By: Diane Benjamin
It’s not what you are thinking!
The Public Comment below is from Chris Collins who started a non-profit called HOPE – Housing Our People Everywhere. HOPE has a website: https://etihw34.wixsite.com/website-1
This organization wants to build homes for the local homeless. He has talked with the Community Development Department, they told him he has to meet with the City Manager. He sounded like that has been difficult to arrange, hence his appearance at Council.
Collins has an intriguing program. He claims local businesses will contribute a percentage of purchases, all people need to do is sign up with HOPE. I don’t see the ability to do that yet on their website.
Maybe Tim Gleason is avoiding a meeting because Collins mentioned building on the North Main property and where the former Coachman Hotel was. He has property now he says he will build on. Both of the City properties were purchased by the City so they could control development. North Main cost taxpayers $1.4 million in 2016, efforts to sell it have failed. The Coachman property has been held even longer.
Collins was the first to speak, a long line of others followed, mostly people talking about the Ward 6 seat. One applicant Luisa Gomez pretty much demanded she be appointed. Another applicant, De Urban, spoke but not about the appointment, she was there to encourage the Council to approve higher funding for ADA compliance with Rust grants. She never mentioned her application.
The circus started before Jeff Crabill, public comment lasted around 20 minutes.
You might want to scroll back to 4:00. The new police chief, Jamal Simington, spoke. His veteran father was murdered in 1975, the case was never solved. It would have been nice to see him maskless, nobody is anywhere near him.
I wonder if Chief Simington can find the NDA illegally signed two police chiefs ago that Tim Gleason and Jeff Jurgens claim doesn’t exist? It wasn’t signed with their permission, so I’m not surprised at their claims. Chief, check former Officers Squires’ file and documents from the hearing where he agreed to resign.
Hit play to start Public Comment:
