Remarks by Ron Elliott
68 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 3
- Play at 13:59
“Okay, I didn't know that. And so that opens up some other questions. And while, and I'm not trying to be rude when I say this, while I appreciate that she has probably become a foundation of that library, I don't think I or anybody else can make procurement decisions based on relationships. And so I'm curious if we're only using, is it just a downtown library for her?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 14:43
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 14:58
“And that's what came from, was this an RFP or a bid? RFP. So we scored an RFP because we have a relationship with somebody, is what you're saying?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 15:42
“So now we've got to have Walden do everything else, correct?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 15:50
“Now, what reassurances do we have that we're not about to fall into the same issue? Because what we had before is we had one company trying to do all of our parks, do all of our community centers, do all of our other government facilities, and we were not getting adequate security. And here's where my concern is. I'll tell you, I have been in community centers where people have pulled out guns on folks. Thank God. And I'll use Avondale, for example. There have been incidents where young people have pulled out weapons on that campus because for whatever reason. And thank God we had law…”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 18:24
“What facilities are getting armed security and what's not?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 18:46
“I'm going to say this. I'm going to look to defer this item, and I don't know if I'm going to get any support, but I can't support something until I know exactly what type of securities we have at our different facilities. Okay.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 19:00
“Okay. All right. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. That's all, Mr. Chair. Okay. I've got a question about that.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 21:18
“Your question is what's the purpose of deferring?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 21:29
“Well, I can't tell the administration how to move on selecting contracts. All I can do is vote up and down on one. But I have concerns that we may be falling in the same pitfalls as before with security contracts, and this is just too important not to get right.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 21:51
“And I want to start off with figuring out what facilities are getting armed security and what's not, because that has been a problem in the past. We have had some of our more sensitive areas who just have not had adequate security, and things have gone awry. And we owe it to the public and our employees to make sure we're showing up for them and providing those safeguards. So until I get some of those answers, I cannot support moving this item forward.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 23:02
“You're talking about... I'm just generally speaking. Okay, let's see what you're asking.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 24:58
“Okay. To clarify, Councilman, I want the whole thing deferred. That's what I'm motioning for. Now, if somebody makes a different motion or whatnot, that's fine, but I want all of it pushed off personally.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 25:13
“I have questions, and I think it may be best that we sit down and talk through some of those questions just so we can get some clarity so we don't have to let it linger on the dice.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 26:59
“Before we wrap up, I will say this. I've been asking about this contract for several weeks now. And this is the first time we've had an opportunity to talk about it. So I understand timing is important, but also making sure that people's concerns are important as well. And so I haven't brought this request to the dais, but this is something that I've brought up a couple times up until this point. So I just need to get my head wrapped around it before I can feel comfortable voting on it. But if we decide to go one way or another, that's the prerogative of the council. Thank you, Mr. Chair.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:55:35
“Yes, Mr. Chair. I would like to make a motion to defer the Parks and Outdoors security contract, entire contract, until September 22nd. 20 seconds.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:56:42
“I may not be here. It depends on my flight weeks and how long the meeting lasts.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:56:51
“It depends on how long our meeting lasts. Like if we have a long meeting,”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:57:10
“What gives me a peace of mind is that they did describe a stopgap they have in place until this contract is finalized. So we're not leaving our facilities unsecured.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:57:55
“Is that If you would like, I can send you my questions if you want clarification on all the things I'm inquiring about. But my questions go beyond just SEI.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:01:56
“Thank you, Mr. Chair. Two things. Reminding everybody of the District 9 Town Hall on September 14th. And secondly, I would like to take a minute to pause and recognize the loss of a true giant of Chattanooga, a good friend of mine, a brother and a mentor. We unfortunately lost Shane Morrow, co-founder and executive director of Riot Chattanooga, unexpectedly last week. And to know Shane is to understand his deep impact and love for people in this community. So if you could join me in a brief moment of silence.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 29:24
“Please, Chair Elliott, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And Councilwoman Dotley, I really do appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback on this. You know, as a council, we don't always disagree, but I think this is a great example of how we can work through what those issues are and try to find as common ground as much as possible. We won't always land on the same footing, but at least we're making sure that we're heard and we can work through those conversations. And same thing goes for you, Councilman Burrs. Councilman Burrs, I want to ask if this is okay, Mr. Chair.…”
City Council · Aug 18, 2026
- Play at 31:34
“Start at a high level, then break it down. I first had this idea coming into council. I had a watching council from afar. I think I tossed this around to a couple of my colleagues on this idea. Before I even got inaugurated, Councilwoman Hill and I had talked about this. And she says, well, give it a minute. Let's fill it out first. Let's see what works and what doesn't. And even from my initial concept to now, it has evolved based on that experience. The reason I pushed this proposal is for a couple of ways, a couple of reasons. A, allows counsel to hone in on all of the functions of…”
City Council · Aug 18, 2026
- Play at 1:14:44
“Thank you, Mr. Chair. Colleagues, I do appreciate you guys for leading on this conversation. It went so much better than last time. I appreciate y'all. Councilman Burns, I want to start with you and a couple of your points. YOU ASKED EARLIER ABOUT ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNCIL STAFF. THE THOUGHT BEHIND THIS WAS IT WOULD BE THE SAME LEVEL RESPONSIBILITY AS IF ALL EIGHT OR NINE OF OUR CURRENT COMMITTEES REGULARLY MET. So at any moment, if these rules didn't change, then every committee chair just start calling meetings every single week. And for every Tuesday, it's the same workload.…”
City Council · Aug 18, 2026
- Play at 1:23:54
“just something to think about if we're going to start changing this as we as we go through here okay and vice chair elliott you're recognized thank you councilman i have an answer for that let's have a scenario let's say you're chairing the budget committee and on that committee is you councilman harvey and councilman noel right let's say councilman harvey cannot make it right and the floor is a good you have to have at least a quorum of three so it's a start right councilman harvey can't make it but this week you're you're talking about the the expenditures and technology services or how…”
City Council · Aug 18, 2026