk like that, and I don't know if you're gonna get hours.

I said, excuse me, I'm trying to explain myself.

I'm not trying to get loud with you, I'm not trying to be uh dis uh uh disrespectful, but I need to have my point across because these people saying one thing, and they when they got on the phone, they say they didn't say it.

And that was my concern.

Now I don't have a job.

I don't have hours, and I called him and he said, Well, we don't have nothing available.

Then I found out that the staff that they hired, a manager, we already got a JR down there.

I mean, JI uh uh uh uh recreation assistant Monty Jones.

So I said, What about down there?

Oh, we already set.

Come to find out this young lady that they hired, uh, I'm quite sure she's not in the union too.

Uh she works one day there, and then she's over four days at um Parker Center.

So I said, Well, why he said she was set all all week, so this is my concern.

I have all these people over me, and I'm fighting for my job because I'm 67 years old, and it's hard to get a job out here.

You know, and my thing is that how do you exclude me and um from even uh when they had meetings and stuff, they didn't even include me.

Uh I talked to my friend, he said, Well, we had a meeting with um Gallagher.

I said, Well, I was unaware of that.

So Gallagher, I guess they made their decision, and then they said, Um, and I said, Well, I want to make a grievance.

And I was told that the grievance that I couldn't make a grievance because I was a part timer.

So you're not a union member.

I am a union member.

So, okay.

I've been a union member for 30 years.

They take that on my check.

Okay.

So have you called your union representative?

Yes, I've talked to them.

They said they was on the ball and they were trying to get the uh information in regards to who was uh in the union, who wasn't in the unions.

Yeah.

And that's my concern, they was giving 50 hours, 40 hours to people now, and my 20, all I was getting was 20 some hours, and I was satisfied with that.

But I think I was a judge uh unclearly, and I was accused of a lot of stuff, and my union rep had to let them tell them you have to show me papers, and they couldn't show papers.

So it's one thing from the next.

Yeah.

So I'm here because I do need my job, and I think Brian doesn't do the program all the summer.

We usually have uh camps, three camps or two camps.

We had no camps, we had no kids.

The kids look for that food in the summertime for the lunches.

This been going on for years.

We didn't get and nobody wasn't even assigned outside, and like, you know, normally when the kids go into the park, they have something to do, or we they have some like recreation there to do recreation stuff with them and also provide lunches for them.

We had no lunches, we had nothing, and then when I asked him, I said, Well, why we can't, we have, you know, Bellevue Square Community Day been going on for 20 some years.

Yeah, it was Haran Bay and Bellevue Square Community Day.

Okay.

I was told that he said, Oh, that ain't got nothing to do with us.

I said, Why do you mean they ain't got nothing to do with us?

That's the community.

That's been here for years.

And my thing, if he's gonna say something that we have no program, we have nothing coming in.

We only have one summer camp.

We had no lunches for the kids.

We have nobody that we can really talk to.

And Brian is always busy, and like I said, I was ambushed on the phone, I had no representation.

It was surprise to me.

I hadn't heard anything else other than that.

And I'm clear to state that myself, because I am uh I think I'm a victim of that.

community that's been here for years and my thing if he's gonna say something that we have no program we have nothing coming in we only have one summer camp we had no lunches for the kids we have nobody that we can really talk to and Brian is always busy and like I said I was ambushed on the phone I had no representation it was surprised to me I had heard anything else other than that and I'm clear to state that myself because I am uh I think I'm a victim of that you know hey I've been working 30 years and all of a sudden you can't get back with me and all of a sudden you tell me I'm not fit and I don't done all this programs I've been here all these years and implement the program so I have a problem with that and uh uh with all this stuff going on um and um uh for them to be some of the union workers some are not and basically a lot of them is not union workers and I'm like how do they work before me thank you whatever they want to do all right Miss Mimps thank you so very much for sharing your um that information with us uh next person up to speak will be our calderon good evening I'm coming here in my um to address the issue of hidden run there's just too many of them every single day and um since there's not enough public here I probably come back another day to elaborate more but I like to see what is what what can what can the board of directors do about this is just getting too much people are you know there's too many victims I right now I handle five different cases for people that are coming calling me sending me the pictures and some of them you know they said that the police is not doing anything about it the other issue is that I came here today because I share a common frustration if I come disappointed in a common fury hearing the news about public stuff that are representing us that we bought them in for a reason to to protect us to be honest and we're here to bet news but I wanted to elaborate this the next time since we don't have enough public I am really in fury I do not understand why do we have to hear that in public the newspaper people are talking about it calling me and you know they they should be they they should on themselves think about their reputation if it is true they should do something about it I don't think they in my conscience I would I would quit the job if I'm doing something against the public you know our democracy is really getting a step down so the next time I'm gonna elaborate more that's why I came here thank you thank you and welcome Consident Mitchell don't believe we have anyone else signed up to speak tonight Miss No we're good okay well um since we have no one else signed up to speak I'm going to call this public comment uh to close and then get ready for seven o'clock council meeting thank you