* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] COUNCIL MEMBER TNO. COUNCIL MEMBER SHAW. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. COUNCIL MEMBER SALDANA HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER BROCK HOUSE COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ELIAS. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY HERE. AND MAYOR NURENBERG HERE. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A COURT. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR MAKING YOURSELF AVAILABLE. THIS, UH, FOR THIS SPECIAL MEETING TODAY, WE'RE HERE TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF DISTRICT TWO CITY COUNCILMAN WILLIAM CRUZ SHAW. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 7TH, 2019, CRUZ IS LEAVING US TO ACCEPT A POSITION WITH THE COUNTY AS AN ASSOCIATE JUDGE FOR THE 436 JUVENILE DISTRICT COURT. WE WILL MISS HIS PRESENCE AND SERVICE TO THE RESIDENCE OF DISTRICT TWO AND TO THE CITY. AND SO AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO ASK THE CLERK TO READ THE CAPTION, UH, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD WITH YES SIR. ITEM NUMBER ONE IS THE ORDINANCE, ACKNOWLEDGING THE RESIGNATION OF COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAM K. SHAW, DISTRICT TWO, AND INITIATING PROCEDURES TO SELECT AND INTERIM REPLACEMENT COUNCIL MEMBER. OKAY. UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. SO WE'LL BEGIN, UH, WITH THAT NOW. I'LL CALL THE FIRST NAME. UH, I'LL CALL THE SUBSEQUENT NAME. IF YOU CAN MAKE, UH, GET READY TO COME FORWARD TO THE PODIUM. NO ONE IS LISTED HERE AS IN FAVOR OR AGAINST, SO I'LL ASSUME THAT WE'RE JUST HERE TO TALK ABOUT CRUZ. WE'LL START WITH AUBREY LEWIS, FOLLOWED BY EVELYN HARRISON. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MAYOR NURNBERGER, CITY COUNCIL PERSONS, AND, UH, I OWN VERY DISTINGUISHED WILLIAM CRUISE, SHAW COUNCILMAN, DISTRICT TWO. I'M AUBREY LEWIS, PRESIDENT OF THE DENVER HEIGHT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS THE LARGEST NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND DISTRICT TWO. AND COUNCILMAN PERRY AND I WERE TALKING JUST WHILE AGO, HE CORRECTED ME. HE SAID, WELL, YOU'RE NOT THE LARGEST IN THE CITY. AND WE GOT TO COMPARING THE HOUSING. SO I BELIEVE WE, WE MAY BE THE LARGEST IN THE CITY ALSO. YEAH, I WANNA . UH, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE AND AN HONOR IN BEING ABLE TO STAND BEFORE YOU THIS DAY IN ORDER THAT WE MAY PAY SPECIAL TRIBUTE AND HONOR TO COUNCIL WILLIAM K. SHAW, WHO IS OUR OWN DISTRICT TWO CITY COUNCILMAN COUNCILMAN SHAW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE. YOU HAVE SERVED THIS COMMUNITY AND CITY WELL. YOU SERVE WITH HONOR, UTMOST RESPECT, DIGNITY, AND INTEGRITY. AND MY BROTHER, AS YOU FURTHER YOUR CAREER INTO THE JUDICIARY SYSTEM OF OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM, THERE'S NO DOUBT YOU WILL SERVE WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF RESPECT, FAIRNESS, AND INTEGRITY. COUNCILMAN, WE DO APPRECIATE THE JOB YOU'VE DONE FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND CITY. AND WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU, MY BROTHER. THANK YOU, MR. LEWIS. EVELYN HARRISON, FOLLOWED BY JOE LINSON. GOOD AFTERNOON. FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BEFORE YOU. I'M EVELYN HARRISON. I'M A FORMER AT AND T RETIREE. I WORKED IN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS. I ALSO SERVED ON CITY PLANNING UNDER COUNCILMAN JOE WEBB. SO I'M TELLING MY AGE HERE, RIGHT? AND ALSO, I SERVED ON THE ALAMO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD. I WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK WILLIAM KHAW, OUR COUNCILMAN FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION HE HAS DONE AND SHOWN TO OUR COMMUNITY. HE WORKED IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH GREAT PASSION. I'M A FOURTH GENERATION SAN ANTONIO, SO EAST SIDE IS IN ME, ALL IN AND OUT. I WANT TO THANK HIM BECAUSE HE CAME TO OUR COMMUNITY AND HE HAS REALLY SHOWED THAT HE WAS CARING ABOUT WHAT GOES ON IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEREFORE, WE ARE GIVING HIM HIS SUPPORT FOR THE NEXT LEVEL THAT HE'S NOW GOING TO. AND WE WANNA ALSO THANK HIM AND MICHELLE FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT THEY DID IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE KNOW AS A JUDGE, HE IS GOING, GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK JUST AS HARD. THANK YOU. THANKS, MS. HARRISON. JOE LINSON, FOLLOWED BY TONY HARGROVE. THANK YOU MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL APOLOGIZE TO MY ATTIRE. UH, [00:05:01] I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING TODAY, BUT ONCE I GOT THE WORD THAT YOUR ACCEPTING CRUZ'S UH, UH, RESIGNATION, I DIDN'T WANNA MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLICLY SAY THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THIS DISTRICT IN THE HISTORY. I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE 1981 FROM DALLAS, AND I'VE WATCHED CITY COUNCIL PERSONS COME AND GOING TO, UH, YOU'RE PROBABLY AT THE TOP OF THE LIST AND I'M JUST GONNA GET TO THE BOTTOM LINE. YOU'RE BRINGING IN MORE THAN $27 MILLION INTO THAT DISTRICT THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE BOND, ET CETERA. IT'S THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO THE DISTRICT. AND WHILE I'M SORRY THAT YOU'RE LEAVING, I'M ECSTATIC ABOUT YOU GOING TO THE JUVENILE COURT. I THINK THAT, UH, YOU AS A JUDGE, YOUR BACKGROUND AND LAW AND WHAT'S NEEDED FOR THAT BLACK YOUTH IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY THE BLACK MALE. SO I THINK YOU'RE GONNA DO A GREAT JOB THERE. WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE DOWN HERE. YOU'VE BEEN RESPECTFUL, NO SKELETONS, NO SCANDALS AND ISSUES OF THAT NATURE. YOU'VE BEEN IN ALL CLASS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I WISH YOU GOD'S SPEAK, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MR. LINSON. TONY HARGROVE, FOLLOWED BY AMELIA DENO. I, CITY MANAGER, COUNCIL MEMBERS, HOW DO YOU DO COUNCIL? UH, MAYOR. I'M TONY HARGROVE, UH, C E O ELLA AUSTIN COMMUNITY CENTER. AND, UH, I'M HERE TODAY REPRESENTING THE STAFF AND THE BOARD, BASICALLY TO SAY THANK YOU TO A VERY SPECIAL YOUNG MAN THAT HAS DONE WELL AND IS MOVING ON TO, UM, SIT ON A BENCH TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY. AND SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, SHAW, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I REMEMBER SITTING AND HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH HIM, UH, AND IT WAS CANDID, UH, SHOULD I RUN? I SAID, ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND HE'S DONE WELL. AND SO, UH, WE BASICALLY WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. WANNA WISH YOU WELL AS YOU STEP INTO YOUR NEW POSITION ON THE BENCH. AND LET ME SPECIFICALLY SAY WE BOTH ELLA AUSTIN, AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE WE SERVE, APPRECIATE THE, THE MANY THINGS YOU DID, BUT SPECIFICALLY THE HEAVY LIFTING ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, GETTING THE LEASE WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SO, UH, WE WISH YOU WELL AS JUDGE, AND I'D LIKE TO SAY TO EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR, UH, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND, UH, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MR. HARGROVE. AMELIA DENO, FOLLOWED BY LIZ FRANKLIN. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I'M PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHEAST, UH, THE EAST VILLAGE NEIGHBORS ASSOCIATION FOR MY SECOND YEAR. AND WE WORK SO CLOSELY WITH CRUZ SHAW THAT WE'RE GONNA SINCERELY MISS YOU. AND, UH, HE'S STARTED MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE WHERE WE WERE KIND OF THE FORGOTTEN SIDE OF TOWN, THE NORTHEAST PART OF TOWN. SO IT'S GONNA BE SAD IF WE GET SOMEBODY NEW AND THEY KIND OF PUSH US ASIDE. SO I HOPE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. BUT, UH, AS HE EMERGES INTO A NEW JOB, UM, HE LEAVES BEHIND A STAFF. AND AS EVERY ONE OF YOU COUNCILWOMAN AND COUNCIL COUNCILMAN NO BEHIND EVERY GREAT MAN, THERE IS A WOMAN. WELL, BEHIND EVERY GREAT COUNCILMAN IS THEIR STAFF. AND WITHOUT THEM HELPING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY, IT, THE JOB CANNOT GET DONE. SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER THAT COUNCILMAN IS LEAVING BEHIND A VERY GOOD STAFF, AND WE HOPE THAT THAT STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE US. AND THAT, UH, AS THEY CHANGE, IF THEY DO HAPPEN TO CHANGE OVER, AS IT HAPPENED WITH WARWICK, THEY DID NOT TRANSFER EVERYTHING. ALL OUR NEEDS THAT WE HAD DOCUMENTED GOT LOST. AND SO WE HOPE THAT THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. AND TO ANY OF THE COUNCIL PEOPLE, IF THEY EVER HAVE TO LEAVE AND NEW PEOPLE COME IN. SO WE, THAT IS MY HOPE THAT AS A COUNCILMAN LEAVES THAT WHOEVER FILL HIS SHOES, UM, IT'S ALSO UNCERTAIN RIGHT NOW. WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH A LOT OF CHANGES FROM AN APPOINTEE TO A PERSON THAT'S GONNA BE SPECIALLY ELECTED AND THEN TO APE, UH, THE REGULAR ELECTION IN JUST FIVE MONTHS. SO I WANT EVERYBODY TO REMEMBER THAT EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM FROM DISTRICT TWO HAS WORKED SO HARD WITH HIM, AND WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THAT. AND WE HOPE WE CAN CALL HIM SOMETIMES AND SAY, PLEASE HELP US . THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. DENO. LIZ FRANKLIN, FOLLOWED BY REPRESENTATIVE [00:10:01] BARBARA GERVIN HAWKINS. WELL, I'M GLAD SHE'S BEHIND ME. YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I GO, I'M ALWAYS, I'M ALWAYS BEHIND SOMEBODY. GREAT. UM, LIZ FRANKLIN, DISTRICT TWO, WHAT A PICKLE. WE'RE IN CRUISE. I HOPE YOU GET PARKING WHERE YOU'RE GOING. 'CAUSE FOR US TO BE HERE, IT WAS A RIDE. UM, AND I WISH YOU, WELL, ACTUALLY, I'M KIND OF EXCITED FOR YOU ON THAT JUDGESHIP POSITION. AND I KNOW YOU'VE ALWAYS CARED ABOUT THE YOUTH AND THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, THAT PRESENTS ITSELF. YOU HAVE TO TAKE THOSE AS THEY COME. UM, AND FOR SURE OUR YOUTH NEED IT. SO, UH, WISHING YOU THE ABSOLUTE BEST ON THAT. NOW, LET'S GET BACK TO THE PICKLE. WE'RE IN BOOMERS ABOUND. IT'S RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. THAT THE SELECTION PROCESS, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE. WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS. 'CAUSE CREWS DIDN'T GET CAKE. THAT'S WHY WE WERE HERE. WE WERE HERE FOR CAKE. BUT THE SELECTION PROCESS, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT IT OFTEN, AND MANY OF YOU, A FEW OF YOU HAVE BEEN, UH, IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS. BUT WITH SO MANY OF YOU NEW, THIS IS REALLY UNCHARTED TERRITORY. SELECTING SOMEBODY FOR 117 DAYS OR HAVING THAT RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTY. AND THOSE OF US THAT CARE ABOUT DISTRICT TWO ARE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED. 117 DAYS, AS MANY THINGS HAS COME UP ON THE CITY COUNCIL THAT ARE IMPORTANT. WHERE ARE WE GONNA BE LEFT OUT? ARE WE GONNA HAVE A VOICE? WILL WE KNOW? SO I WILL ASK YOU TO USE THE SAME DUE CARE IN YOUR SELECTION PROCESS FOR INTERVIEWING THAT YOU WOULD IF IT WERE YOUR DISTRICT. WHAT WOULD YOU WANT? WOULD YOU WANT, IT'S A, I I SAY IT OUT LOUD. WOULD YOU WANT 30 PEOPLE WHO APPLIED TO BE INTERVIEWED? OF COURSE NOT. UH, OF COURSE YOU WOULD, BECAUSE 30 PEOPLE WITHIN THE DISTRICT SAY THEY CARE ENOUGH. AND IF THEY MEET THE CRITERIA, THEY SHOULD BE INTERVIEWED. THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHTS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I WOULD BE THINKING IF I WERE SITTING THERE. HOW WOULD I MAKE SURE THAT ONE OF THE FINAL THINGS THAT I WOULD DO WOULD NOT DISENFRANCHISE AN ENTIRE DISTRICT FOR 117 DAYS? THAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. AND WE ALL THOUGHT CRUZ WAS RUNNING AGAIN. SO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FIELD WAS KIND OF NARROW FOR US. NOW WE'RE LOOKING AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. FRANKLIN. REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA GERVIN HAWKINS, FOLLOWED BY ROCIO HILL. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. FIRST OF ALL, COUNCILMAN CRUZ, THANK YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU SERVE. WE REALLY APPRECIATED YOU. AND AS I SHARE WITH EVERYONE, YOU MOVING FORWARD, IT'S JUST GOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UH, IT IS A OPPORTUNITY THAT I THINK FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO SEE SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE THEM ON THE BENCH, WEARING THE ROBE, AND WHO CAN HELP WALK THEM THROUGH THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE HAVING. SO, WE APPRECIATE YOU AND WE WISH YOU BEST, UH, ON YOUR NEW JOURNEY. SO CONGRATULATIONS FOR THAT APPOINTMENT. ALSO TO THE COUNCIL, TO OUR CITY MANAGER, AND TO OUR COUNCIL, TO OUR MAYOR. YOU KNOW, AS, AS MR. FRANKLIN SAID, THE THE COMMUNITY'S CONCERNED, I THINK Y'ALL NEED TO KNOW THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO IS WALK THE COMMUNITY THROUGH A PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THEY DON'T GET PARANOID AND THEY DON'T BECOME NEGATIVE. BUT WE MAKE THIS AS A POSITIVE THING BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR COUNCILMAN LEAVES ON A GOOD JOURNEY. AND WHAT HE LEAVES IS PEOPLE INTACT AND WORKING TOGETHER. SO THE PROCESS, I WAS CALLED 50 MILLION TIMES DURING THIS PROCESS, BUT LIKE I ASSURED EVERYBODY THAT INDEED, AS LONG AS WE STAY TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER, WORK WITH OUR COUNCILMEN, WORK WITH OUR MAYOR, WORK WITH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE OKAY. BUT I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT THE COMMUNITY IS CONCERNED. AND SO, AS LIZ EXPRESSED THAT MANY OTHERS ARE EXPRESSING IT, BUT I I I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO LET THEM KNOW THAT Y'ALL WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS SOME LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT. SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THEN AGAIN, GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU. REPRESENTATIVE ROCIO HILL. FOLLOWED MY NORMA WITHERSPOON. GOOD EVENING, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU. UH, MR. MAYOR, UH, MR. SHAW. COUNCILMAN, MY NAME IS ROSE HILL. UH, PROUD, PROUD TO BE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT HILL ALLIANCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1988. TODAY, I'D LIKE TO SAY WISH YOU WELL. COUNCILMAN CRUISE. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. WE, WE GOT SOME STREETS ON MASON STREET. WE HADN'T GOT THERE IN, IN A LONG TIME. [00:15:01] ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK THE COUNCIL, I KNOW HOW THE, UH, AMENDMENTS AND HOW THE CHARTER WORKS. I'M ASKING YOU TO, WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE APPOINTMENT FOR THE NEW DISTRICT TWO, THAT WE LOOK AT SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS THE COMMUNITY, KNOWS THE PEOPLE, KNOWS THE ISSUES IN DISTRICT TWO, KNOWS THE PRESIDENTS, UH, AND IS NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO JUST GET ON THE O J T ON THE JOB TRAINING BECAUSE IT'S NOT AN ON JOB TRAINING. WE'VE, SOME OF US HAVE BEEN IN THERE FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS MY SECOND TERM. UM, SOMETIMES I WONDER WHY I GOT WANTING TO GO FOR REELECTION IF I SHOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SERVE THAT MAKES, THAT MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE. WHY ARE WE REALLY THERE? WE DON'T HAVE ANY HIDDEN AGENDAS. WE'RE THERE FOR THE PEOPLE, FOR OUR ELDERS, FOR OUR VETERANS, AND MOST OF ALL, WE'RE THERE TO BASICALLY STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE THAT REALLY NEED US. SO I'M ASKING YOU REALLY TO CONSIDER WHOEVER THE TOP THREE YOU MAY SELECT THAT THEY REALLY, REALLY HAVE THE PASSION FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND DISTRICT TWO. I LOVE DISTRICT TWO. I WAS BORN, RAISED IN DISTRICT TWO. UM, WE WANNA SEE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING, AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING. GOVERNMENT HILL FOR ONE IS WE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXPANDING LIKE, LIKE NO TOMORROW, LIKE EVERY OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT WE REALLY HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONSIDER THAT THREE THINGS. WHY DO YOU WANNA RUN? HOW LONG DO YOU WANNA RUN? AND ACTUALLY, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DELIVER TO THE COMMUNITY? AND WHAT COMMITMENT DO YOU HAVE TO TO, TO GIVE TO THAT COMMUNITY AND, UH, TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WORK WITH US? BECAUSE NOW THAT YOU'RE LEAVING COUNCILMAN, IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO PROBABLY FILL THOSE SHOES, BUT WE'VE GOT TO PUT SOMEBODY IN THERE THAT'S GONNA BE STRONG AND IT'S GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE OFF RUNNING. LIKE, LIKE ABOUT BAT OUTTA HECK. YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY IN THERE THAT'S GONNA BE PASSIONATE AND WANTS TO GET IN THERE AND GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY, GET THEIR, GET THEIR HANDS IN THERE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND SAY, WHAT IS IT YOU NEED THAT I CAN DO TO HELP YOU AND BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO SAY, I'M GONNA DO IT. BUT NOT TO BE ABLE TO SAY I'M GONNA DO IT, BUT TO ACTUALLY DO IT. TALK IS CHEAP. ACTION GOES A LOT, LOT LONGER. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL TAKE THAT IN CONSIDERATION. I KNOW, DON'T KNOW THE FULL PROCESS, HOW I'M GONNA HEAR, THAT'S WHY I CAME TODAY TO HEAR WHAT THE PROCESS IS. BUT AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT AS A PRESIDENT GOVERNMENT HILL, I, A LOT OF PRESIDENTS HAVE REACHED OUT TO ME. AND ON SATURDAY WE WILL BE HAVING A TOWN HALL MEETING TO HEAR THE VOICES OF CONCERNS FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS PRESIDENTS AND THEIR COMMUNITY TO SEE WHAT IS IT THAT THEY WANNA SEE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENT. I MEAN, UH, IN A, IN A DISTRICT TWO COUNCILMAN, NOW THAT YOU'RE LEAVING COUNCILMAN CRUZ? UH, COULD I HAVE MS. WITHERSPOON'S TWO MINUTES? SHE'S NOT GONNA SPEAK. CAN I HAVE HER TWO MINUTES? MS. WITHERSPOON, YOU'RE SEATING YOUR TIME. OKAY, GO AHEAD MS. HILL. OKAY. UM, SO BASICALLY WHEN WE ACCIDENT, WE HEARD THAT YOU WERE LEAVING COUNCILMAN CRUZ. I GOT A BUNCH OF CALLS AND THEY SAID, OKAY, SO MS. HILL, CAN WE ORGANIZE, CAN WE PUT A COMMU TOWN HALL TOGETHER? UH, IT'S JUST TO SAY, WHAT IS IT THAT WE WANNA SEE IN OUR NEXT COUNCILMAN? AND, UM, LIKE I SAID, IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO FILL THOSE SHOES, COUNCILMAN CREWS, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY LOOK FOR OUT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE WANNA, AS PRESIDENTS, WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY AND SEE WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANNA SEE IN THE NEXT INCOMING COUNCILMAN. PUTTING SOMEBODY IN THERE FOR FIVE MONTHS IS GREAT FOR APPOINTMENT, BUT REALLY IN FIVE MONTHS YOU'RE IN THERE. AND THEN IF YOU DON'T GET ELECTED, THEN WE'RE STARTING BACK AT SQUARE ONE. SO WHOEVER IS WANTING TO BE APPOINTED, THEY REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE COMMITTED 100% TO SAY, NOT ONLY DO I WANNA GO IN THERE FOR THOSE FIVE MONTHS, BUT I WANNA GO IN TO GET REELECTED BECAUSE I WANNA START WHAT I STARTED ON THAT FIRST DAY OR THE FIRST DAY OF COMMITMENT OF THOSE FIVE MONTHS. I WANNA CONTINUE TO PLAN ON TO BE THE NEXT COUNCILMAN, WHETHER THEY WIN OR THEY DON'T WIN. BUT I WANT THAT COMMITMENT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA HAVE TO COME BACK IN AT THE END OF MAY AND SAY, HERE WE GO AGAIN. ALL THE PRESIDENTS IN DISTRICT TWO, NOW WE GOTTA LOOK AT, LOOK OUT FOR ANOTHER PERSON WHO'S GONNA RUN. I'M SURE THERE'S GONNA BE PLENTY OF PEOPLE, UH, IN DISTRICT TWO WANTING TO PUT THEIR HATS IN, IN THE, IN THE RING. BUT THEN AGAIN, I, I JUST ASK YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO PLEASE CONSIDER WHETHER THERE'D BE THE TOP THREE, THE TOP TWO, THE TOP ONE, THAT THAT PERSON ACTUALLY IS COMMITTED TO, UH, SERVING DISTRICT TWO AND SERVING US, THE PRESIDENTS AND THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY OF OUR BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL DISTRICT TWO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. HILL, GORDON, BENJAMIN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR, CITY MANAGER, MEMBERS OF SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS GORDON M BENJAMIN AND I AM A 55 YEAR RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. UH, RECENTLY RELOCATED FROM THE DENVER HEIGHTS AREA WHERE I SERVED ON THE, UH, EXECUTIVE BOARD. AND, UH, AS A MEMBER OF THE DENVER HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, I DO COMMUNITY ACTIVISM, ROAD REGISTRATION. I SERVED ON THE 2017 BOND ELECTION, UH, COMMITTEE, CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR STREETS, BRIDGES, AND SIDEWALKS. SO I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE FIRST THING I WANNA SAY TO COUNCILMAN SHAW AND [00:20:01] HIS DEPARTURE IS NO PRINCIP. AND WHAT THAT TRANSLATES INTO IS OUR MAIN BUSINESS IS NOT TO SEE WHAT LIES DIMLY AT A DISTANCE, BUT TO DO WHAT LIES CLEARLY AT HAND. AND I THINK THAT VISION, YOU HELD THAT VISION, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU PRACTICE YOUR CRAFT, YOU HAD A PURPOSE, AND YOU, UH, DEVELOP PATIENCE TO DEAL WITH, UH, THE PROBLEMS THAT COME WITH REPRESENTING SUCH A VAST NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS. AND IN MOVING TO THE NEXT LEVEL, SIR, I WOULD, UH, ADMONISH YOU TO JUST MAINTAIN YOUR PATIENCE, DEVELOP SOME, AND CONTINUE TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU KNOW IS GOING TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE. BECAUSE THERE ARE CHILDREN WHO MAY COME BEFORE YOU OR WHO MAY COME THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO SEE THAT YOU ARE COMMITTED TO BEING FAIR, HONEST, AND TO MAINTAIN THAT INTEGRITY AND THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MAKE ON BEHALF OF THOSE PEOPLE AND THE CONSTITUENCY THAT YOU WILL BE SERVING. SO AS A RESULT OF YOUR PAST, UH, INTERACTION WITH US IN THE COMMUNITY, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU. I WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS. AND THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, AS MS. HILL SAID OF WHOEVER'S COMING BEFORE YOU THAT WANTS TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION. AND TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AS, UH, LIZ FRANKLIN SAID, AS IF YOU WERE CONSIDERING SOMEONE FOR YOUR DISTRICT SO THAT YOU CAN MAINTAIN YOUR INTEGRITY. 'CAUSE I'VE SEEN NOTHING BUT GOOD ACTIONS FROM THIS COUNCIL OVER THE LAST SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN BACK IN SAN ANTONIO. SO I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK BROTHER SHAW AND SAY GOOD LUCK AND THE BEST TO YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. BEN BENJAMIN. ALRIGHT, IN ANTICIPATION OF OUR ACTION TODAY, THE CITY CLERK HAS PUBLISHED THE NOTICE OF VACANCY, AN INVITATION FOR APPLICATION PACKETS TO BE SUBMITTED TO HER OFFICE BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE OF THE WINTER CLOSURE OF CITY OFFICES. THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE 10 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION WILL BE, BUT WILL BE EIGHT BUSINESS DAYS ENDING AT 5:00 PM JANUARY 4TH. APPLICATION PACKETS WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON MONDAY, JANUARY 7TH. TO BEGIN OUR REVIEW OF QUALIFIED CA APPLICANTS ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9TH, WE WILL HOLD A B SESSION TO REVIEW THE APPLICATION PACKETS AND SELECT UP TO THREE FOR INTERVIEW AT THE A SESSION ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 10TH, ONE OF THE APPLICANTS WILL BE SELECTED AND APPOINTED AND WILL TAKE THE OFFICE AND SEAT AT THE DAIS WITH US TO SERVE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM THROUGH MAY 31ST, 2019. AT THIS TIME, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF COUNCILMAN SHAW AND TO INITIATE THE PROCESS TO FILL THE VACANCY MOTION? SECOND . ALRIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND, UH, TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF COUNCIL SHAUN TO INITIATE THE PROCESS TO FILL THE VACANCY. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, UM, WANTED TO TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO TALK ABOUT, UH, COUNCILMAN SHAW BECAUSE YOU KNEW HE WAS GOING TO APPRECIATE THAT. NO. UM, FIRST I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO CAME OUT TO ONE, UM, SHARE THE SENTIMENTS ABOUT OUR, OUR, MY COLLEAGUE, OUR COLLEAGUE, BUT THEN ALSO THE SENTIMENTS AND CONCERNS THAT YOU'VE, UH, VOICED ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS IN DISTRICT TWO, AS WAS MENTIONED, UM, SOME OF US ON THIS DIOCESE HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS, UM, SOMETIME BEFORE. SO YOUR, UM, VOICE IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO US AND YOUR CONCERNS AS WELL. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING FORWARD. AND, UM, LASTLY, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY. SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE AND I FIRST WORKED WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS A ZONING COMMISSIONER FOR DISTRICT TWO, AND I AM VERY PROUD OF THE DECISION THAT HE HAS MADE. AND LIKE MANY OF YOU ALL, I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE HIM TAKE THIS ROLE AS A JUDGE AND WHAT THAT IS GOING TO DO TALLY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU, UM, COUNCILMAN FOR, FOR DOING THAT, TAKING THAT STEP. AND I ALSO WANT TO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND ALL OF THE, THE ADVICE YOU'VE GIVEN ME. UM, BUT ALSO MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK MICHELLE FOR ALL OF HER HELP TOO. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN GROAN TO ANSWER, UH, THE QUESTION THAT YOU POSED. WE WILL BE. UH, SO IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING PITHY TO SAY, UH, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU RESERVE IT, UH, FOR A LARGER AUDIENCE BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AND FORCE, UH, COUNCILMAN SHAW BACK TO US, UH, AS HE HAS STEPPED AWAY FROM THE DIOCESE TO MAKE SURE THAT HE HEARS AND BEARS THROUGH THE, UH, LOQUACIOUS ENDING TO HIS CAREER ON CITY COUNCIL. UH, IT WON'T BE EXACTLY TODAY, BUT, UH, WE WILL MAKE SURE HE ENDURES THAT. SO WE WILL, UH, NOW MOVE TO COUNCILMAN PERRY. GOOD LUCK WITH GETTING HIM BACK. THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA PULL A [00:25:01] CRUISE. THANK YOU. SEE YA, . NO, NO, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN TODAY TO, TO, UH, MAKE THOSE COMMENTS. AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROCESS ON, UH, BRINGING ON A REPLACEMENT. BUT, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE DELIBERATING IF WE SHOULD EVEN SHOW UP TODAY TO MAKE HIM STAY HERE LONGER. BUT, UH, UH, HERE WE ARE. HERE WE ARE. BUT, UH, I, I WANT TO THANK HIM ALSO FOR HIS SERVICE AND, UH, COUNSEL AND, UM, WISH HIM GOOD LUCK ON THE BENCH AND WITH MICHELLE AS SHE'S MY FAVORITE, AGGIE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HEY, IT'S, IT'S ALL GOOD. AND, UH, WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND SO, I, I JUST ALSO WOULD LIKE TO TELL THE VIEWING PUBLIC AND THOSE OF Y'ALL HERE TODAY, WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE THIS FOUR TIMES. UM, SO IT'S NOT A NEW EXERCISE, BUT I DO THINK PREVIOUSLY WE, UH, WOULD OFTEN QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THE PERSON HAD THE INTENTION TO SERVE, UH, AND PERHAPS THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A DOWNSIDE THAT NOT TO APPOINT SOMEONE WHO INTENDED TO RUN FOR THE OFFICE, UH, SO THAT IT WOULD BE FAIR AND OPEN WHEN THAT PERSON, UH, WHEN THERE WAS AN ELECTION. BUT, UH, I THINK WE'RE FINDING, OR AT LEAST I SHOULD SPEAK FOR MYSELF, I KNOW THAT I APPRECIATE HAVING SOME LONGEVITY HERE ON THIS COUNCIL. UM, HAVING EXPERIENCED COUNTS FOR A LOT, UH, AND I KNOW IN, UM, NOW SIX YEARS, UH, THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, UM, IT, IT, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK. UH, AND THAT EXPERIENCE, WHETHER IT'S FIVE MONTHS OR SIX MONTHS, WOULD TRANSLATE VERY WELL, UH, INTO WHOMEVER SERVES YOU NEXT. SO I KNOW WE'LL TAKE THAT APPOINTMENT VERY SERIOUSLY AND WELCOME THE CANDIDATES AND LOOK FORWARD TO THAT EXERCISE. UH, BUT IT'S NOT A NEW ONE. SO, UH, WE'LL, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AND THEN I GUESS WE'LL HAVE MORE TIME TO COMMENT ABOUT OUR, UM, UH, COUNCILMAN SHAW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. COUNCILMAN CURRY. THANK YOU MAYOR CRUZ. I JUST WANNA WISH YOU THE BEST. THANKS FOR THE LEADERSHIP YOU PROVIDED ON OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION. I, I SEE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY THAT HAVE SAID GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOU, AND I HOPE THAT THEY'LL ALSO WORK WITH YOU TO FIND SOMEONE THAT YOU THINK IS GONNA BE VERY CAPABLE, FULFILLING YOUR SHOES FOR THE REST OF THIS TERM. UH, I KNOW PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY ARE ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT YOU GET THE BEST REPRESENTATION POSSIBLE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'LL STRIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT CONTINUES. THANK YOU. AND GOOD LUCK. OKAY. THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL AND THANK YOU. UH, UM, MY ONLY THING I'LL SAY HERE, UH, COUNCILMAN, IS TO THANK YOU FOR THE PROFESSIONALISM AT WHICH YOU'RE HANDLING THE TRANSITION. SO WE WILL MAKE SURE, UH, THE DISTRICT TWO, UH, REMAINS IN GOOD HANDS, UH, AND KEEPS MOVING FORWARD AT THE GUIDANCE OF OUR COUN, OF OUR COLLEAGUE, WHO I THINK WILL HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT, UH, THE PATH THAT'S LEFT BEHIND HIM. SO, UH, WITH THAT, THE MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF COUNCILMAN SHAW AND TO INITIATE THE PROCESS TO FILL THE VACANCY IN DISTRICT TWO. PLEASE VOTE. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. UM, AND THERE IS NO OTHER BUSINESS, UH, LEFT AT THIS MEETING, SO WE STAND ADJOURNED. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.