Regular City Commission Meeting - Special Meeting

Good afternoon, everybody. We're here for Community Development Agency special meeting. The time is 331. Please call the roll.

And he couldn't even call in? but all the time he spends on Facebook and Zoom and couldn't call in.

Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. It was something with the settings.

All right. Please stand for a moment of silence in the pledge. Would you like to start?

All right. David, discussion and possible action?

Okay. What is the wish of the board? I'm, I'm kind of stunned, but it's going to die because nobody, I could, I could pass the gavel. I can pass the gavel.

Do I have a second? I will second it for the purposes of, I know people are there to speak. So to keep the conversation going, I will second it.

Okay. Any board member comments? Public?

I was sorry, but I was writing down your concerns. I apologize for actually listening to you and writing down your concerns.

Yes. You've heard what the concerns are. I have. Please address them.

Listen, you know I've been a fan. I voted for it every time. I've been a fan for almost 20 years. And I love everything that you do and everything you bring. And you're being bushwhacked by a bunch of people who are doing stuff that you had no party to. People who are jumping fences and doing the bad things. It's not your fault.

But the thing is that what I'm hearing from you, just to... From what you just said. Are you thinking of pulling your application?

I know you do. I know you do. I know you do. You can't help it. if people from outside come to start trouble and you get blamed for it. But we can help.

He paid $200,000. I'm just saying he paid $200,000 for police. I mean, come on.

40,000 people suffer for a few people. It just seems the way life is. Maybe we should stop having people drive cars because people get into car accidents.

All right. Elaine, can I let Joanne jump in?

Thank you. My issue with the carnival is that, well, several things. One of the big things is that we've always allowed it and it has always gone against our event policy. And we shouldn't have had it all these years knowing that it goes against our event policy. Because our event policy says the use of the CRA property shall be restricted to sponsors who have a business, nonprofit organization, or religious institution in the city of Margate. And so the carnival doesn't qualify under any of those. So all these years, it has gone against our policy, but yet we've allowed it. A couple other thi

Harlan, would you just let her finish? Yes, I'm sorry. Let her finish.

No, I don't think this is an opportunity. We've had, what, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years? I don't even know how long the carnival has been coming to Margate. And every year there are issues. So I understand that you are representing a client and you're trying to do your best to get that representation. But I don't think that you understand fully what's gone on in the city for all these years. And to say that everything's gonna change this year, I don't believe it is because it's been a proven track record for 20 years that this has not been successful in our city. The police, if you ask our pol

We don't allow a petting zoo. So if there's going to be a petting zoo there, we need to have some sort of discussion because we don't allow a petting zoo. Big one. Big petting zoo.

Okay, we heard that strategies are going to be used. Well, what makes this different from all the previous years where we heard the same thing? Oh, we're going to have strategies in place. We're going to have strategies in place. None of that has ever happened. And truthfully... I don't see this bringing any benefits to the city of Margate, really. People are not coming back to the city of Margate to shop and go to our restaurants because they've come to a carnival in Margate that has a bad reputation already from previous years. Thank you.

Let's not have a fight up here. Holland, either A, sit down and let the chief speak, or B, wait for a vote, C, pull your application. but I don't want you angry because you do a great job. Remember, this is all about the people who are the evil ones that come. It's not you. It's not you. No one up here has said it was you. This is outside of you. So please either sit or go, one or the other, but please sit. All right, then you go outside, let your attorney sit, and let the chief speak.

Let your attorney, if she wants to say something later, you say it now.

I shared with you a moment ago that you'd have an additional opportunity to make one last pitch. Yes, go for it.

Elaine, you still have your light lit? Yeah, I... But before you do, we haven't given a chance to Antonio. I just want to ask Antonio.

Okay, all right, board member Schwartz, it's yours.

Joanne, did you want to add anything else?

Yes. You know, I heard the attorney say, well, you know, let's meet with the chief and work things out. Well, we've tried to work things out for years. What's going to make this year different than any other year that we've been promised the same thing. The thing that keeps going over in my mind is our chief stood up here and said, our police officers, my police officers don't want to work the detail. That speaks volumes. So you can work things out, but if the police don't feel safe, don't feel like they are keeping their residents safe, they don't wanna work the detail. And I think that's a p

Thank you. I said thank you. We're done. Everyone be safe.