City of Chandler Council Meeting 05/09/2024

[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
for
e e
good evening and welcome to the May 9th
2024 regular council meeting I'd like to
call this meeting to order and clerk
would you please take the role mayor
Harkey here vice mayor Harris here
council member enus here council member
Ellis here council member Stewart is
absent excused council member Orlando
present council member
Poston here we have a quorum all right
thank you our invocation tonight will be
brought by one of our good friends of
the city of Chandler Rabbi meny Deutsch
from chabata the East Valley and our
Pledge of Allegiance by vice mayor
Harris rabbi
always nervous I gotta get the words
out pledge
allegiance oh I'm going to say that
first indication then that okay well
thank you it's been a while as you can
see okay please come back more right
thank you always love to be here
right God Of Heaven M of the world
graciously bless these distinguished
individuals chosen by many who have
entrusted them with the responsibility
of legislating for the
well-being of the members of the and
citizens of the city of Chandler and
their
families in 1930 my great-grandfather
immigrated to the United States and in
1940 his son my grandfather met the
previous laab rebbi in Brooklyn New York
inspired by the current laab rebis
Global mission to establish the world as
a dwelling place for the almighty God he
relocated to Springfield Massachusetts
to contribute to this noble cause though
Humanity's origin lies in the garden the
Garden of Eden human shortcomings led to
its expulsion yet it is through human
Ingenuity goodness and kindness that we
strive to reveal God in this world his
garden by keeping the seven universal
laws we Ena by enacting just laws we
uphold this message the heroism of our
leaders dedicated to fostering a
peaceful and harmonious world is
commendable we implore God to grant them
the strength and moral courage to
enhance our world daily bestow upon them
wisdom Justice Grace and empathy
enabling them to bring honor to your
name and blessing to
Mankind we are standing in a difficult
time right
now seeing what's going on around the
world and we pray that our
leaders in this city
have the strength and the courage to
continue to shine a light on what's
right and to
bring more clarity and peace to our
city it is a great honor and humility to
live here in this amazing
city where the law enforcers
continuously are in touch with our
community Jewish community and ensure
our Safety and
Security it means a lot to each and
every one of us in this
city to continuously receive the calls
the
support the emails and the
encouragement that we're behind you and
we're here to protect and to watch and
ensure that our citizens live in a
peaceful and harmonious world
in a moment we will say the Pledge of
Allegiance we will say our nation under
God with liberty and justice for
all want to ask God to bless our leaders
with good health wisdom compassion joy
and
happiness may they be o ever mindful
that in legislating just laws they
fulfill Your Divine will
amen please join me as we recite the
Pledge of Allegiance I I pledge
allegiance to the of the United States
of America and to the for it stands one
nation under God indivisible with
liberty and justice for
all thank you vice
mayor council before we look at the
consent agenda I would like to move item
number 20 and 21 to action uh we've got
a few speaker cards and it will allow I
don't want to rush that and uh if
there's others that have other plans
that will give them the availability to
um depart at that time so with that
Council we um had the opportunity to
look at the consent agenda on Monday and
ask questions and at this point U motion
would be in order mayor let's go Vice
May yes I would like to make a motion um
to approve the consent agenda items uh
on made 9th regular items excluding 20
20 21 but including items one through 28
with the exclusion of 20 and 21 that
goes to action okay we have a motion is
there a second second second second by
council member Orlando any recusals or
yes points
see okay finish your say holog yeah I'll
be voting no on item eight okay that's
what I was just getting ready to ask so
uh item number eight council member
Orlando May will be voting no I'll also
be voting no on item number eight as
well all right item number eight also
council member
incus Council please
vote council member posted
thank
you motion carries unanimously with the
um exception of item number eight which
carries by majority council member
Orlando and Inus Destin all right thank
you very much Council next and Council
we have some speaker cards on items
number 20 and 21 and I'd like to um call
them up in the order which they
uh uh brought in their card or were
presented to me um does any Council need
a presentation of any kind I know that
we've had uh multiple opportunities for
that as well before we call up our
speaker
cards seeing none all right first on our
list for
speaking we have Stephanie J
Jernigan and for each of you uh please
state your name and address for the
record and you have up to three minutes
to to share your thoughts on items 20
and R
21 my name is Stephanie
Jarnigan thank you mayor Harkey and
council members for taking action
tonight on the proposed brass knuckles
and unruly Gatherings ordinances I here
on behalf of my son 17-year-old Connor
jigan who can't be here tonight because
his volleyball team is in the 5A State
semi-finals go
Patriots I believe most of you probably
know Connor's story he was assaulted by
a Gilbert goon in the back of the head
with brass knuckles at the gilbertt
In-N-Out in December 2022 by someone who
was 16 at the time Connor asked me to
read the statement on his behalf brass
knuckles are dangerous weapons designed
with single purpose in mind to inflict
maximum harm upon another human being
unlike many other weapons brass knuckles
are specifically engineered to enhance
the force of a punch turning a
relatively harmless blow into a
potentially Lethal Weapon I know this
because doctors told me had my injury
been within an inch difference I could
have been paralyzed or
killed like many arizonans I am proud of
the our freedoms and individual rights
so it may seem counterintuitive for me
to advocate for the Banning of any
object based on my personal experience I
believe there are certain items whose
sole purpose is to cause harm and whose
presence in our society serves no
legitimate purpose grass Knuckles fall
squarely into this category we cannot
allow individuals and in the case that
we are discussing tonight specifically
minors under 18 to possess tools whose
only use is to inflict pain and
suffering upon others anyone who thinks
that it that is a good idea is simply
foolish I personally believe in a
complete ban but I can understand other
viewpoints although I do not buy the
argument that they are used for
self-defense by taking decisive action
tonight to ban juveniles from possessing
brass knuckles and to ban the sale of
them to miners the Chandler city council
will send a powerful message that teen
violence has no place in our society
this ordinance combined with the unruly
Gathering ordinance shows that Chandler
is serious about taking action and
attempting to make a positive difference
in our community will it solve teen
violence no but it prevents a disturb
but if it prevents a disturbed youth
from accessing a deadly weapon and
possibly preventing what happened to me
then it will be worth it in closing I'd
like to thank mayor Harkey for your
support and for agreeing to meet with me
to hear my ideas and concerns also
Please send up a prayer that my
volleyball team is beating williamsfield
right now thank
you thank
you our next speaker card is from
Nicholas larden I I must say to all the
parents I I realize I've let you down I
don't have my orange bow tie on tonight
I will try to rectify that for for two
weeks from now and I shall again be the
orange bowai
mayor Mr lar please state your name and
address you have up to three minutes sir
um my name is Nicholas Lord I live in
Chandler
um today I'm here not only as an
advocate for stronger Community safety
measures but also as a voice echoing the
concerns and aspirations of the city of
Chandler As We Gather to discuss and
support the proposed amendments
concerning underage drinking and the
accountability of Guardians in
situations where minor Gatherings become
dangerous firstly let us acknowledge the
significance of this proactive
legislation that addresses the critical
issue of underage drinking and the
sometimes devastating consequences of
unsupervised
Gatherings by endorsing this amended law
we are taking a firm stand against
preventable tragedies and reinforcing
Community
safety it is imperative that we not only
penalize irresponsible behaviors but
also promote a culture of vigilance and
responsibility among Our Youth and their
families in light of this the role of
parents and Guardians cannot be
understated by holding them accountable
we ensure a partnership between our
community and families fostering an
environment where young individuals feel
safe to grow and
learn this law is not just a measure of
enforcement but a step towards
collaborative prevention and
education furthermore it is with a deep
sense of respect and appreciation that
we recognize the efforts of our city in
honoring the memory of Preston
Lord the Declaration of September 23rd
as Preston Lord day is not only a
tribute to a cherished Young soul but
also an important reminder of our need
to protect and value every member of our
community let us move forward with a
renewed Spirit of commitment and
vigilance ensuring that the Youth of
Chandler have the opportunity to thrive
in a community that cares deeply about
their well-being and their
future together we can build a safer
more responsible Chandler I'd like to
thank vice mayor OD Harris for his
compassion his leadership and his
dedication for our cause in the
community I'd also like to thank the
rest of the council for working closely
together with us and um allowing us to
be heard thank Youk
[Applause]
you next up is Melissa Chante Sante
apologize
you could again please state your name
and address for the record that I'll
know better as well as uh you have up to
three minutes okay um my name is Melissa
Santi I live in Chandler and um just not
going to disclose our
address um mayor Harkey vice mayor
Harris and council members I stood
before you on January 11th and told you
about an upstanding young man named
Preston Lord he had just turned 16 years
old when he was murdered as a result of
teen violence at a house party that was
out of
control it is time that stricter laws
are created to hold teenagers and adults
accountable and responsible for their
actions Chandler city council you have
stepped up as a leader in the East
Valley to create the unruly Gathering
ordinance I stand before you now to
support this decision this amend
ordinance will make us feel safer living
in
Chandler we live in a time where the
prevalence of underage drinking and out
of control parties among minors has
become a troubling Norm these events not
only endanger the lives of our young
citizens but also disrupt the peace and
Harmony of our
neighborhoods it is imperative that we
take decisive action to address this
issue the amended law will enforce
stricter consequences for minors caught
drinking and hosting unruly Parties by
holding these individuals accountable
for their actions we aim to deter such
behavior in our future and protect the
safety of our
community moreover this law extends its
reach to the parents who must take
responsibility for their actions of
their children under their care it is a
collective effort to ensure that our
youth grow up in an environment that
Fosters responsibility and resp respect
for the law the unruly Gathering
ordinance would serve to strengthen
existing laws and reinforce these
values on another note I would like to
express our heartfelt appreciation to
the city of Chandler for its recent
decision to honor Preston Lord by
declaring September 23rd as Preston Lord
day this day is his birthday and it
signifies the life that he breathed into
his
community his Legacy of kindness and
compassion should forever be remembered
on this day this recognition serves as a
reminder of the positive impact one
individual can have on the lives of many
in conclusion let us Stand United in
support of the amended law to enforce
accountability among minors and their
parents together we can create a safer
and more nurturing environment for our
youth to thrive I would like to thank
Chandler city council for partnering
with the community to make these these
necessary changes quickly and
efficiently let us also take a moment to
reflect on the remarkable life of
Preston Lord whose memory will forever
be cherished in our
hearts thank you thank
you and our last speaker card on items
2021 is Bridget
Vega Miss Vega have up to three minutes
please state your name and address for
the
record Bridget Vega first safety and not
disclosing address thank you mayor and
Council for taking the lead and Chandler
for your presence it's been six months
since Preston Lord was brutally
assaulted and murdered thank you for
taking a step in the right direction
with the ordinances to create a safer
community and hold people accountable
thank you Connor and good luck in state
playoffs as you continue to stand in the
face of adversity and be a Beacon of
Hope as a community we are grateful for
your voice and continuing to be a voice
for the Youth and taking a stand on no
brass knuckles thank you Chandler for
working to implement the ordinances in
honor of Preston Lord the unruly parties
ordinance and Connor Jarnigan on no
brass knuckles ordinance but next as a
community we ask for accountability and
transparency we do want to clarify that
the Gilbert goons is a Chandler issue
and ask that you also brief your new
Chief as a community we ask that you
take the lead for a regional task force
on teen violence across the East Valley
we asked for continued partnership as a
community for more trauma prevention in
Awareness events like we've had in the
past week it was nice to see you guys in
those study sessions as well this past
weekend so we do want to acknowledge
everything and the efforts that you guys
are doing to get in front of teen viol
and truly take a stand as well as
Bridging the Gap and locking arms with
the community let's keep the Lord family
and the jigan family in your prayers and
keep Preston and the youth at the center
of this whole conversation and always
remember about the safety and it is
always about the children it should
never be profit over people if we can
take it a moment if we can take a moment
of silence for Preston Lord and all of
the teens who've been assaulted mentally
physically and sexually and all the
youth that was wrong wrongfully murder
due to senseless acts of
violence thank you and we demand Justice
for the
Youth City attorney I I have a question
um is it uh would it be acceptable to to
to make a single motion for items 20 and
21 or would you recommend that we do
them
separately mayor you can make a motion
for both items together if you like or
separate leads okay perfectly fine so it
would be perfectly fine um do I have
another is a speaker card related to
items 2021 or on okay very good schu uh
Council why I why don't we take a motion
in a second and then give council
members the opport Unity to make
comments before we vote that's okay a
motion would be in order mayor vice
mayor mayor I would like to make a
motion on behalf of Nick Melissa and
Preston in the upstander community to
approve items 20 and 21 mayor I would
like to second that
motion okay we have a motion and a
second and uh why don't we start with uh
Mr Inus we'll go this way if anybody
would like to make any
comments just a quick comment mayor um
just wanting to reassure our community
that we are always listening to you guys
and this is our commitment to ensuring
that your teens your families are safe
and will continue to be safe here in the
city of Chandler thank you council
member Ellis thank you mayor I
appreciate the fact that we did not
remain silent on this issue and when it
was brought to our attention as mayor
and councel we did everything in our
power to make sure that uh the families
and those in our communities were Hur
and so tonight we are sending a strong
message to parents to teens and those
who live in Chandler and outside of
Chandler for that matter that we will
not accept these kinds of things in our
city and so we stand strong on that and
we will continue to work with our police
department and those in our community
who are responsible to help us move
these kinds of things forward to make
sure that we are leading in that area to
the
parents both that I've
known my condolence is always with you
and my prayers and I will continue as a
mother myself who have lost a son I know
exactly how you guys feel about this
situation and I will always be here as a
listening
ears as a council member and also as a
friend may God bless you all thank
you yeah
thank you mayor um just want to thank
everyone for come really coming out
tonight and being a part of this this
process and tonight's vote uh it
represents an important progress to
address the teen violence we are seeing
in the greater East Valley region I'm
grateful to our community for their
consistent involvement from beginning of
this process which has shaped the items
that are being voted on this evening uh
and I want to thank you to the upstander
community who have been Fierce
Advocates uh in this fight against teen
violence and finding solutions that are
heartbreaking and in the heartbreaking
depth of Preston Lord thank you to the
Chandler chamber and the business
Community for their thoughts and
collaborations throughout this process I
wanted to um thank Mr Roy Tatum um
because when we when these things were
happening I called him to consult with
him to figure out how we can start a
process
and through that process we had
collaborated some thoughts and then I
most importantly wanted to thank um Mr
Nick Melissa just they've been a part of
this process literally every single step
of the way when I say every single step
of the way I mean from the time that the
idea was generated like we need to do
something and what can we do I met with
Nick and Melissa to talk with them about
this is something that I would like to
propose to do and we had conversations
and after I discussed it with the city
attorney I reached out to the mayor and
other council members as well um they
provided feedback but most importantly
the ordinance that you're seeing today
this has their DNA in it through through
it from the beginning to the end their
DNA is in this ordinance their words
that they share with me through private
text messages or even through um
conversation is in this ordinance they
set at the beginning part of the process
which was just an ideal they set through
the subcommittee part which was
formulation of the ideal they their
voice was in the study session that we
did as a council in this in this
particular thing and lastly where we are
today um it was a process and I know it
took a lot because they're going through
a lot right now even today they're going
through so much pain and hurt and I try
to um summon up by understanding that if
this is my son what would I do if you if
you have the power to move something
forward what would you do do you sit do
you be quiet or do you move forward and
so we met and I'm G and I'm sorry that
it's a little bit long but I want you
guys to know this the community to know
this we met with the chief ofce police
we met with the city attorney we met
with the city manager um we met with
staff together collectively we sat
around the table and Collective
collectively exchange thoughts I think
we finally now know okay we finally now
know how much work is involved and I do
apologize for taking so much time
counsel but I wanted to share that to
the community so you guys know that this
is not just a simple step it was a
process with the community and us
working together and lastly I'll say
this the mayor um in his declaration um
to make this year um prent Lord day on
September 23rd which we're going to have
a big celebration from what I hear I'm
not going to get about all the details
there's going to be a big celebration so
mayor you will be wearing your golden
bow tie on the big Celebration Day on
September 23rd and I invite the
community to come out and celebrate that
so with that being said I want to thank
mayor and my colleagues for being
responsive they picked up the phone
every time and thank you guys for being
such a amazing supporters and being a
part and to Nick Melissa and your family
I love you guys you guys already know
how to contact me so I love you guys and
I'm keep praying for you guys and and
this is how we make change in East
Valley um your your son's death will not
be in vain is it created a movement for
all of us to understand put light on
something that's been going on for quite
a long time but now we're addressing it
so thank you and we love you thank you
thank you council member Alinda you know
when you were here the first night
uh we said to you that we would lead the
way and U my colleagues did and I
appreciate that uh we invent it but
we're not stopping there right now we
have to get an education program to all
the schools the businesses the parents
uh that have to understand that there's
new ordinances in place that'll help
protect them and their children and the
other thing we're doing right now and
the council supportive of this this
program is we're started the school
education engagement program it's
engages sixth graders in our CH Unified
School District and they're out there
providing essent essential tools to
navigate the today's challenges that
includes drugs and violence and gangs
and how to handle social media it's a
small step but I think it'll be a
successful program that we could expand
it so we'll continue being Innovative
we'll continue to come up with great
ideas to help us move our community
forward and in a safe fashion thank you
again my colleagues for bringing this
forward council member Poston would you
um like to uh comment on
this yes please thanks mayor I I just
wanted to start by one saying thank you
to both you mayor and the vice mayor for
your leadership on this issue and
continuing to move it forward in the way
that you did but especially I want to
thank all of the community members for
just continuing your efforts this is
such a difficult and emotional issue and
your continu pressing on this issue is
doesn't go unnoticed um not we know that
you are out there not only here in
Chandler but all across East Valley
Cities because these issues just don't
have borders so thank you for continuing
I do want to assure you that the enti
entire Council has listened to your
concerns we're going to continue to
listen to your concerns and are open to
your ideas to just continue to move this
forward and do what we can to address
the issue so I really do appreciate
everyone here tonight and thank you
mayor and Council for continuing to make
sure that we can take a step and take a
leadership role in doing what we can to
address this thanks
mayor and council member Stewart is
representing Chandler at our greater
Phoenix Economic Council Economic
Development mission in DC and I did
agree to read a comment from him related
to this as well thank you to all of our
community members who have taken time
over the past few months to step forward
and share their experiences insights and
thoughts on a path forward with mayor
and councel we have heard you and from
day one have been working diligently
with staff and our neighboring
community and our law enforcement
Partners to ensure that Chandler
continues to be a safe place for our
children this Action Council is taking
tonight is a continued step in this
direction I am supportive of these
efforts and thank our community leaders
mayor and council members who have
stepped up in the face of teen violence
to help make today's vote a reality I
look forward to voting yes on the final
adoption of these items later this
month and then finally me I do also want
to thank each and every one of our
community members that have been present
that have been vocal that have have
shared with us emails and phone calls
and and certainly your presence here I
want to give a special thank you to
those speakers tonight who have spoken
before and represent others who have
spoken before and whether that's
Nicholas Melissa Stephanie and our
volleyball playing Conor as well as
Bridget for articulating the voices
within our community that we do want to
hear we certainly do want to say that we
are committed to ensuring that Chandler
remains a safe place for all of our
residents we have full faith in our new
police chief chief Chapman has great
experience and has fit in like hand in a
glove already in being in Chandler and I
know that this is and will be a passion
of his as I've as we've also met his
children so by working together with our
police our larger Chandler community and
our neighboring jurisdictions we want to
continue to achieve the safety of our
teams and residents and I have
aspirations and hope that the actions
that we are taking tonight will will
resonate with our surrounding cities and
potentially with our state to make sure
that this vote in Chandler goes much
further than Chandler we want to thank
you for bringing that to us and we look
forward to continuing to serve you so
Chandler council members let's vote
council member
Poston yes motion carries unanimously
thank
you we do have one unscheduled public
appearance or do we have two now yeah
all right if um Jenny Vali if you'd like
to come to the mic and please state your
name and address and you have up to
three minutes to share your thoughts
with
us uh good evening for the record my
name is Jenny Vitali I reside in the
north part of Chandler in the New
Horizon subdivision I was able to come
before you about a month ago expressing
concerns for my neighborhood regarding
fiber optic installation in the right of
way and I just came here tonight to say
thank you we did as aor neighborhood
petition um staff and we did include you
on the email asking you to I'm going to
steal a phrase that mayor hary gave me
tonight a course correction um I
appreciate that a lot of times you
wonder if your efforts are going to be
heard or if people are going to take you
seriously and um without getting into
the details my neighborhood uh was did
not have a similar result in 2016 with
another issue and so everybody and it's
most of the same people in the
neighborhood were very pleasantly
surprised that with this particular ular
issue not only did you listen but staff
was very responsive um very on top of
things and that's appreciated we don't
want to kill Innovation we don't want to
kill um keeping our finger on the pulse
with how we advance and develop city of
Chandler let's just make sure that when
staff are looking at the different
projects whether it's everything on this
consent agenda or a neighborhood project
such as fioptic install we're just
relying upon staff to properly vet the
projects um and asking questions where
those are necessary and if we're coming
upon older designs and older
neighborhoods where people don't quite
understand you know why did they do that
back in the day don't be afraid to call
upon those residents either to maybe
help answer some questions and and
impart some insight but I just wanted to
say thank you on behalf of New Horizon
subdivision and thank you to your staff
for for working with us and listening
thank you thank
you and our second and last unscheduled
public appearance as Brooke Beal Brooke
please state your name and address and
the mic you have up to three minutes and
uh time is yours sir all right thank you
um my name is Brooke beel I live at 85
West teid place here in Chandler I
apologize for showing up late and for my
appearance I just returned from the
Veterinary emergency group where I had
taken a baby goose to be youth
andiz um it was one of three that were
killed on Chandler Heights Road this
evening um I'm always amazed at how much
Open Water we have here in the middle of
the desert um how many uh waterfoul we
have here and how few signs there are
that warn the traffic of of these Animal
Crossings um unfortunately the the Ducks
the baby ducks and geese can't fly
across uh the roads they have to walk uh
they really can't go under the canal at
that point because there's a dam on the
other end of it so they're essentially
in order to get from one spot to another
they have to walk so I would uh ask you
to consider putting up signs that warn
of these duck Crossings uh Goose
Crossings um really they I think
Chandler is one of the few cities around
here that doesn't have such signs I
don't recall having seen any but I would
I would ask you to to consider to put
that up uh we have a large number of of
of these water foul here uh in
especially in this area uh Fon Ranch the
Consolidated Canal the East Canal um the
Pine Lakes uh all of these areas have
large water bodies and large uh larg
number of the water foul so I I would
appreciate it if you would consider it
uh thank you very much thank you and
City man will you please have staff get
in contact with Mr
Bill all right Council next on our
agenda is current
events so uh Council as was mentioned
here we did an amazing uh listening
session to share information and hear
directly from our community not that
long ago we had informative
presentations from our Police Department
the semicolon Society followed by
breakout sessions where particip could
discuss their thoughts and experiences
in an more intimate setting related to
teen violence and mental health we had a
great turnout many of those who were
here were there were're grateful for you
uh being part of that as well thank you
for your comments and insights and we
thank you for taking your time to share
with us that
evening this the actions taken this
evening represent one step forward
towards addressing the concerns of teen
violence in our larger community and we
will continue to have important
conversations like that to address these
challenges
headon secondly I would like to uh just
reflect on Monday we did our Chandler
Police Department annual memorial
service uh just at the beginning of this
week not far from here I joined fellow
council members our law enforcement
partners and our community at CH at the
Chandler Police Department annual
memorial service
at the service we joined friends and
family members of the nine Chandler
police officers who gave their lives
serving our city and it was humbling to
honor and remember their
sacrifices this event was a profound
reminder of the efforts of the men and
women of our Chandler Police Department
that they put forth every day to keep
our police safe so from myself and
Council hartfelt uh thank you to our
police for the work that you do each and
every day and lastly or I have last
announcement has to do with Public
Safety recognitions we do have a few
groups in Chandler that I do want to
give a shout out to a few dates May is
building safety month May 5 through 11
is the public service recognition week
in municipal courts May 12th through
18th is the National Police Week and May
19 through 25 is Public Works
weeks and that is vice mayor's
phone and between all of these events I
I think we have Team Chandler well
covered uh we wouldn't be able to
accomplish all that we do and the great
work with uh without our staff and the
work that they do on our roads to keep
our city safe and in so many other ways
so we are grateful to not only be part
of leading team Chandler but to also
live here as well council member and cus
no announcements for me mayor
councel member Alis here as you stated
there's so many things going on in May
May is also skin cancer awareness month
and this month I'm focusing on education
um our uh for our community on the
danger of skin cancer and the importance
of
prevention tomorrow I'm getting together
with Dr a g I call her Dr G but it's Dr
gamas we're going to do a live where
we're going to explain to you what it is
that you need to protect yourself self
uh against skin cancer it is something
that my husband had to deal with and I
wouldn't want anybody else to be going
through that again also May is also
Haitian Heritage Month as most of you
know that I am originally from Haiti and
so May 18 this coming May 18 is um our
Flag Day Haitian Flag Day the Haitian
flag is a symbol of Pride and liberty
for millions of Haitians and hundred of
thousands of Haitian American including
myself on May 18 we have the opportunity
to embrace the added diversity that
comes from our Haitian brothers and
sisters and to stand with the Haitian
people as for me how am I going to
celebrate this month this whole month
it's going to be in service I'm serving
my community day in and day out every
single day you will find me on the
street helping whether feeding the
homeless and spending time educating
people about who we are as a Haitian
people and the pride that we have in
bringing ourselves to this country not
only to take but to add and to give back
so this is what we will be doing May 18
there will be a great party and I'm
invited so I'll be going and mayor oh
yes you are invited everybody's invited
and and I would like to take the mayor
also for under 17 he will have a
proclamation with some of the leaders
Haitian leaders here in our community
they'll be coming to City Hall to do
that thank you mayor appreciate that I
better make sure I get that on my
calendar I hope I'm just trying to show
up for the party
okay uh as you guys know may is mental
health awareness month May is one of my
favorite months and because I get to
talk about my favorite topic which is
mental health and may is a mental health
awareness month so now is a perfect time
for you to start having crucial
conversations uh with those around you
about
self-care mental health wellness and how
you can support each other
I've been implementing the 7c hug okay
it's 7 seconds so I hopefully at the end
this meeting I'll see some 7even second
hugs going on I'm going to be counting
too but make it your goal this month to
get outside some um some time to go get
you eight hours of rest makes you take a
15 minute walk or stroll just some time
to do some meditation that really does
help and I hope you all take some time
to focus on Mental Health um this month
whether it's learning more about this
important topic or just taking care of
yourself or investing in those around
you and my last announcement is I was
able to attend an amazing grand opening
for bark in love let me tell you uh yeah
you see Izzy Isabella my two daughters
they had me going okay well let me just
tell you the grand opening was on
Saturday March 28th I had the exciting
opportunity to check out some of the
Great great new local Channeler business
bark and love my pups and I uh Izzy
Isabella you see me holding with on left
and right hand uh we got attend to we
got a chance to attend the ribbon
cutting and unveiling for one-of-a-kind
gumbo tennis machine this is a great new
local business for all Channeler pet
parents and I encourage you to check it
out as soon as you can and I just want
to tell you guys the picture that I'm in
with the two individuals that I'm
sitting in the middle uh of
with their dogs so those are celebrity
Yorkies okay they have more following
than I do 300,000 people follow their
Instagram and I asked would you just
share me on your page I will probably
get more
Sol so anyways it was a great so check
out Barkin love it's like the Louis
Vuitton for your pups and my dogs we
went there we had a good time they was
eating spoiling and they have a free
wash and I'm taking my pups this weekend
to go to their dog wash to have a good
time so I'm excited about it so guys
gotta check it out it's a great great
great story I SM my dog is a grumpy old
lady at this point in her life and she
would not
enjoy but how many followings does she
have right how many foll does not have
that account all right councilman Berlin
thank you mayor uh yesterday I had the
privilege of attending the second annual
uh military bound ceremony yes our
military and Veterans Affairs commission
they they held this uh again last year
and this year and it was even better
than it was last year this year um
basically it's to honor the en listes
from all branches of service uh mostly
High School uh graduates and present
them with a challenge coin and a send
off salute a challenge coin is an old
military tradition where the leader of a
a squadron or or unit gives to a
subordinate that had done outstanding
work unit Pride to Spirit of core so
that was most likely those young men and
women's first challenge coin and judging
by some of the faces is going to be a
lot more they're going to be getting
over the years so um it was a remarkable
opportunity to celebrate our newest and
youngest service members I want to thank
our military and Veterans Affairs
commission for planning such a great
event I want to thank the mayor for
being the MC did a fine job and council
member Ellis were able to make it I know
a couple of the council members had
conflicts uh otherwise they would have
been there um and a big thank you to our
en listes who have answered the call to
serve our country um their commitment to
serve our nation is inspiring and
something we should all be thankful for
and I can tell you this I remember when
I enlisted I had back in the late 70s I
had hair out to here believe it or not
and there was quite a few guys and gals
yesterday that are going to be very sad
when that and that barber is going to be
extremely happy when they start giving
those Buzz Cuts but good luck to them
and hopefully that's the worst thing
that happens to him thank you Mary Matt
you sure that was not World War I that
you enlisted in no
no
wow all right I uh I'm gonna I'm going
to put a bow around one of council
member Ellis is that join Chandler
dermatologist Dr Gamu and her tomorrow
at 11:30 a.m. on Facebook live to
discuss skin health care tips hydration
and best practices for protecting your
skin you're
welcome last but not least city manager
thank you Mr Mayor members of city
council very briefly as you know we have
some outstandingly talented members of
Team Chandler staff here and I wanted to
just uh recognize five of them very
briefly that are going to be receiving
uh some awards this month and give them
a public uh kudos for their outstanding
efforts so uh we have four uh
outstanding employees from across the
organization who are recognized as top
women leaders in our city so part of the
women of Chandler group uh this year and
those are CC kabana from our Dei
division Don AR Rino from the police
department Lenor Dems from Chandler fire
department and Kelly Schwab our City
attorney thank
you also wanted to recognize uh Adriana
Ericson who's also from our Dei division
she was named a top 100 local government
influencer by the uh engaging local
government leaders organization which is
a national recognition for her influence
as an upand cominging local government
leader so I want to congratulate her
publicly as
well that's it thank you very much mayor
thank you Council uh thank you community
that concludes our meeting