LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS / University Heights City Council meeting highlights [online 6-20-2016]

JUNE 20, 2016

  • Moment of silence
  • Public comments
  • Anti-semitism pledge
  • New park
  • Library closing
  • Council meeting start time
  • 2017 budget
  • Postage meter company
  • Agenda request for Gay Pride Month


Councilwoman Michele Weiss was absent.

Moment of silence

The pledge of allegiance was followed by a minute of silence for the victims in Orlando.

Public comments

Request for anti-hate resolution: Win Weiser spoke about the attack in Orlando, stating that it was a hate crime. She said that when she and her partner moved to University Heights, they hung a rainbow flag in front of their home but after some pushback from the neighbors they decided to live more quietly. They were beginning to feel that opinions had changed recently, but clearly there is still hate from some people. She asked Council to pass a resolution stating that hate will not be tolerated in University Heights. She said that people can do and believe what they want within their own homes, but public spaces must be protected so that all people can exist in the public spaces safely and peacefully. Weiser distributed copies of an article from The Columbus Dispatch, emphasizing that words have power both for goodand for ill. June is Gay Pride Month so she asked council to consider some type of legislative action in recognition of this event.

Anti-semitism pledge

Mayor Susan Infeld received an e-mail from a resident regarding the fact that she had not signed the pledge against anti-semitism. The resident was applying pressure for the mayor to sign it. Mayor Infeld explained that she was unaware of the pledge that had been presented to mayors of large cities, and then printed in an ad in the New York Times. Apparently the delegates in Ohio had decided that all mayors should be approached, regardless of size of community. She has now signed the pledge, but is concerned that such issues are being used as a litmus test – “you must think as I think” – and is an underlying cause of hate.

New park

The new park on Fenwick Road opens in mid-July and is almost done. The tennis courts are rebuilt and open to residents.

Library closing

The University Heights Library will be closing temporarily for construction starting Sept. 6, with a groundbreaking [for the new library] on Aug. 28. Instead of moving the library to a temporary space, it will be transferred to a mobile library that will travel throughout the community bringing books to residents.

Council meeting start time

Council approved changing the start time for regular meetings to 7 p.m. beginning in September.

2017 budget

Council approved the 2017 tax budget.

Postage meter company

Council approved the contract with the postage meter company.

Agenda request for Gay Pride Month

Vice Mayor Susan Pardee requested an addition to the agenda to discuss a motion in support of Gay Pride Month in support of non-discrimination.

LWV Observer: Wendy Deuring.

The observer left early and did not observe the portion of the meeting after the mayor’s report on the University Heights Library’s temporary closing. The clerk of council provided the observer with information on the subsequent listed agenda items.

University Heights City Council does not have any regularly scheduled meetings for a summer recess until September. Special meetings may be called on occasion.

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.

These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.

League of Women Voters

Observer Corps editor for the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland

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