Remarks by Tonia Lediju
149 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 4 of 6
- Play at 6:14:59
“I'm not asking for staff to do anything. We have this whole, so let me, I'm going to back up because Okay, I get it. No, I think we need to talk about this really quickly because we have such disparate treatment around getting things on the agenda. So what I'm asking for today, because you're looking like, well, do we really need to have a two-step process or whatever the case may be? The question is, what is our process to make sure that we are getting items on the agenda so we can move things along? And so based on what I know today is, this is my only way is making this request. And that's…”
City Council · Sep 22, 2026
- Play at 6:16:03
“I receive your friendly amendment. Thank you, with no problem. So I'm, again, I'm sorry. No, no, go ahead. Again, I'm asking this council to vote that we will bring this forward to the next agenda.”
City Council · Sep 22, 2026
- Play at 1:21:46
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 3:04:10
“Thank you. Thank you both for the report. And as it relates to the cadence that you're requesting, ON SEPTEMBER 1, I SENT AN E-MAIL TO YOU, TO MY COLLEAGUE AND TO THE MAYOR, PARTICULARLY TO MY COLLEAGUE ON THE SAFETY COMMITTEE AND TO THE MAYOR WHO IS ALSO ON THE DOJ SUBCOMMITTEE. YOU'RE ASKING FOR A QUARTERLY CADENCE. AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE, FIRST OF ALL, IS IN THAT QUARTERLY CADENCE, Where does the DOJ subcommittee lie in this work? Because just like I'm on the safety committee, we have opted to have, we started out with having a meeting once a month because that's where the work…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 3:10:10
“SO THE SUBCOMMITTEE IS HERE. AND MY QUESTION AGAIN IS HOW WILL THE SUBCOMMITTEE OR WHAT HAVE YOU ALL AGREED AS A SUBCOMMITTEE TO INTERACT IN THIS TOWN HALL MEETING? AND WHERE IT IS REALLY A WORKING MEETING, ARE YOU HAVING WORKING MEETINGS SIMILARLY TO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY? AND WE HAVE SKILLED BACK. WE HAVE AGREED TO MEET EVERY OTHER MONTH NOW FOR THE SAFETY COMMITTEE TO GIVE BACK SOME TIME TO YOUR STAFF. I AM INTERESTED IN KNOWING HOW THE SUBCOMMITTEE FOR DOJ CAN INTERACT WHERE IT'S VALUABLE FOR MY COLLEAGUES TO BE A PART OF THAT PROCESS.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 3:11:27
“And then I just have one last question before you chime in, whoever's gonna chime in. And I really would like, I touched really quickly and not very clear, is, YOU KNOW, AS IT RELATES TO THE REPORTING, IT'S REALLY HOW CAN THE REPORTING, WHICHEVER FORMAT WE END UP AGREEING TO GO TO WHERE THE REPORTING IS MUCH MORE ROBUST THAN IT IS TODAY. BECAUSE AT THIS POINT WE'RE GETTING WHAT PERCENT ARE WE DONE and where it is in the different buckets that we have. And so it's really how can that reporting be more meaningful and robust, whether it's we continue this every 60 days or we end up with another…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 3:41:32
“So just to acknowledge Council Member Bergenzer's comment, I RECOGNIZE THAT REFORM TAKES A LONG TIME. THIS IS NOT LOST ON ME. AND JUST LIKE I SAID, MY ONLY REAL QUESTION IS HOW DOES THE DOJ SUBCOMMITTEE PARTICIPATE IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO TOWN HALLS? WHAT IS THE INTERCONNECTION IN ALL THE WORK? THAT'S WHY THE SUBCOMMITTEES ARE FORMED. AND THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION AND THAT'S WHAT I POSTED IN MY EMAIL AND WANTED A RESPONSE TO. And so that's what I'm asking us as colleagues. However long it takes, I get it's going to take a long time. But I will also say we have had community come and say the…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 3:46:16
“So when are we going to bring it back? Because I want to say this with all due respect to the chief and his request. What is the timeline to bring it back?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 3:46:31
“I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT FOR THE CHIEF'S REQUEST, WHAT IS THE TIMELINE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING THIS BACK FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION? THAT NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THE MOTION AND COMMITMENT.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:26:35
“GO AHEAD. SO WITH THAT, WHAT MEASURES ARE WE TAKING ARE COMMITTED TO TAKE WHEN I KNOW ONE OF THE ISSUES I THINK HAS BEEN WITH THE SAB WHERE THERE WAS A HARD TIME BRINGING SOMEBODY IN. what kind of what are we committed to doing to really advertise and um get to a place where we say okay it's just not working because there's a purpose for districts there's a purpose for creating an equitable way for each district to be represented so what's our GENERAL EFFORT IN GETTING TO THE PLACE WHERE WE SAY, OKAY, IT'S REALLY NOT WORKING. I MEAN, BECAUSE WE ADVERTISED SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE SAB.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:27:46
“Okay, so just question, is that very clear in this amendment? I'm asking the question. I want it to be said because I think it's important.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:28:17
“Okay, thank you for reading that in. All right, Vice Mayor Matulak.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:29:50
“Thank you. So first of all, I'm going to quickly talk about what the purpose of the CAPER is. And it's a report really to tell us whether we did what we said we would do, what we told HUD we would do, and we're reporting out on those different measures. And it is a required report, and we do need to submit it. But I will say that compliance is not the same as performance. AND THE REPORT DOES ACKNOWLEDGE ITSELF THAT THERE'S STAFFING SHORTAGES, THAT THEY'RE SIGNIFICANT AND LIMITED OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER PLAN PROGRAMS AND RESULTED IN ACTIVITIES BEING DELAYED OR DEFERRED. that doesn't preclude…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:39:09
“So can I ask a question? Yes. First of all, I'd like to know how we can have reporting on that plan. And additionally, I'd like to understand what is precluding the city from bringing in a contractor to help get things caught up. We're not even doing basic things. We're not answering the telephone. I know for a fact, I know what I'm talking about. We're not answering the phones timely. We're not answering emails timely. That's very problematic when we are serving the most vulnerable population in our communities, our community, and we are serving the most under-income individuals in our…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:40:50
“OKAY. SO LET ME ASK ONE OTHER QUESTION BEFORE SHE RESPONDS. IN ADDITION TO, YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS QUESTION, Do we have staff, all staff, on board five days a week at this point? We are not performing, so where are we each and every day, eight hours a day? Are all of our staff back in that department every day?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:42:00
“So is there anything precluding that the doors open five days a week? Even with half strength, there are bodies that command the door.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:42:21
“Okay. So I'll turn to the assistant city manager and to the director to fill in.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:42:57
“First of all, they're really interrelated. to all the work that you do because they serve a particular community, the very community I'm speaking to. So we can talk about HCV and we can talk about that report as well and they're intertwined. And so what I'm most interested in is how are we going to move the agency rather than saying I don't have enough staff, that's not good enough for the public. How often are our doors open? How are we managing our emails? What are we going to do in the next 90, 60, 30 days to close some of these gaps that we're having?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:44:09
“So can I ask you a question? While you might say you have help answering, looking at emails, phone calls, scanning, scanning is one thing, but emails and phone calls, Are we just taking messages and then forwarding them on? Are we answering them? And what's the SLA, the service level for making sure in 24 hours? I'm just giving an example. In 24 hours, you're going to get a return call with someone who's knowledgeable to give you an answer. The same thing with an email. What is that time frame?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:45:28
“Okay. And how are we logging those? How do we know every email that comes in and every phone call that comes in?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:46:48
“Okay. And so when you say you don't have a backlog of calls, they're getting, you're assuming that they're being returned because you don't, I don't know what system do you use. Do you use Guardi or do you use?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:47:21
“Okay. Go ahead. I just want to, I'm tracking the conversation.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:48:14
“I'M GOING TO STOP YOU RIGHT THERE. I WANT EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM TO HEAR WHAT WAS JUST SAID AND TELL ME HOW THAT SOUNDS TO OUR PUBLIC. I AM SERVING THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION And yet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get to come and see you potentially, and I get to scan a barcode or whatever the case may be. How does that sound to all of us? I just, I wanna, I am making this really real because as a council member, who, we all know what I do, who serves the most vulnerable population in any city I serve, to say that I don't have open doors, I can't come to a government building that provides…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:50:56
“OKAY. BECAUSE I DO THIS EVERY DAY, AS YOU KNOW. I KNOW THAT A CONSULTANT, AS IT RELATES TO THE FRONT DESK, ISN'T GOING TO RESOLVE THAT. BUT I'M GOING TO SAY THIS TO ALL OF US, INCLUDING YOU. THERE'S NO REASON WHY OUR DOORS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE CLOSED. THEY HAVE BEEN CLOSED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. YOU, I'M GOING TO SAY THIS TO THE CITY MANAGER, BECAUSE I CANNOT SAY THAT TO YOU. The housing authority staff need to be directed to open the doors and be at Everyone everyone on staff from the top to the bottom. We need to open our doors and we need to start servicing our staff our Constituents no…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:54:34
“So director, I'm gonna say this to you. I only have two and a half bodies to do the work. Okay, director, I'm gonna say this, but I'm gonna say it to the city manager. We can't keep saying we don't have enough staff. It's not acceptable. It's been too long. What are we going to do different on Monday morning, city manager? We're going to do something different on Monday morning to serve our clients.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026