2020.04.27 WS Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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would be asking the questions for this interview. Councilmember Allen asked what motivated Mr. Vazquez to apply to become a City Councilmember. Mr. Vazquez stated his biggest motivation, after living here for the past 13 years and raising his children, especially with everything that has been going on with the pandemic. He explained he lived at the end of a cul-de-sac and there were lots of kids and there was an environment where everyone takes care of the kids. He stated in the last several weeks because of the Stay at Home order this environment has changed. He commented the lack of community engagement that he has seen because of the pandemic motivated him because he wants to be part of an entity that was moving towards change, to become a change agent in the community. He stated he has done a lot of work to become a change agent in his community in a broad sense for the Twin Cities and the State but he wanted to focus on how to become a change agent in his community. He wanted to be able to provide the experiences his children were having to all children in New Brighton. Councilmember Allen stated one of the most important actions the City Council does was approve the annual budget. He asked what Mr. Vazquez philosophy would be when it comes to developing and approving the annual budget. Mr. Vazquez stated he believed the needs of the City had to be looked at as a whole and not on an individual basis. He reported this was a diverse community and not just by race, but by economic factors and education . He wanted to see the City making tough decisions while looking out for the entire community and not individual people. He commented at his job he had to furlough 300 staff members in an organization of just over 500 people. He stated this was not what he wanted to do, it was a very difficult decision and a lot of people were impacted. But at the end of the day, this decision was made based on the needs of the organization as a whole. He believed there was a way to give resources back to the community in an equitable way, but also understood that tough decisions may have to be made that not everyone is going to agree with. He explained the Council would have to be ready for the ramifications of these decisions and how to communicate with the public. He anticipated the public would reach out when decisions are made that they do not agree with. He indicated as a Council, the group would have to be able to not take things personally, but would also have to be able to provide space for opinions to be voiced. He saw value in honoring that. He stated it would be important for the Council to be equitable in the services it provides to all residents, while also recognizing sometimes difficult decisions have to be made but were being done in the best interests of the City as a whole. Councilmember Allen stated besides COVID-19, what issues does the City need to address in the near term and long term. Mr. Vazquez commented he believed the City has done a good job addressing the issues related to law enforcement and communities of color. He stated the City has moved forward and he has been happy to see the steps the City has taken. He wanted to see the City remain proactive in these relationships and not be reactive. He explained over the past 13 years he has viewed the department as being more reactive in its community engagement with communities of color versus being proactive. He commended the Police Chief on his recent efforts to be more proactive. He stated he would want to find a long-term solution to this issue and to have the officers understanding the importance of being fully engaged with the community, especially communities of color. He indicated he was an immigrant to this country. He explained has been pulled over for speeding in other communities and he was asked for his green card instead of his driver’s license. He stated he has also been asked if he was undocumented. He commented these are real experiences that were taking place and he supported the City building long term strategies that will build stronger relationships with law enforcement, specifically for communities of color.