Remarks by Maureen Coffey
61 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 3
Yes. Very important. OK, next proclamation. We've got a lot of these today. Coming up on October 8 is Children's Environmental Health Day. Every child deserves clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, safe food, healthy places to live, learn, and play. Yet children are especially vulnerable to environmental hazards. And many of those risks are found in everyday environments where children are spending their time. Raising awareness of those risks and taking practical steps to reduce them is an important part of protecting children's health and development. Children's Environmental Health…
Yeah, I'm very appreciative of the staff. I think that this is a massive amount of work for us to take on, but it is so important. And to be so proactive about it, I think is also a huge opportunity. One of the challenges around any land use is all of the competing desires, hopes, and dreams that we all have. And I think it's really important to say to the community out loud that our real hope is to put commitments to affordable housing and the historic preservation at the top of the list in this process. It doesn't mean that there will not be other hopes, dreams, and desires that come out of…
I'll start back with the private cameras and feel free to phone a friend or the attorney if necessary. Are the private cameras on private property subject to the limitations imposed by the Commonwealth in this most recent General Assembly session? No. Okay.
How we use it is separate. What I'm saying is that the private entities can choose to use their cameras however they want regardless, like what the Commonwealth did was a restriction upon us, other local government and law enforcement agencies, not upon anyone with this type of technology.
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Great. And so if we were to have concern around is someone external accessing our data, would there be the ability to look at metadata? Is there something that is still tangible attached to the data that would be able to show us or tell us if we did need to go check? Or is it I think a lot of us are worried about kind of like almost like the ghost effect of could someone get in and get out without us having any clue that it had happened. So I think that's what I'm trying to get at.
Yeah, I think that's one thing I will express interest in, at least for myself, is I think from what I can tell, a lot of work has been done on our policies and on writing the words down in contracts and in procurement and saying it. And I think the next critical phase to me is how can we prove somehow that writing that all down matters and that it's being adhered to. And I think that that is one space where I may not be informed enough to know what that even looks like. But directionally, I think that's one thing that's really important to me.
Yeah, go ahead. You named immigration as one particular element, but I think what it is really highlighting to be honest, is a concern around the institutions and the trust and the parameters that I think we've previously been able to believe have our best interests at heart, are following applicable laws and policies. And we have seen over the last you know, to most charitably, but really 10 plus years, the deterioration of our ability to believe that the people who are making those laws are following those laws. And so that's not you know, that's that is a widespread deterioration of norms…
Thanks, and I will primarily associate myself with all the comments before, but really reiterate, there is no secret plan up here. We knew we had one decision we were certain about, and that was ending the Flock contract. There was no reason for us to wait. to proceed or announce with that decision until we had a full Arlington County level engagement plan about all steps that will come next and after this. Anyone who's been involved in any kind of Arlington County process knows that the plan for the plan can take weeks or months. And so, you know, I know there is a desire from so many of our…
It's just the staff. I mean... Oh, there are people here that we were going to have for closed.
You're going to have to go for it this time.
I am just so overcome with gratitude for what you all are doing to live, to have your career so dedicated to serving others and really thinking about the future and thinking forward and to live that into your retirement as well. I think this is the challenge of our time. And we haven't solved it yet. I think Arlington is probably doing better than most, but there's so much work going forward and there's so many people choosing not to think about the hard reality of where we head as a community. And I think senior housing is one of the hardest realities that we have. And so just so much…
Okay. Thank you. And so I guess a very, very preliminary question. At what point on the timeline here was it communicated to big Tony's that they needed to cease the live entertainment activities until they received a permit?
Got it. Okay. And the first time, as far as our inspections go, that we did not see live entertainment activities after that warning was in September, nine months later.
OK, thank you. Are there any other establishments in Clarendon operating live entertainment without a use permit that we are aware of?
Great. Thank you. And for the applicants, you know, I am aware that you all own multiple restaurants within Arlington. How many use permits for live entertainment does the Cordero Group have?
So you are familiar with the process for live entertainment use permits for your other restaurants?
Okay. So I think one thing I would highlight is that it is not our responsibility to figure out if everyone is doing live entertainment and ask them to get permits, it is incumbent upon the proprietors to know what the laws of Arlington County are and to comply with them, right? And so at the point where a complaint was submitted by Arlington County Police, that's why in January zoning began that process of making sure you all were aware that you were not in compliance with a warning to begin. And then I guess one of my questions is, it sounds like you were aware that you needed the permit…
I would also suggest that that gets run by our attorney and staff.
Yeah, and I'd like to speak to my motion as well.
Yeah. Yeah, just sometimes we get so caught up, we move on quickly. Yes. move that the County Board deny the use permit for live entertainment at Big Tony's a second moved in second s if you want to speak to the motion and and
Perhaps buy him some time. So I have been really engaged in the conversation around live entertainment in Clarendon. I've been a resident of Clarendon for the last five years. I've actually been to all of the Credero Group restaurants. And I think one of the greatest challenges I have seen from Clarendon establishments is a feeling that we are never actually going to enforce our rules. And that if people just keep pressing, they can do kind of whatever they want, because the board is never actually going to deny their permits, because it is the business case that you've laid out. And I don't…
So my understanding is that these are the use permit conditions that would have been part of the board report should the staff recommendation have been an approval originally. I do not believe that they go beyond what otherwise would typically be included in a standard live entertainment use permit.
So I just want to highlight, because I know we've been briefed as a board about the challenges of kind of the use permit governing principle here, right? There is no version of a use permit that can be approved without coming to the board for initial approval. And that is part of the broader research and looking into other types of ways to govern live entertainment and nightlife. And that is the long process upon which our two errands are engaged together. I think one thing I will also highlight is we've had other establishments who have had time pressure, who have come to staff and to the…
But that officer's... ACPD is not zoning.