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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-02-12 Government Operations Committee Minutes � � GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE � MINUTES � February 12, 2003 . � Councilors Present: Gerry Palmer, Anne Allen, Richard Greene, David Nealley, � Nichi Farnham, Frank Farrington � Staff Present: Ed Barrett, Norm Heitmann, John Hamer, Bob Farrar, Chief Winslow, Joe McNeil � Other Present: Many citizens, Mr. Crosby, Ken Buckley, Ms. Alley, Mr. Strater � The meeting convened at 5:05 p.m. 1. Review/Discussion of Canadian Broadcast Channel opportunities. � Heitmann said that since we have had concerns from citizens regarding Canadian Broadcast Channel opportunities, we have invited Gary Crosby of Adelphia to � discuss these issues. Crosby said that he would like to hear from members of the audience first. Palmer introduced Mr. Gleason. � Mike Gleason stated that he is a citizen of Bangor as well as a Canadian citizen. He said that the initials CBC stand for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which is the equivalent in Canada to public government in the United States. �, There are two�other national Canadian television networks, Global lV and � Canadian Television. He said that Adelphia has added to its cable lineup, a . .network on Cable Channel 71, where French programming is televised. He noted , � that Canada is only 99 miles down the road, and he can get a New Hampshire station everyday, and would prefer to hear about news in Canada. He pointed out that Canada is our largest world-trading partner. He said that in the City's � . . vision statement, it says the international city linking North America and the world, and he wants to see this�happen with our neighbors in Canada. He presented a video of what CBC airs each morning in Canada. � .. Palmer commented that although people are happy that they have a French � speaking, they are interested in something Canadian, Franco-American and more news about the Maritimes and Canada in general. He said that we have a lot of commerce back and forth with Canada. � � � � �- ' Alien said that when you travel to Canada, you could turn on the t.v. and know what is going on down here in Bangor. It would be nice to reciprocate the � service. Gary Crosby, General Manager of Adelphia, said that part of the problem that � they have at Adelphia involves copyright issues. In his initial report he was to increase c.opyright fees by $90,000 a year. He said.his other option was to draft four channels out of a broadcast lineup and then maintain his current copyright � status. He didn't think either option was prudent. He said that they had technical issues bringing in another broadcast including antennae and microwave issues. He said that in 2002 he had made a change in the general lineup for � broadcast, which opens doors for adding new channels. He thinks he has found a CBC channel. He is not convinced that all of the information that he has received is 100% accurate, and wants time to verify it before making a � commitment to the Council. Allen said in the regard to the copyright fees, is there any way that we can lobby � our legislature to help in this issue. Crosby said that he thought this was too small a market. � � Nealley wondered if costs were a barrier, if some of the targe Canadian companies in the area might be able to assist in possibly underwriting or � � sponsoring that channel. Grosby said that in the company's current Chapter 11 situation that is certainly something that he would consider. Farrin ton said that re ionall this is ve enticin . He asked who would a the � 9 9 Y rY 9 P Y copyright fee. Crosby said that they would collect it from vendors. Farrington � wanted to know if the channel would be available on demand or with everything else. Crosby said that this would be part of the broadcast package, due to the copyright fees involved. � Mr. Gleason stated that one of his focal points was to get this channel into the � - basic package._ So that this could be in schools, dormitories and the majority of � homes. Palmer asked Crosby to update on Adelphia in general. Crosby said the future � looks better today than it did a year ago. He said that with the cable company itself, the customers, the cable lines and the operation here, he doesn't think . that we will ever see the system go black. He said that they have a new CEO � who is making changes. Some of the things that will occur over the next 60-90 � days will have a profound impact on our company. The future for Adelphia is solid. � . �. � � � Palmer said that we need to learn more abaut our Canadian neighbars, and that �his wauld be one such opportunity to do sa, He thanked Mr. Crasby and �, 4 expressed his appreciation with the work that Adelphia is doing. � 2. BAT-Community Cannector and Central Hub Safety Issues. Farrar said that at the last Cit}r Council Meeting, staff was asked ta prepare a report regarding an assault, which occurred at �he Pickering Square Parking � Garage in early�anuary. Farrar presented his five-page repart outlining some of the findings of the efFort. Farrar stated that they are certainly cammitted to the safety and securi�ty of al1 of our bus patrons. This is aur number one objective as � we transport riders in the city and neighboring communities. We transport some 500,C100 peaple in the course of a year. . � Farrar said that with respect to the Pickering Square area itself, we did have in the past 13 months about 176 calls far service ta that area. Of those caUs, 82 � were far the area of Pickering Square itself, while 94 calfs were for the bus waiting area where we load and unload our passengers. The variety of calls dealt with involved everything from skateboarding to intoxication to trespass to � wanting ta move people alang. That is a high traffic area, and we da have a number of issues that we deai with on a cantinual basis. Ne noted that there are severaf safety measures in place. Our police do patro!.that on a regular basis, � bath in patroi cars and in the bike patrofi during the late spring, summer and faH. We have a number of security cameras �hat are strategically located in ar►d around the park area and the bus waiting area as we11 as the parking garage � itself. We also have a number of city employees who are there in the area; the bus drivers do disembark when the buses are there. We have Parks and Recreation stafF who clean in the park area. He said that the parking garage has � stafF during mo�t of the day, who couid assist an an emergency basis. Our bus drivers do have two-way radios and are in constant communication with our bus � headquarter ofFice on Maine Avenue. There are a number of safetjr procedures � currently in place to ensure the averall safety and security of our passengers. � From time to time issues and problems do occur. When samething happens, we � do call the police immediately. Farrar said there are two potential opt�ons ta deal with the continuir�g issues that � we have outlined for you.. One is to consider clasing the waiting room and the restraom areas. As noted by the Chief of Police, those are the areas that tend to generate transient traffic. That optior�wauld Create some incanvenience for � patrons of the system. The other ap�ion would be to consider maving the headquarters of the BAT system down to the parking garage area. We can prepare additior�al infarmatian on this aption if yau would lilce. Far.rar said that Chief Winslow would like to share additional information regarding the assault, and Joe McNeil, our BAT Superintendent, is here as well. � � � � � Winslow commented that the fact that we had 176 calls down there, at first would seem like a lot of calis. We do about 30,000 calis throughout the City � and a fair majority are in the downtown area due to the large number of people in the area. The bus drivers are encouraged to call when something is out of place or before it gets out of hand. The�clerk that works at the parking garage � has been told to call us, and she does. Winlsow said that it is not unusual to have 2-3 calls within an hour of one another, and they are basically dealing with the same individual. Regarding the assault that took place, the call was � generated on January 6, 2003. It was a cell phone call that went to the state police, all 911 cell phone calls go to the state police, and then it was sent to Bangor. It was identified as an assault in progress; we dispatched two units to � the area. When they got there, they could not locate the suspect or the victim as they had already left the area. They did talk to a couple of witnesses and � tried to locate the people involved. From a police standpoint, it was a dead issue, not an active investigation, until it was brought to our attention at Monday night's council meeting. We did reopen the investigation and located the suspect and the victim. It is important to point out that this did not appear to be a � random act of�violence, these people did have an association, however they were . not in a domestic partnership situation. We interviewed the suspect and he admitted to being in an altercation with a woman down there. His story is that _ she was actually the aggressor. There was an issue that involved money and drugs. He identified�the victim for us. We interviewed the victim, and she � indicated that she was in an altercation. She had a difFerent perspective; however she said that she did not want the police involved, and she is not interested in pursuing charges. She did sustain an injury to her shoulder. At this ' point, Winslow said the case is again inactive. If the victim should come forward with a change of heart, we woufd look at it again. Winslow said that he had a conversation this afternoon with Jim Aucoin, Assistant District Attorney, and ran � the scenario by him to see if this is something that they would be interested in us pursuing charges against the suspect. Mr. Aucoin thought that there were too ,- � many evidentiary concerns based on the fact that she was going to be a reluctant witness. Palmer wanted to know where the alleged perpetrator currently was. Winslow said that he is at his residence in Bangor. When we � interviewed him we discovered that he had been incarcerated. We had arrested him February 5"' on a warrant. He does have a history, and he has been arrested a number of times. � Allen says that this appears to be more complex than activity around the bus location. She asked that even though there is a lot of high traffic going through , this area, there are no shops to deter this type of activity or is this type of activity going to happen no matter what? Winslow said that people would congregate in areas where they feel comfortable and not engaging constantly �' with a high volume of people. There are a lot of people who use the transit system and a lot of them choose to wait outside. Where we have the issues is � . . � � � . � n ra e on the round level in the waitin area and the under eath the ga g g , g bathrooms. Winslow noted that we do not have these problems in the Bangor �� Mall where there are thousands of people traversing through the corridor. We don't have these problems on Main Street during the day when there are people conducting regular business. The big draw to this area is the fact that we have a �' warm waiting area and public restrooms. � Nealley wanted to know if this suspect's other charges were related to assault. Winslow said that there were four prior assault arrests. Nealley said that could this be reason enough to revoke bus privileges? Heitmann said to have such a � policy could create a lot of problems. The purpose of the bus policy is to protect our bus patrons. Heitmann said that he is not aware of this individual's criminal activity or alleged criminal activity involved a patron on the bus. We do not � know if he was going to ride the bus or if the victim was going to ride the bus. � It is not at all clear whether he actually committed a crime, if his story is correct in terms of assault, then his actions may be self-defense. If we are concerned � . about �n individual with a criminal record, do we do a criminal background check on every individual that rides the bus? How do we know how often they ride the bus, if I go out there do I have to have a criminal background check first before � I'm allowed to get on the bus? Nealley said that his concern was did his past violations show assault related. Heitmann said was the assault at the bus stop � because that's where the woman was, for instance if he had had the same altercation on the other side of Pickering Square, would that have made him any more or less of a threat to riders of the bus? How do you monitor that unless , you are going to do a check on everybody that rides the bus? Heitmann said that we get federal money for the bus and we would have to explore any policies of not allowing certain classes of people to rider the bus, which could jeopardize , state and federal grants that we have. Heitmann stated that this was certainly not a simple answer. � Winslow commented that their investigation did reveal that the victim was there waiting to take a bus to Hampden. He said he did not know the circumstances that drew the suspect to the area. The situation did not concern the bus; it was � between these two individuals and just happened to take place near the bus system. Heitmann said that this is not to say that if these people tried to get on � the bus, that if the bus driver had witnessed this he has the right to not allow them on the bus if he has legitimate concerns for�the safety of other passengers on the bus. � Palmer asked to hear from Joe McNeil regarding his comments of moving the � BAT ofFce to the parking garage location. Palmer said that the.area that is � � under the graveled area by the bus stop downtown was always envisioned to be retail or office space. When he first came to Council, Palmer said that he , requested that this go�out f.or RFP, to see who might be interested. Economic � � � - � � � Development was very helpful in that process, it was announced and there were no takers at that time. About a year and a half after that, Mayor Michael Aube � and Palmer had some discussions with the farmer's market people, however there was not enough interest to make it worthwhile. There have been some efForts since the building was built to have some retail there. It is sterile, there's � not much traffic and not a lot of people, and we should be commended for public bathrooms, although they do create some challenges. McNeil said that two incidents in the olice re ort one was a lady kicking the � p p , door of a bus because she was agitated with someone on the bus, and we did not allow her to ride, and prosecuted her for damage to the bus. The other � incident involved a gentleman that got into a verbal discussion with somebody on the Mount Hope run. It became unruly so the bus driver pulled over the bus and � warned them, and further up the road, he asked them to get ofF the bus. We do not want the bus drivers to be physically involved in ejecting passengers, we ask them to call the office and we call the police. We end up calling the police quite a bit. A lot of times people leave before the police arrive, and legally we need to � warn them first before we can have them arrested, therefore one person can generate a number of calls before we can actually get them out of the area. As � far as the office being at Pickering Square, we have looked at this, however due to the cost factor, we have not done this. The Cities of Portland and Lewiston has a similar type hub, and Portland staffs their hub from 8 am to 7 pm, and � there is noone there until midnight, when they their service ends, and Lewiston does not staff their hub with bus personnel. Bangor's duties would not allow us to staff an office at the hub with the two personnel that we have. � . Nealley said that the police being called does serve as a deterrent, but is not � intimidating. Nealley asked if there is a certain period of time in the evening where it might make sense to have additional staff, and then said he gathered that this was not the case. � McNeil said that another option could be a call box directly to the BAT office or the police station if someone felt threatened or intimidated in the waiting area. � He said that the gravel area is the generator of most of the problems, and we can see what is happening ira the waiting area. If we see people there at certain times after the buses have departed, we know they are not waiting for the bus. � If people are loitering, we send the police down to have them move along. Another option is fencing in the graveled area until it is developed, and may prevent people from hanging out here and drinking. It took us fifteen years to � get bathrooms from our patrons, and if we close out the waiting area and bathrooms this would be a concern. In the study that we are doing right now, � the consultant has said we need a stronger effort to develop the graveled area. � � � � ene said that clearl that this is an unfortunate incident and wanted to let Ms. Gre y Alley know that we are receptive and we are very sorry that this happened. � Having said that, it also fairly obvious that this just happened to take place where the bus was in close proximity, and it could have happened anywhere in � the city. In reading the report, when this incident was phoned in, there was not a copy of the videotape because it had been reused. Winslow said that this is correct, they hold the videotapes for two weeks and when the police officer � respondedr he did not think it necessary to secure the tape with no victim present. It is not clear whether the incident would have been on the videotape anyway. Greene wanted to know if it was brightly lit in the area with signs � posted to state no loitering. McNeil said there are no loitering signs, and it is well illuminated except for the graveled area. Greene wanted to know if lighting it could eliminate some problems. McNeil said that blocking it ofF wouid � eliminate the problems. Winslow concurred with McNeil that blocking the ar.ea ofF would eliminate problems. Greene wanted to know if individuals captured on videotape could be prosecuted. Heitmann said that this is a piece of evidence � that the district attorney is permitted to use. That doesn't mean that he would in fact prosecute. � Allen said that she commends Ms. Alley for bringing this issue forth. She said that she is reluctant to close off the bathrooms and waiting area. She would like � to see is more activity with personnel in the area. She recommended some kind of preventative campaign for behavior on the bus. � Kathy Alley, a resident of Bangor, stated that she is really nervous about the suspect being able to ride the bus. She noted that she sees him on the bus and he is always"stoned" or agitated, and there are other people like this on the bus. � She said that she couldn't believe that it is not against the law for someone to do what he did, and that he doesn't get arrested, because he has a violent past. She wanted to know why someone with a history could not be thrown ofF the � bus. She wanted to know why we let homeless people sit down there and ride around and around on the bus and harass the other patrons. She said that nice people such as her do not act like this. She commented that older people and � people with disabilities like herself should be able to feel safe when they ride the bus. Palmer said that he appreciates her comments, however in this specific � case there is no leverage to prosecute according to the legal and police department. He said that his 13-year-old daughter regularly rides the bus, and has had no specific problem. He said that there are lots of different people that use that bus, many are in programs in our area. He said that the issue of � violence needs to be addressed, but there are many people who live in the shadows and are people who are struggling and trying to make it. Alley said she 1 � applauds those people, the homeless who are trying. Palmer said that it is hard to engineer the request of getting "these people" on the bus and "those people" ofF the bus. When there is behavior that is illegal, then we have ways to address � � � � � ' that. Palmer said there are some things that we-might be able to do such as put up a call box, or a fence�around the dark graveled area, or a better system for reviewing the video surveillance tapes. Palmer said that perhaps the parking � staff could be encouraged or enticed to do more in observation; and perhaps we could put out an�RFP to develop this area. Anything we can do in terms of � prevention such as what is inappropriate behavior and how we deal with that. In . terms of the specific issue that you're talking about, he said he was not hearing that we could do anything specifically about that event. He said that some good � suggestions have come up and that we have a good staff,.good police department, good legal department and councilors who are concerned, otherwise this never would have risen to this level in terms of the committee work, and � good citizens who are trying to do the right thing. We appreciate that. Nealley said that in terms of public policy, there is an opportunity for BAT to have a � policy that suggests that anybody that exhibits this kind of violence behavior, is prohibited from riding the bus. It should be a privilege to ride the bus that can be revoked. It might not be a.policy worth pursuing, since this seems like a � relatively isolated situation. Palmer asked if anyone else in the audience wished to speak on this issue. � Palmer recommended that there should be a report back to this committee in 30 days with some ideas and cost parameters to address some or all of these ideas � to make the BAT safer. As on citizen of Bangor, it impresses him to see the BATs parading around our community. They are more accessible for people with disabilities, great to see at the Folk Festival, and it would be important to us to , have a program and a bus depot that would complement not take away from the wonderful vehicles that we have. In a month he would like to get together and invite Ms. Alley back. , Dave Strader from Bangor came forward and said that we might consider monitors on the bus. Palmer said that al! buses have communication systems. � � Palmer noted that there were a large number of people in the audience and . asked if they were there to discuss item number 4. As most were, Palmer � suggested discussing this item out of order. 4. Discussion of request from the Peace and 7ustice Center for the City � Counc�l to consider adopt6reg a Res�lution �pposing lillar dvith I�aq. Farrar noted that Councilor Tremble had contacted him last week as he had been � contacted by representatives of the Peace and Justice Center requesting the City Council's consideration of a resolution indicating opposition to war with Iraq. � . � 1 � I s sked for a discussion at the Committee level to Councilor Tremb e ha a � determine if there is support for Council taking a position on this issue. Farrar noted that he had provided a copy of a City of Portland Resolve for informational purposes. As of late this afternoon, Farrar had obtained copies of a resolution � that the State of Maine legislature has recently considered. � Palmer said that he knows there is a lot of sentiment out there, but he was not � sure that we would be able to hear from all of them. He asked how many - people would like to speak in favor of this resolution by a show of hands. And how many who would like to speak opposed to this issue. He noted that we had � some of both. He asked if Margaret was going to speak. He noted that it was she who had asked Councilor Tremble to bring this forth. He asked if people who were going to speak could say something different or ditto to give more �;. people an opportunity to come forward with a different viewpoint. Scott Rufner of Bangor said that there are five other people who would like to � read statements from various perspectives as why we think it's important for the Bangor City Council to consider this resolution and pass it. One of the issues is � why should the Bangor City Council take up an issue regarding foreign policy. He said that there are several reasons to do so. He noted that Portland and Orono have passed similar res,olutions. The arguments for relevance are that it � is incumbent upon all of us as citizens to participate in our local government , when there are issues like this that have great moral import, and this does. War not only puts in harm's way our service people; it also risks the lives of civilian � innocents. Rufner said that in Bangor we think of ourselves as an international city, we have and international airport, we have an international relationship with our neighbors to the north and hopefully others, and this is of great international � interest. In other countries, this issue has put the United States position in not a very favorable light. Rufner says this impacts Bangor in a number of ways, it could afFect the people that come to visit us here, it could afFect the way that we � are treated abroad, and it may enhance the anti-American sentiment that led to the previous events of September llth. Rufner stated that we know that our � federal government is facing a large deficit, and the State of Maine is facing a large deficit, and even though in Bangor we compliment ourselves on being fiscally responsible, those things can trickle down and affect programs such as � education and healthcare. He said that the costs would be greater if we pursued this on a unilateral footing versus a multilateral footing where costs would be shared. He said that many people in the armed services are in the guard and � being called up in their reserve units, and may be the first responders in our city. In. general this war on Iraq led mostly by the United States government without the multilateral suppor� of the intern.ational community could have very serious � consequences that will afFect us in Bangor, and we should consider this not only on the moral grounds, but on the factual ground that would be in order for us to � . � � � � have a resolution that would encourage our federal government to act in a muitilateral United Nations contest. ' Mayor Farnham wanted to verify Mr. Rufner's address. Greene said that he was still not convinced that the City Council should be , creating a resolve on this. He said that he disagreed with many things that Mr. Rufner said, and he agreed with some of the things he said. He said that we � also have a military presence in the city. He said that Rufner covered a wide range of issues and that nobody likes the prospect of war. Greene said that we did not'�throw the first stone" as Rufner referenced to 9-11, and that he was not � convinced that this should be considered by the Council. Farrington asked if Rufner was ever in the service, and Rufner replied that he � was not, but he had many relatives who have been and still are. . Nealley said that he was concerned because it was unprecedented what the � state legislature did in this regard and it went straight party lines in the senate, and Governor Baldacci started a great way to get everybody together on the � same page working on the same cause. Then they went into something the state has no real authority on, as individuals with opinions of U.S. citizens; we have authority to write our U.S. Congress with our opinions, which can influence � it. U.S. Congress has been briefed with intelligence, that we have not been privy to, and nor should we see more until they do what they have to do. The real issue is that are we going to take on something that we have no authority on, � and if you took a poll of the City of Bangor and issued a resolve based on that poll it might come out different than you would want to see. Nealley said it is very important to establish where the Council is going to be on this, and we will , be establishing a precedent for the Bangor City Council. He said that there are some towns that voted on this that are very disappointed that they got into this � position, because in most cases this went down party lines of those who support. the administration and those who do not really support it. He said the issue is one whether we should take on this issue at all, if we do determine to do so then 1 we should have a council debate. The end resolve will probably not be one that will�be most palatable to this group. Palmer said that there are a large number of people present and he would like to , hear from them, however he does not want to hear the same story. He said that the crux of this issue is, is this an item that the City Council needs to address? � . He said that there are three voting members of this committee, Allen, Greene and himself. He asked for others who wish to s eak in favor of this resolution. � P � � � � i that this Council has in the ast on two occasions Hope Brogunier of Bangor sa d p � addressed something of this magnitude of concern. In 1982 with the Freeze Campaign in which the Council went on record as supporting the freeze. The .f second occasion was about five years ago, in favor of.abolishing nuclear weapons. She said it is extremely important for citizens to be able to have the � Council at the local level hear the level of concern and debate the issue. She said that she was definitely in favor of this resolution. Palmer thanked her and � said that a� lot of people at the table were here when the nuclear issue was discussed and voted upon. � Ron Warner of Bangor said that he is a Vietnam Veteran, a member of Am-Vet and DAV, and for the last six years he has worked with other veterans trying to get proper health care for our veterans in Togus. He said that he has worked � with Senators Snowe and.Collins, Representatives Allen and Baldacci and now with Representative Michaud. He said that he would like to bring this issue � home as to what a war with Iraq will mean to Bangor veterans. He said that he would like to cover the situation in VA health care to do that. Secretary Principi of the VA has stated that the VA is in crisis. It has been mentioned that Maine's � share of the war on Iraq would be $267 million. We know that the State of Maine is running a $1 billion deficit. Just recently in the Maine VA, 5,800 veterans in the system did not have a doctor. Waits for care are up to a year � and a half. The situation is so bad that they have stopped accepting category A veterans for applying for VA health care. Palmer asked Mr. Warner to limit his comments to the resolution, noting that he realizes that they are interrelated, � but the more direct he could be, the more helpful it would be to this committee. Mr. Warner said that he is for the resolution against war in Iraq, because war with Iraq would cost veterans more of their health care. Right now we have 600 � veterans waiting to get into the Bangor clinic. Right now the state is proposing cutting Maine Veteran services. That office brings in $40 million to the Maine economy. He said his point is that war with Iraq is only going to exacerbate the � situation in VA health care for Bangor veterans, and that is why he is for an anti- . war resolution. Palmer thanked Mr. Warner for his comments. � Cheryl Pelletier of Bangor noted that Chicago had voted 64-1 against the war in Iraq. She said that these are hard times and she would be favorable to this resolution. Palmer thanked her for her comments. � Margaret Bailey of Bangor said that she was here to ask for the Council to pass this resolution. She said she has many reasons and many of them the Council � has just heard, but she had one particular reason. She has been involved with the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter since it opened. We now have room for 32 people to spend the night and a day program, which supports services from local � agencies, and a 3-meal a.day program with an annual food budget of $300. She said the Shelter's annual expense budget is $315,000.and does not take into account the approximately $215,000 of volunteer support and donations. � � . i 1 Government funds, which come through the Maine State Housing Authority, pay for less than 40% of our costs. The results could be described as an unfunded � mandate and/or cost shifting onto the local community. Palmer stated that he realized that this indirectly is related to the resolution, however he asked her to focus more on the direct relation to the resolution. We need to consider how money spent on another war could be.diverted to fund many organizations and institutions, which are for people in need and make for healthy improving secure communities. Palmer thanked her for her comments. � Dr. Jeff Gratwick of Bangor said that he was here representing the group Physicians for Social Responsibility. As of today, there are 50 physicians that � have signed a similar resolution, and he passed this to the Committee members. He asked the Committee to.pay attention to what is needed on the homefront. � He said that right now we are in a health care crisis, and these funds are urgently needed at home to care for our fellow citizens. Palmer thanked Dr. Gratwick for his comments. � Bjorn Slavo of Bangor said that he was here representing peace through the American Community Action Group, a grass roots organization in Bangor that works with strengthening our local community to deal with issues such as human rights. He said that he wanted to draw a parallel between Bangor Clean Clothes resolution that passed five years ago. This involved the City Council speaking on � the concerns of human rights and economic rights�for people across the globe, not just here in Bangor. He reminded the Council for their support of the community Carasque in EI Salvador in 1999. When our national leaders have lost � their moral compass, it is incumbent upon civil society and state and local government to speak up. He urged the Committee to pass this resolution. � Palmer thanked Mr. Slavo for his comments. Cliff Guthrie of Bangor said that he teaches at Bangor Theological Seminary and said that he does not represent any particular community of space. He said that � there is a real reluctance for people to support this war effort. From the Christian community, there is the just war theory. There�are five points to this � theory, the first is that the body that declares war have to have a lawful authority to act, and it is simply not clear to many Christian thinkers that the United States standing alone or with a limited number of nations has the � authority to act without first being attacked by Iraq. The second is that the war has to be for a just cause and this is usually attributed to a nation being attacked first or perceived as an imminent threat of. attack. The third is that every effort � has to be made to resolve this dispute by peaceful means, and since the inspection process is still not complete, it is not clear that this is the case. The -fourth is that war should not unleash more evil than is already being endured. It � certainly is not clear that any military action might be a tinderbox and cause much more sufFering. Th� fifth point is that to engage in a just war, we have to � � � � have a reasanable chance of success. He said that he wondered what success � means in this case. In just war theory, �f any one of these five criteria are not met then a war is not justified. From what he has heard, a lot af people think that nane of these have been met. Palmer thanked tiim for his cammenfis. � Nealley said that money is ane of the main issues of oppasition to war. He said �hat is not what this is about— money. In regard to morality, we all have to be � careful about how we tread about haw different peopfe perceive the importance of taking care of people that have been behind or been involved in terrorist activities warldwide, that may harbor terrorists, that may harbor the fypes of . � weapons that have been used. As far as the first attack case, we must leave it up to inte(iigence reports to address this, because as we all know we have had �� ` U.S. senators do a complete 180 on this after hearing intelligence reports. He � noted that the nationai poH is 62% behind the administration a�this point, and the glot�al pal! is maving up. �I Sal Grenier of Bangor said tha� he has a document outlining ten reasons to suppart the resotution. �� Greta Halpern a seniar at Bangor High Schooi said that what she really likes abou� Bangor is that the peaple are very receptive ta views. She said that she � was one of eight students that went to D.C. for the rally in January, and each one of them represer�ted more studerrts from the school who didn't have the resources to make the trip, She said it is very important far Bangor to iisten to � its youth as it has in �he past. She said that war should be a last resart, as da many, many students at Bangor High School. Palmer thanked her for her camments. � � �oyce Elling of Bangor said tha�we are being asked �o go to war ori trus� and � faith in our government. She said that she would like to have faith in her gavernment, hawever it has been undermined by the secrecy it likes to aperate in. She said that she was referring specifically to the energy policy. She said � that tl�ere were so many countries that were warried and opposed to war. She said that there is a strong outcry across the world saying do not.go to war ye�. Farnham asked for a paint of arder as to the relevance as to whether or not the � Bangor City Council should take on this particular issue. Elling said that she is a citizen tha� lives in Bangar and hears the planes fly overhead. She said �hat i� . worries her that we are abaut to go to war. She said it is a moral and ethical � duty and she asked the Council to please support this resolution. Palmer thanked her. � Palmer asked how many more people would like to speak in favor af the resolution and nated that lie would take �hree more. � � � � John Hanson of Bangor said tha�the late Tip O'Neill said that a!l politics is local. Given that, the Bangar City Council is the representative of citizens who live and � work in Bangor, so if not the Bangor City Council, then who. He said it is clearly not without precedence that the Bangor City Council in its wisdom and its courage has issued a!I kinds of resalves to the legislature and ta the Congress of � the United States on issues that Bangor citizens thought were criticai. He �aid that this has been characterized as an anti-war resolution. With a!! due respec� to the people who have characterized it, he said that he would argue that it is � not like that at all. If yau examine the resolution carefully, it talks about what is happening, how other countries and the United Natians are urging diplomatic resalutions and continuation of inspectians and the most critical part of any � resolution is the resolve. We are urging the President of the United States to canti�ue pursuing a multilateral, diplomatic appraach to resolving the current � conflict, and achieve a valid objective of disarming Saddam Hussein. So this is nat saying that we are opposed to war. We are saying as one of you said very eloquently, war is distasteful, no one wants to go inta war. He said that this � reso4ution is urging that for as long as we passibly canj we pursue the current inspections and diplomatic channels in order to resofve that question and disarm Saddam Hussein. He said that this is far dif�erent than anything the United � States has ever written before, and that is why already 77 municipal governmenks have passed similar types af resolutions. As a result of 9-11 we are becoming more and more like same of the countries that we criticize, and that is � a sad day. Vtle are moving from a defense posture of cantainment and the fear of retaliatian to preemptive declaration of war, before anything has really happened �a us against the cauntry. So �.angstar� Hughes said when would � America be America again? Our posture ought ta be one of trying to pursue all possible avenues and uti4ize war as the last resort. That is what makes this � resolution so compelling and in the words af Spike Lee we have the opportunity ta do the right thing. The right thing is to urge aur gavernment to pursue all possible channels shart of war before we actually unilaterally and without � multilateral support move in ta attack Iraq. Palmer�hanked Mr. Hanson far his comments. Ann Schonberger of Bangar said that she protested the Vietnam War and said � that she was heartened to see peopie challenging the possibiiity of this war before it begins. She said that the economic problems that will ensue are � certainly eompelling, but she really objecctss on mara! grounds. She said that we should use the structure of the United Nafiions which was so careful{y crafted a#ter Warld War II, because we didn't want to have to deal with that sor� of war � again. We should be an equal member of the United Nations, so that we are modeling rather�han defying a peaceful resolutian to this conflict. Palmer thanked her for her comments. � , i � � I � � � Palmer asked for one more proponent of the resolution and seeing no one approach he asked for those who wish to speak against the resalution to step �' farvuard. � Charlie Birlcel of Bangor read fram a prepared statement. He said that he believes as our Cortstitution guarantees that rights of people to speak aut openly, to agree or disagree an issue as such. He said that as we exercise these rights, �. we have a responsibiliiy to use lagic and understanding of the issues, especiaNy when America is facing numerous challenges, As people speak up they must be � mindful of peopie amongst us, their pain, their invoivement and their lifesiyle, as many served in our military in defense of the United 5tates of America. He went an to say that our state has had a iong history of housing, association and strang � support of our armed forces with their commissions and the defense of the U.S.A. Our own men and women from here and live here serve on active duty in the Natiana4 Guard and reserve units and al! branches of the armed forces. They � are required to train Fiarder, ionger and be more proficient in their duties than ever before. They are asked to make persanal sacrifces and be ready for deplayment on short notices to heip preserve and protect the very freedams and � liberties we enjoy today. This could very well be challenged tamorrow if America drops its guard, its wif( and shows signs ofi weakness. He said that he gave a total af 36 years af his life as a military member and worker in the armed forces � of the U.S. He said that he retired fram the U.S. Air Force as a Master Sargeant, anci said we must show support for aur troaps and their efforts. We must have confidence in our president and commander in chief and ciur national leaders as � they all work towards finding solutions for the prablems facing the world, the . � United Natians, and the United States of America today. A message of non- support can be wrongfulEy cammunicated into weaknesses by our adversaries � � and enemies, not because of what we have done, but because of who we are and what we stand far as freedom and peace-loving society: He said that it was unfair to ask our City officials to adopt a resolution for our people, as they are in I � no position to knaw �he minds of al# our people in regards ta natianal defense � and security. Our local elected leaders'duties are to conduct the business of our � people in operation af our citjr, We did nat elect them to not respect or to interfere with national security policies of our nation. He said that he strongly recammends that this Committee der�y this resolutian and not forward it to fhe � full City Council for any further deliberatian. He said that in his years of service and living, he lives by three wards when it comes to the very situation that we are in today, duty, honor and country. Those words should apply for everyone � of us as we address the situatian that our country is in taday. Palmer thanked Mr. Birkel for his comments. �. David Rogers ofi Bangor said that he is 20-year veteran ofi the U.S. Army and said that he is concerned about tEiis issue, He said it grieves him ta hear some of the . � arguments here. He asked why this council would agree to take on this issue, � � � and said that they should not foliow what other councils around the state are doing, it doesn't make it correct. Palmer said that to answer his question, this � Committee was approached by a community member and was asked to have it on the agenda. He said that war is a horrible thing and that the Committee should not proceed with the resolution. He said that he found about this through � the Bangor Daily News, and Palmer let him know that the agenda items are available on Cable Channel 7. He said that this item is for the federal government to pursue. He said that David Nealley had some really great � comments. He asked that the Gouncil make a statement that says that they support-the servicemen and women and their families. Palmer thanked him. ' Palmer asked the Committee what their comments are. Allen said that she was grateful for this process and was glad to hear both sides of this. She said that � this issue hits people personally, but there is a difference between something that hits you personally and something that has to be resolved as a body. She said that even though the momentum of the cities is going one way throughout � the country, the fact is that this vote is decided by the U.S. Congress. She said that she understands where people are coming from in regards to international law and resolutions, but as our government is structured, we are trying to bring � together items that may not work. Palmer said that the procedure is that we will discuss it and there will or will not � be a motion, there will be or not be a second to the motion. If there is a second then there will be discussion, if not then it will be ofF the table. If the motion � carri_es, then it goes to the full Council, and all councilors would address it and there would be a resolution passed, amended or not passed. Greene said that he maintains that he has not heard anything that makes him � believe that this should be voted on at this level. He said he understands that this is an emotional issue, and he appreciates everyone coming forward and � giving his or her views. He said that this is not something that should be dealt _ with by the Bangor City Council. Farrington said that.it is the right of everyone to express how he or she feels. , This is one of the many things that we are in conflict or in disagreement with the regime in Iraq. He said that he agrees and disagrees with something that � everyone has said. One of the comments by Mr. Hanson, it is the duty of this council to address the concerns of its citizens, but.it is very hard to get all�the facts and truth from everyone. One of the problems we have is that what is � being done by those given the authority and responsibility at our national level is that they have access to information that we cannot have. He said that his � period in the�service was almost 50 years ago, and he remembers very little of it. He said that he was only told what he had a need to know. In this level of government we do not need to know many things, because it would put those in � � , � ' , the charge of protecting us in harm s way. In the chain of command, the city � level is at the bottom, and it is not appropriate for us to address this, but it is highly appropriate for us to hold a forum to allow you to address us. He said that he is not a voting member of this Committee, but he has not heard anything � that would lead him to feel that it was their place to make this decision. � Nealley said that the most important part of what we have done here is to allow 1 the process. He said that national defense is one of the foremost responsibilities of the federal government. He said that this does not belong at the city or state level. Municipal government has no legal authority input in national defense. He � said that he gives credit to the Chair for hosting this forum, even though inre are at a code orange stage. ' Mayor Farnham said that she also thanks the�Government Operations Committee for hosting this discussion. She said that she was disappointed that this was � even on the agenda. She said that we have a rich military history, Dow Air Force Base years ago, and now the Army and Air Force National Guard. All of which have moms and dads, daughters, sons all right now doing things at the request � of their commanders. They live in our community and she said that she hoped that this issue would stop here. The Council should consider other municipal operation issues that we were elected to do. , Palmer said that it has been very important that people get an opportunity to speak. He said he remembers the Vietnam War, and that people opposed to � that war did not have an opportunity to speak. He said that there has been a lot of compelling comments on both sides. He said he would entertain a motion. , He asked if there was a motion to be placed on the floor in regards to whether we should adopt a resolution opposing the war with Iraq. He said hearing none, , this issue is closed. Palmer thanked all for their courtesy and patience. � 3. Citizen concern regarding Taxicab Ordinance requireme�ts. John Hamer presented a memo regarding tfie concerns that Mr. David Strater � has with the City's Taxicab Ordinance. Strater said that he is concerned about the requirement for a taxicab meter, L even if he wanted to run a flat rate taxi. He said that he was told he could not have a taxicab with a flat rate in place unless he has a meter, even if he is not using it. � Hamer said that the ordinance requires that all taxicabs have a taximeter, and he is not sure that the ordinance would allow a flat rate. � � ' � Strater asked why a grocer is not told that he has to sell a loaf at a certain price � or a restaurant owner selling a meal at a certain price. Palmer said before the meters there was a lot of abuse in what people could � charge. Hamer said that this is pursuant to state authority but there is no state ordinance. Hamer said that the reason we came to.this meeting is that Mr. Strater is ' interested in changing the or.dinance. The City Clerk who issues the taxicab licenses is bound to require that there be a taxicab meter. Hamer said this could i be changed.if this is the will of the Council. Palmer asked if you could have a meter and not use it? Hamer said that his , understanding from reading the ordinance is that you must use the meter for fares. � _ Hamer said that the point of the meter is to make sure that the rates were standard and fair. � Strater asked what happened to the buyer beware? Allen asked if all meters have the same rate? Hamer said yes, that is what the , ordinance requires. Barrett said that as a former cab driver when ou are o eratin a cab our � Y P 9 Y patrons do not have the opportunity to negotiate at the curb. The point of the , meter is to ensure that people are not taken advantage of and that they are charged what the going rate is. The fares can be adjusted by the Council if they clioose. r Palmer said that the taxicab drivers in our city are often our first ambassadors to the city. It is very important that taxicabs are world class and clean and that � people are treated respectfully. Strater said that his idea is entrepreneurial, a non-traditional taxi. He said that , taxicab drivers are not regulated by how much they can drive, they can go 24 hours per day if they want, and tractor.-trailer drivers can not do that. Taxi cab drivers barely make a living, and are restricted. He said he was going to use � non-traditional types of transportation such as motorcycles, converted tractor- trailers, horse and buggy. There is a difFerent insurance rate for these. ' • , � � 1 � Barrett said that depending on the tjrpe of conveyance, if it is a horse and � carriage, this could be done on an hourly rate. He said that it is probably not easily possible to get insurance for carrying passengers on a motorcycle. � Greene asked for Mr. Strater's perception of a flat fee. Greene said that if he arrived at the airport and asked to go to City Hall, what would the rate be? Mr. Strater said that he would charge a flat $5 for any trip within the City, and an � extra $5 to go to another city. Nealley s�id that there is a reason to_have a meter for protection of the � consumer. Palmer said that perhaps taxicab is not the word you need to use, maybe there is � some other service such as limo or tour service that you could use. He said that this Council is interested in entrepreneurial individuals and building business in � Bangor. Barrett said that the meter says that there is a maximum allowable charge, but � that does not mean that the driver can't charge less. � Farnham said that this might be something to educate our people on. We may � be able to help people become negotiating sawy with their taxicabs. Barrett said that there should not be large variations in fares, but there are ' allowances for slow travel. Taxicab companies have different policies, which afFect the fares. He noted that a lot of our cab companies are independent. � Palmer advised Mr� Strater to work with John Hamer for future ideas. ' The meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m. � - � � � ' �