It was a short meeting, less than an hour! The library briefing was longer.
Looks like the started late as per usual. Schumacher and the Mayor were notified absences, Maniaci and Sanborn also absent. Tim Bruer is chairing the meeting.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Under Special Presentation, a Malan Mitchell from firefighters 311 wanted to say a few words to the council, there were no objections so it was allowed. He says he was at the Captiol since 8:30 this morning, he’s been a firefighter for 13 years and on his days off he’s on the Executive Board for the State Firefighters Association that’s why he’s wearing his Class A uniform because there was a piece of legislation that was being heard today. The bill would assume that if a firefighter got a disease it is presumed that they got it while on the job. He says they were there from 9:30 to 4:00 and they spent 2.5 hours talking about the mascots for the schools. it took them 4 or 5 hours to get to their item, but their item passed. Anyways, he’s here to invite them to Fire Ops 101, they have RSVPs from Larry Palm, Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, Satya Rhodes-Conway and others. Mayor Dave, Kathleen Falk, Rep. Mark Pocan and other senators will be coming. Just here to invite them personally. He says there is some apprehension that people will fail, we won’t let you fail. You can come and just observe too. They have 5 stations set up. They have an extrication station, they will cut open a car. A hose advance station, they will take a line in and put out a fire. EMS scenario, search and rescue in a building. They won’t let you get hurt. Appreciates being able to go first.
SUSPENSION OF THE RULES
Alder Clear moves suspension, no objections.
HONORING LIFE AND WORK OF DR. ANTHONY BROWN
The clerk reads the resolution for Bruer. Brenda Brown accepts the resolution to a standing ovation.
Brenda Brown she says hello to old friends, nice to be back at the Common Council, thanks Mayor and City for the recognition of her husband. He leaves a remarkable legacy of service, civil rights and social labor in the Madison and Milwaukee community and the across the State of Wisconsin, as well as nationally. His impact was seen at his home going celebration that occurred about three weeks ago. Nearly 1200 people came from all over the country, some by plane, by train and some by foot and by bus, but they all came to pay their respect to a valient warrier and friend. The celebration of a life so rich moved Governor Jim Doyle to declare March 20th as Dr. Anthony Lamar Brown Day in the State of Wisconsin and that will be forever celebrated and an honor to our family and we take much pride in this. I always say I would like to have listening ears and open eyes as I speak to you today, because the years my husband spent working for the City of Madison and the service that he has done, I’m here to tell you that you will go an entire lifetime and you will never meet anyone with all the attribute of my husband. So I thanks you for your respect and time and attention because it is more than warranted. She introduces her children, some here and some watching by skype, she thanks friends, colleagues and fellow church goers for their support as they learn to take life step by step without Anthony, we could not make it without our friends and the community. Jon Grambling of the Capitol City Hues wrote an article call “A Lion has Fallen” which is a befitting title for her husband, because to this day, I am 58, I have never met a man with such strength and determination as my husband and I doubt I ever will. My husband loved Madison and he was known to attend and support every event across this city. And I mean everything, he was nicknamed Downtown Tony Brown, but he was everywhere. Dances, sporting events, jazz, baby showers, he was every where and eating was always part of the activities. In fact I believe he went on to heaven says to the Real Men Cook event, saying I am leaving now to give you other fellows a chance to win, because he won so many times. My husband made a real impact on the community and an investment in the future of youth and this state and county for the betterment of all people, not matter what race, nationality, religion, age, no matter what he fought valiantly. No matter what event or activity that transcends social economic opportunity, race relations, gender rights and religious freedom for all is precisely what he stood for. I believe everyone has an assigned mission from God while on earth, to achieve and Anthony’s mission was social justice. He served the community and state, he provided a voice at the table for those who could not otherwise speak for themselves from housing to human rights, no matter what the issue was, if there was an injustice, Anthony was found front and center of that dialog. Much of this civil rights work came through his job as Executive Director of the Equal Opportunity Commission. I jotted down a list of 35 major accomplishments during that time, to date everything that I know of came through his efforts, it is a great legacy that those things carry on. He work is parallel to what President Barrack Obama says We all should invest in our community, we need to “choose our better history, to carry forth the noble promise passed on from generation to generation the god given promise that all are equal and all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue a measure of happiness and above all equal opportunity and equal justice to all, including our leaders who serve in the lines fighting for social justice.” My husband was one of those people, my husband’s past was not for the feint of heart, he was a suffering servant for many decades. To go when you cannot go, to participate even when in pain, for the betterment of the community. at the heights of his illness my husband championed the need for organ donation and still carries a torch through the Dr. Anthony Lamar Brown Kidney and Liver Transplant Foundation. In his death my husband has been recognized by honorable representatives, former colleagues and friends, President Barrack Obama, Senator Russ Feingold, Governor Jim Doyle, Representative Tammy Baldwin, Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, and Commissioner David Stern of the National Basketball Association. These people were not just writing plaques, these people intimately know my husband, intimately appreciated his work and he was known nationally for that work. We the family of Dr. Brown would like to thanks the Madison community for your support before, during and after the death of my husband. His home going service was truly Anthony’s pride classic (?) haven’t seen anything like it, thousands of people were running, volunteers and resources came from everywhere. It was truly a reunion and a chance for people to be reinvigorated in life and I want to personally thank each and every one of you, you know who you are, you played a role. So many people did a small thing and it came together and we thank you. In closing, I would like to challenge all of you today to follow in the footsteps of my husband. We need to continue to build a strong community, one without race, sexism and religious intolerance. We must valiantly continue our commitment to community dialog and community involvement. My experience is that I have seen a decline in this regard. We must fight against injustice whenever it occurs. We must continue to value our leaders of today, who continuously put themselves in the cross fire of justice for all mankind. If there is no justice for our leaders and their families, there is no justice for anyone. And I hope you hear me. I will not add words, there is no justice, when there is no justice for anyone and particularly when we leave our leaders without justice. We would like to leave the award that the Mayor is going to give us, with the City of Madison, I thought about this all night, and I believe that the award that is being presented will serve my family no value in our home, the primary reason for that is because these values are instilled within us, we live them. So I thought where could this be of most value to the City of Madison and what I would like, I was hoping that Dave Cieslewicz was here, but I would like to ask the Mayor if he would be kind enough to create a place for this award to be displayed, so that it cannot be removed from the wall, it cannot go away with subsequent mayors and the values can be stated in some kind of form where it can be a beacon of light, a reminder of the way in which we need to go and travel, there are no perfect men, but I know this about my husband, he perfectly had it right when it came to loving people, listening to people and valuing people. That much I know he had it perfectly right. So I hope the Mayor will honor and recognize this request because I don’t want it to be another plaque in the box or hung on the wall, I want people to remember the values of Madison to keep us the great community we are. Secondarily, I would like to see these values taught to managers and employees in the City of Madison as part of the orientation. That means it should be included in your training program. And then I would like for you to fulfill the three challenges that I listed for you earlier. The ones that Madison has been known for. That is the Madison concept of fighting for justice. When I say truth and justice ran down the street, truth fell and justice stumbled and justice rose and ran ahead hardened hearts and misery excel, hope rose and faith prevailed. Let us be the trailblazers of faith and hope in the City of Madison, with those characteristics we will never lose the race and it will be for the benefit and betterment of our children forever and ever and ever. Thank you.
FAIR TRADE RESOLUTION
They moved 173 up, it was from the addendum. Lots of procedural confusion. Clerk reads the resolution.
Erika Simmons and Ali Gardner (?) and others spoke from WISPIRG in support and were joined by many others. They thank them for supporting the resolution. 16th fair trade city in the country.
Alder Marsha Rummel asks that she and Steve King be added as a sponsor, without objection the entire council is added as a sponsor.
Verveer asks the students to come back for a minute, he says they have a light agenda, he wants to take another minute or two thank the student activism you see present, the students are members of WISPIRG from UW campus, this is a couple years of work. Asked about doing this some time ago. Although this is honoring resolution, he invited them back for a photo op and offers to filibuster while they do that. He wanted his colleagues to know this is not the last time they will be hear, they will be back for a more meaningful ordinance at a later date. This is phase one, to be nationally recognized, phase two is an ordinance amendment building on the sweat free ordinance and the purchase of apparel for the city. Alder Rhodes-Conway serves on the community and we’d like to extend this from encouraging purchase of fair trade items, along with our caterers, our next step is to pass an ordinance to change form encourage to mandate. This is a result of the student labor movement on campus and he thanks them for coming.
Bryon Eagon also thanks them and encourages them to stay involved with the city and asks them not to be a stranger to city government. Your voices are important.
[This is starting to feel like a county board meeting, I think they officially have more time on honoring resolutions than on business this evening.]
REFERRALS, EARLY PUBLIC COMMENT AND CONSENT AGENDA
Item 2 is referred to city attorney’s office.
No early public comment.
Public hearing items 3 – 14, and item 58 are excluded. Item 82 is deleted and replaced with 177 which is a substitute from Board of Public Works. Unanimous consent recorded on items 16 and 61. On item 55, referred to April 20 council meeting so take up budget amendment and ordinance creating the position which will come back from CCOC at that time. Item 58 will have a substitute. Item 60 change amount of purchase to $425,000. Also note that items 47 and 87 have registrants in favor not wishing to speak.
Bridget Maniaci asks to be added as a sponsor to item 103 and item 107.
Mike Verveer wants to clarify on 58, comfortable having it be part of consent as long as people know there is a substitute. Offers to explain if necessary. No questions. Added to consent agenda. Also says that on item 17, nominations by Mayor for committees, not receiving notifications of which seat they are being appointed to, it doesn’t note who they are succeeding. He’d like that updated.
Thuy Pham Remmele would like to abstain from item 15 until she hears more from CCOC report.
Satya Rhodes-Conway says several people have commented on item 78, E Mifflin St reconstruction district, they will not be charged for work that was done several years ago, only charged for the new squares. If concerns contact her or city engineering.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
No speakers on items 3 – 7, ALRC opens. Recommendations passed.
Items 8 – 12, Public Works items. Item 9 is separated for an amendment. Greg Mathers wanted to speak in opposition to item 10 but wasn’t in the chambers when closed. All items passed as recommended. Item 9 has an amendment by Shiva Bidar Sielaff to add some pedestrian safety improvements with pavement markings by West High School.
Item 13 & 14, Plan Commission items. No registrants. Those items pass as recommended.
ADJOURN. INTRODUCTION OF ITEMS
Verveer has an ordinance to eliminate the 365 day limit on the liquor licenses in Alcohol Density area.
Bruer thanks council for their support in his mothers death.
Adjourned.
