I

want to welcome all to the October 28th meeting of the Common Council.

We begin with public participation.

Portion of the meeting.

Time is now 703

p.m.

I

ask any speakers to please remember to state your name and address clearly for the record.

You have three minutes to address the council.

As we uh observe our rules under Roberts Rules and the rules of decorum of our council rules.

First speaker I have is Jessica Angelo Julian.

Good evening, members of the city council and members of the community.

My name is Jessica Angelo Julian, one sixty-seven Reservoir Road.

I am here today to speak about the urgent need to fill the city's CHRO officer position and why this role is critical to the City of Du Britain's commitment to fairness, accountability, and compliance.

The CHRO officer is not simply an administrative position.

Under the city's affirmative action plan, this individual serves as the city's primary representative on matters involving equal employment opportunity, affirmative action compliance, discrimination prevention, and coordination with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

The CHRO officer is responsible for monitoring compliance, preparing and maintaining required reports, advising departments on affirmative action requirements, responding to CHRO inquiries, and ensuring that certain concerns raised by city employees and applicants are addressed appropriately and professionally.

An administrative position three by its nature is classified and cannot effectively fulfill these obligations.

Doing so will strengthen the city's commitment to equal opportunity, improve accountability, ensure compliance with affirmative action requirements, and demonstrate to employees and the residents of new New Britain is committed to fairness, integrity, and all aspects of municipal government.

Thank you for your time.

Good evening.

Thank you, Commissioner Angelo Julian.

The

next speaker I have is Paul Edwards.

Good

evening, Mr.

Chairman.

My

name is Paul Edwards.

I live at 717 Shuttle Meadow Avenue here in New Britain.

It's been two weeks since I was last here addressing the vacant ward seat, and it remains vacant.

There's no question about that.

And it has been vacant for nine months.

It has been vacant for six months since the last person was appointed to the spot, only to find out he wasn't qualified for the spot.

Bill Belichick famously said, do your job, and I'm here to remind you all and ask you to please do your job and fill that position.

There was some uh explanations offered at the last meeting in response to my comments about this that I just wanted to respond to briefly.

It was suggested that there is a problem with the charter, um, and that's holding up this appointment.

I know that's not true.

This body has already appointed two people to this council this year under that charter.

There's no problem with the charter.

The language is clear.

It was suggested that this wasn't a party line vote, and that there was one member of the majority who actually opposed the appointment of Mr.

Osborne.

Well, you'd be interested to know that both the actual resolution in the clerk's office that uh shows Mr.

Osborne's appointment shows Mr.

Simpson that you seconded the motion for that appointment, and that the vote was 10 to 4, and so do the minutes from that meeting

in

the clerk's office.

So I'm not sure what's going on, but the records are you voted in four you voted in favor of it.

Not only that, you seconded the motion.

So there's a name before you're readily apparent since you've done nothing with it for six months, that

you

don't want to approve that person.

That's your prerogative.

Just vote no.

There's nothing, or leave it there and appoint somebody else.

There's no reason that that motion sitting there for six months prevents you from doing your job on this point.

Many of you urged, said at the April 22nd meeting how important it was to have that seat filled.

Please do your jobs, appoint someone.

I