The Newark Municipal Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 6:30 PM in City Hall Council Chamber, presided by Council President LaMonica R. McIver. The meeting covered public comments, ordinances on first and second reading, a consent agenda of resolutions, and motions. Key topics included housing conditions at Georgia King Village (GKV), police-related issues, tax abatements, and budget matters.
Good evening. Good evening. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Newark Municipal Council. Good evening. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Newark Municipal Council on Wednesday, March twentieth, twenty twenty-four. Please stand for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance. And according to what New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large, establishing the date, time and location of this meeting. In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on March fifteenth, twenty twenty four at the time of preparation and posted on the website of the City of Newark. Roll call, please. Kelly. Once your name is called, please approach the podium and address the council. The first speaker this evening is Emily Aikins. Hi, I'm actually excited. I'm first. Next to North Star. Um I also want to bring to your attention first and Orange Streets. Um the traffic signal. Um the traffic is horrible. The pattern has changed, and I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to change it, but they didn't stick around to see if it actually is working. I'm telling you right now that there's going to be accidents. We have people who are making illegal turns, cutting people off, and you know that we have trucks and we have other different types of vehicles, and I understand that people are trying to go home, but school children are still crossing the streets, and the real issue is the crossing guard. It's not safe for people crossing the street, and it's not safe for the crossing guard. It is actually even more dangerous than it was before. So if somebody could look into that. Also, um, I notice you have these commissions or these committees. Um, and I realize that people are appointed by way of nomination, but I just wanted to know, and it's not just me, other people have been asking exactly how do you get nominated? And when do these vacancies become public and known? Um, it seems like the people that are nominated know somebody. And if they do, then for the people that don't know anybody, how do they get to know somebody so that they have an opportunity to either apply or to become nominated and to be a part of the city by way of being on a committee and feel like they have their voices being heard? And that's about it. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Aikins. Next speaker, Deborah Salters. Good evening, Miss Salters. Good evening, Deborah Salter, City of Newark Worry for the people. So the way that I was getting ready to go in tonight on the parking, I was advised to perhaps I know Miss Roundtree and I are supposed to have a meeting, right? So I'm gonna wait for that before I do all of that, okay. Um, but our quality of life in the city of North is what I'm concerned about. Um we have police officers, and trust me, that we have great ones, um, but they seem to get penalized for doing their job, you know, um, make a report, and they're asked, Well, why did you take the report? And officers have to be like, well, because she showed me video, she showed me proof, and then they're sent to West Bumble somewhere, and we've got these newbies down here who stay on their phones on TikTok, or they eating or conversing, people making left and right turns, speeding up on your bumper, doing whatever they want, and nothing is being done. And the police are sitting in their cars, their car is their casket, because thank God nobody's out here on a rampage, because that's where they would be found, but they are not doing the jobs that they are hired for. This past the week that we had was it last Thursday when we had the uh school board forum that particular night, I have never in my life seen downtown the way that I saw it. I called uh Councilman Silver, I sent him about 60 pictures. I called Ms. Roundtree. When I tell you, and and I'm going to say this because it's the truth. When the non-melanated come to our town, they do whatever they want. The police officer was right there. The group of police officers that were behind the barricades in where prudential are, I guess they were hanging with the stars or whatever. When I tell you the way that traffic was going, people were parked everywhere.