[1. ROLL CALL BY THE CITY CLERK]
[00:00:02]
CALL TO ORDER THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MARCH 31ST, 2025.
WOULD YOU ALL PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE? IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION BY THEIR GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
MARCELLA, COULD YOU PLEASE DO ROLL CALL COUNCIL MEMBER CONDI HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE PRESENT VICE MAYOR NIELSEN.
[2. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING COUNCILMEMBER GARCIA'S CONDUCT]
THANK YOU EVERYBODY.WE ARE HERE TONIGHT, UM, FOR DISCUSSION PR UH, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING COUNCILOR GARCIA'S CONDUCT.
AND UM, JUST AS A REMINDER, ANYTHING DISCUSSED LAST WEEK IN EESS, UH, IS NOT TO BE DIVULGED, BUT ARE THERE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WISH TO MAKE A MOTION REGARDING AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO OR ANY DISCUSSION? AND MAYOR, THIS WILL BE A VERBAL MOTION TONIGHT.
UM, I JUST, REAL QUICK, I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE AND JUST THANK THE RESIDENTS OF AVONDALE, UM, THAT HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO COME AND SPEAK AND SHARE YOUR COMMENTS.
AND TO THOSE THAT HAVE EMAILED US ONLINE, UM, I DO NOT FOLLOW COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA ON X, BUT I WAS MADE AWARE OF SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE AND JUST FOLLOWING THE AVONDALE CO CODE OF CONDUCT, UM, EXPRESSES OUR STANDARD OF CONDUCT EXPECTED FOR MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND IT'S INTENDED TO BE SELF-ENFORCING AND MEMBERS THEMSELVES HAVE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY TO ASSURE THAT STANDARDS ARE UNDERSTOOD AND MET AND THAT THE PUBLIC CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN THE INTEGRITY OF GOVERNMENT.
AFTER LAST WEEK'S DISCUSSION IN THIS SPECIAL MEETING, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA REGARDING HER ACTIONS.
I AM HOPEFUL THAT AFTER TODAY THAT WE CAN START A CLEAN SLATE AND MOVE FORWARD TO CONTINUE TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR THE RESIDENTS OF AVONDALE.
ANYBODY ELSE? AND MAYOR, UM, I DO KNOW THAT YOU'RE OPENING UP FOR DISCUSSION, BUT WE DO HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE AND SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER SOLORIO.
AND WE WOULD JUST ASK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE VERBALIZE THE MOTION AFTER, UM, ALL OF THE COMMENTS ARE DONE.
ANYBODY ELSE? I WILL JUST SAY THAT, UM, UH, JUST TO KIND OF DOVETAIL OFF OF COUNCIL MEMBER CONDI, THAT, UM, THERE'S A PROCESS THAT WE HAD TO FOLLOW.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE WAS MUCH DISCUSSION IN REGARDS TO, UH, COUNCIL BEING SILENT, BUT THAT WAS INTENTIONAL AS A RESULT OF THE PROCESS.
SO JUST BE AWARE THAT BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK OR TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT THE ISSUE, UM, DID NOT MEAN THAT WE WERE NOT TAKING IT SERIOUSLY.
NOR WORKING THROUGH OUR PROCESS AS IT'S BEEN WRITTEN AS PART OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS THERE.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE DO HAVE A COUN, A MOTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE AND A SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER SOLORIO.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE, DO YOU HAVE THE MOTION IN FRONT OF YOU? YES, SIR.
I HAVE MOTION TO REPRIMAND COUNCIL MEMBER JEANETTE GARCIA FOR VIOLATING THE CITY CO THE CITY COUNCIL CODE OF CONDUCT AND A DE AND ADOPT A STATEMENT OF REPRIMAND DATED MONDAY, MARCH 31ST, 2005.
AND WE DO HAVE A SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER SOLORIO.
NICOLE, DO I READ THE, THE STATEMENT MAYOR? UM, YES.
SO I WILL READ, UM, ON THE RECORD THE STATEMENT OF REPRIMAND.
PURSUANT TO THE CITY OF AVONDALE CHARTER, THE CITY CHARTER, AND THE CITY COUNCIL CODE OF CONDUCT, THE CODE OF CONDUCT, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ADOPTED RULES GOVERNING THE CONDUCT OF ITS COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THE CITY COUNCIL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING COMPLIANCE WITH SUCH RULES.
THE CITY CHARTER PROVIDES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE EXCLUSIVE JUDGE OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF ITS MEMBERS.
THE CODE OF CONDUCT, PARAGRAPH THREE, ADDRESSES THE CONDUCT OF MEMBERS AND STATES THE PROFESSION.
THE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL CONDUCT OF MEMBERS MUST BE ABOVE REPROACH AND AVOID EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY.
MEMBERS SHALL REFRAIN FROM ABUSE OF CONDUCT, HARASSMENT,
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PERSONAL CHARGES, OR VERBAL ATTACKS UPON THE CHARACTER MOTIVES OF OTHER MEMBERS OF COUNCIL BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, THE STAFF OR PUBLIC MEMBERS SHALL DEMONSTRATE CIVILITY AND RESPECT AT ALL TIMES.THIS REMAINS TRUE IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENCOUNTERS.
AS MEMBERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE PUBLIC NATURE OF THE OFFICE THEY HOLD MEANS THEY'RE ALWAYS ON DISPLAY.
ON OCTOBER 14TH, 2024, YOU BECAME A MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT TO THESE RULES PRIOR TO TAKING OFFICE.
AND SINCE THAT TIME, YOU HAVE MAINTAINED A PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT ON X, FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER.
ON FEBRUARY 16TH, 2025, YOU MADE THE FOLLOWING POST ON X.
NOT ALL MAGA WEARING HAT, NOT ALL MAGA HAT WEARING PATRIOTS ARE WHITE.
IN FACT, MOST RACISM COMES FROM THE ELITE DEMOCRATS.
THE TERM PTO IS COMMONLY VIEWED AS SHORT TERM FOR PEDOPHILE.
EVEN ACCEPTING YOUR EXPLANATION THAT YOU MEANT TO REFER TO FART DOES NOT CHANGE THE NATURE OF THE POST.
YOU REFERRED TO MR. HANKS AS A AL.
THIS STATEMENT AS A WHOLE WAS A PERSONAL CHARGE OF VERBAL ATTACK.
UPON THE CHARACTER OF A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, YOUR CONDUCT WAS ABUSIVE AND HARASSING.
INSTEAD OF DEMONSTRATING CIVILITY AND RESPECT TO THE PUBLIC, THE POST CAUSED OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO QUESTION THE COMPLIANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
WITH ITS CODE OF CONDUCT, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS DISCUSSED WITH YOU THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR CODE OF CONDUCT AND THE CIVILITY THAT WE MUST SHOW THE PUBLIC.
YOUR CONDUCT IS MAKING THIS SOCIAL MEDIA POST YOUR CONDUCT.
AND MAKING THIS SOCIAL MEDIA POST IMPACTS THE RESPECT THAT THE PUBLIC HAS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL.
AS A BODY, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL DO NOT MAKE PERSONAL CHARGES AND VERBAL TAX UPON THE PUBLIC.
THEREFORE, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL, THIS FORMAL REPRIMAND IS BEING USED TO YOU, IS BEING ISSUED TO YOU.
FINDING THAT YOU'RE ABOVE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS VIOLATED THE CITY COUNCIL CODE OF CONDUCT.
AND THAT IS THE END OF THE STATEMENT.
THAT'LL BE PUT INTO, UH, THE RECORD.
ASIDE FROM THAT, WE HAVE THE VOTE, WE HAVE THE REPRIMAND THAT'S BEEN READ.
UM, AT THIS TIME, DO I MOTION TO ADJOURN.
MOTION AJO MATTERS BEEN CLOSED.
CAN WE GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? OH, HERE WE GO.
UH, WE HAVE, THERE'S ON THE SCREEN.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MADE THE MOTION.
COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE MADE THE MOTION SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA.
SO THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING ONLINE.
THAT CONCLUDES THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MARCH 31ST, 2025.