Remarks by Joseph A. Scuotto
179 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 8
- Play at 2:24:58
“No, I'm saying in general to you, you're already limited in that point. Now to go with this, that somebody wants to go to 1 o'clock and they do something, not to say they are, anyone, not even them, it could be someone else, that now you're going to get knocked down to not even get to that point. I just don't see how, I mean, this didn't jump out at anybody about the wanding and about the 1 o'clock. I just want to make sure.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:25:36
“I just want to not go down a slippery slope again because I talked about these banquet halls turning into clubs and things like that. You said, I'm just going by what you said about consumption and sale or whatever. And I don't know, I have to ask this first. If their banquet hall is open, obviously they're going to have an open bar. You'd be able to purchase alcohol. Or I'm just saying you go to the party and the liquor is all available for free. Or, because I mean we have city functions at catering halls. Because this is a banquet hall now. It's going to be different than a city that when…”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:27:02
“I'm saying, are they now going to be allowed... After the cocktail elegance free drinks, now you have to purchase drinks. I'm asking if that is considered in a banquet hall.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:27:22
“Now the license are they filling out for is going to have that or they're not at that point yet?”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:27:34
“So I hire a bartender. And now the bartender, and now this gets almost like you could open up a bar, but once you turn it over to a promoter, I'm just asking, and you turn it over to a promoter, and he gets $2 at every $10 of the drink, how does this play in when now you're going to start purchasing the alcohol?”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:28:06
“But I'm saying here the bartender. Yeah. I'm saying a bartender has a license. Yep. Is she just serving the alcohol or is now she going to charge for the alcohol? That's what I'm trying to figure out.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:28:21
“There are bartenders that could, if I wanted to hire them to come to Nob Hill Hall, I say, I'm going to have alcohol. You're just going to serve it all well and good.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:29:35
“All I'm saying is, They're renting it for a birthday party. It's a birthday party. But they're not just renting it to have a bartender now to sell alcohol with a DJ. That's point blank of what I'm trying to say. If I'm renting it for a birthday party, it's a birthday party, whatever it is. But if it's not a birthday party and it's not an anniversary party, it's just a liquor party where people are coming to buy drinks. Then it's not a banquet hall. That's where I'm getting at. So I want to make sure, I want to make sure it's a banquet hall. I'm renting it for my daughter, Elise's birthday…”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:31:11
“I'm saying to make myself feel comfortable as conditions in where you say that. But it's not going to be... an event at $10 a drink, and it's just 70s night. That's what I'm saying. Because then you're a nightclub. You're not a banquet hall.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:55:44
“So first of all, I want to thank you because just before you bought the shopping center, we were very close to having somebody else buy that shopping center and put in residential on that side. I really want to thank you because the problems that we have are craved, and then people after craved. But you really, when you took over the shopping center, you got in National, who in the very beginning started off slow, and now they're doing very well. Run a very good business, very clean, very neat. You go in there, it's like you're going into a family place. My employees, all of them, I go back…”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:57:30
“That's a Brooklyn term. I apologize. But you knew what you didn't want. It's going to be on Facebook tomorrow. You were willing to fight for what you didn't want in the shopping center. Or to get rid of what is in the shopping center because you knew it would hurt what you just built. So... And he's putting another condition in. So I could only hope that you guys want to run a decent business to go along what is already nice and existing.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 2:58:48
“I heard the two security guards got me scared again to say, are we going backwards? So if you're willing to put that condition in, it makes me up here to vote for this tonight, to feel a little bit more comfortable. Do you know that, like you just said, you have a customer who's doing $22 million in business, and that's going to help you fill the rest of the shopping center? the last thing you want is from the residents you know that they're going to be a disruptor we're leaving the back door open and that they got to hear blaring music till one o'clock at night is not fair to for a resident…”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:01:39
“And then they come back. There's no complaints. Residents are happy. If this passes tonight, I'm not saying it's going to pass. Yeah, 100%. But to make us feel comfortable that they've been a good neighbor. And then revisit it. And if we have to extend, we can. But I don't want to go to one and then start scaling back. Because then we're fighting a losing battle. The residents are not happy. And it's like we approve something and we're fighting... To get a better reaction. I don't think that's the right way to do it. Thank you. I don't mind rewarding if, you know, you deserve it.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:09:01
“Commissioner Escudo. What is your role in this?”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:09:12
“Managing or you own it? You're 50-50? I'm saying I'm trying to get.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:09:31
“I know it. I understand. Yeah. So it's a father and daughter, and you want to open up a banquet hall.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:09:40
“Okay. But you heard what we had to say. Yes. I want to wish you the best of luck.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:09:46
“I'm just trying to guide you to make sure that someone other than your father doesn't try to put something in your head to try to make you do something that you shouldn't be doing. That's all we're trying to say. bringing the chief up just to explain what could happen if you don't follow the rule. We want you to be successful. But just when I heard the wanding and I heard the security guards, I'm like, just think of it. That's like me saying, I'm opening up a pizza place, but before you come in my pizza place, I'm going to wand you and I'm going to have two security guards outside. People…”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:11:05
“Okay. We have to see what is in your application, if you already put that down or whatever it is. I don't want you to start at an expense even before – Because there are some people in the city that have a 4 o'clock license that should have security and don't. But then there are people who have more than what they're supposed to have. So it's not benefiting some and it's benefiting others. So I want to make sure that with staff, if you're just offering this on your own or if you were offering this because you plan on doing something else.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:11:49
“Okay. Because if you know you plan on doing something else, it's not going to work. Eventually, you're going to get caught.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:30:35
“Come on, Neil. I'm a criminal lawyer, not a divorce lawyer. He's a lawyer. He's trying to represent you. He's already trying to get you in a divorce. Imagine this guy.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:47:02
“You went to these pitches for the record, or this is just an idea? Right, I was just going to say.”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:47:12
“I just wanted to make sure because this build out is like a half a million dollar build out. Unless you're paying for this. Okay, well, I'm glad for AI, but you know what? Like, God, I'm just saying, he would love you as the property owner if you were going to invest $500,000 to make his place look like”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:47:38
“And then as far as us, we will be getting a lot of fees for a build-out with this. So watch what AI can get you in trouble sometimes. Because if you give this to him and say this is what you're going to do, you're going to be locked in. That's a cool half a million. That's quite an allowance. I agree. but you would have showed this in the beginning to say this is the type of venues that i would like to hold at this probably wouldn't ask you about the one thing and the security because you're trying to go in a different direction if we could get close to what this is it will have a beautiful…”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026
- Play at 3:50:32
“for additional security, you know, if it's not needed. So you're not going for a special exemption. You're not staying open until 4 o'clock. But still in this, I don't see, you know, whatever you're going to pull us during the week, I don't see why you should be open until 12 unless it's something special. And on the weekend, 12 being done by one person”
City Commission · Oct 13, 2026