Meeting Transcript

August twelfth two thousand twenty-six. It is now um five thirty-four, and we're opening up the meeting. Uh Peggy, can you read the um attendance? Yep. Elise Baker. Linda Batts here. Ada Hernandez. Excuse. Don Johnson. Here. Mike Kerwin. Excuse. Carrie Pratt. Excuse. Here. Samiya. I'm not sure. Octavia Gernhardt. Ibrahim Mohammed. Here. Okay, so we have a quorum. Um the special meeting. I want to um explain why we're here. Um the majority of the Syracuse Citizen Review Board has voiced their opinion that they want the board to resume its investigation function effectively Monday, uh, August 17, 2026. The Citizen Review Board was created by ordinance of the Syracuse Common Council and derived the duties from that ordinance. Only the uh common council can amend or suspend those duties. The opinion issued by corporate counsel in April is a legal advice to the city. It is not a uh repel of the ordinance, and it does not uh relieve the board of uh our obligations. The ordinance placed on it. The board would the board has weighed it and opinion scaffolding along the Fort's department ruling in the locust case matter and has concluded that the Syracuse advisory non-discriminary review structure is mature enough from the uh different from the model addressed by those uh those decisions. Residents who file complaints are entitled to have them reviewed. The work resumes on Monday. The board is deliberate in setting the assumption date uh five days out rather than immediately every member on this board serves as a volunteer. Um no members should be placed in the position to assume risk that they have not freely accepted, except excuse me. Any current member who does not wish to serve under the resume investigation posture uh may submit a letter of resignation uh to the chairman on or before Friday, August fifteenth, twenty twenty-six. No explanation is required and none is um and none is requested. Members who resign will leave with the board thanks and with no reflection of their services. The board is separately pursuing a liability coverage for the members and will continue to press the council on that point. The board purpose is not adversarial, but the board will not remain idle, and the residents of Syracuse who promised who were promised citizen review on Monday, they will have that again. Um and that is our statement for today. And um, if we can get a motion to adjourn. I'll move to adjourn. And if we can get a second, it has been moved and second. All in favor? Those opposed, ayes have it, meeting is resolved. Thank you for attending you.