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News
Kell, Mayor, Council & City Attorney Silent As Council Fails To Set 5th District Council Meeting
We post Municipal Code requirement, verbatim
(May 21, 2002, updated May 22, 9:40 a.m.) -- Recently re-elected 5th district Councilwoman Jackie Kell, incumbent Mayor Beverly O'Neill, seven other Council incumbents (Webb absent on city business) and City Attorney Robert Shannon remained silent as the incumbent Mayor adjourned the May 21 City Council meeting without setting next week's Council meeting in the 5th district, as required under LB's Municipal Code.
If not corrected in the coming days, 5th district residents will effectively be deprived of a Council meeting in their district which LB's Municipal Code explicitly directs "shall" be held on the fourth Tuesday in May.
LB Municipal Code section 2.03.020B provides:
Except as provided in this section, regular meetings of the City Council shall be held in the Council Chambers of City Hall at five p.m. on Tuesday of each week.
The regular meeting on the fourth Tuesday in the following months shall be held in the respective Council Districts in accordance with the following schedule:
Month |
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District
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January
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Third
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February
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Ninth
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March
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Fourth
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April
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First
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May
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Fifth
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July
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Eighth
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September
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Sixth
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October
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Seventh
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The location of a Council meeting to be held in a Council District shall be announced in the order or adjournment of the preceding regular meeting.
5th district Council meetings are normally very well attended. Not holding one in the 5th district comes as LB Airport issues are heating up in the high propensity voting ELB district. Parts of the 5th district are airport impacted and the district includes the Airport itself.
Earlier in Council meeting, a member of the public, Ms. Bry Myown, raised the issue of the 5th district Council meeting during Council consideration of an airport related item. Her comments drew no response from Councilwoman Kell.
Mayor O'Neill, term limited and running a write-in campaign, barely edged out challenger Norm Ryan in the 5th district in the April 9 primary. Ryan finished second in the 5th district, separated from O'Neill by less than one percentage point, with Vice Mayor Dan Baker finishing third.
Citywide, O'Neill finished first, Baker second and Ryan third. In the June 4th runoff, Baker's name will appear on the ballot, with O'Neill and Ryan waging write in campaigns.
Councilwoman Kell has not endorsed any candidate in the Mayor's race [we regret an earlier erroneous report.]
The following is a verbatim transcript, prepared by us, of the conclusion of the May 21, 2002 LB City Council meeting:
Mayor O'Neill: Well, here we are. No one else wishes to speak. No Councilmembers. Nobody in the audience. Do you think we'll have to go home? [laughter]. Thank you very much. This meeting is adjourned this evening. I thank you very much for being here, and I thank you very much for watching us.
Section 2.03.110 of the LB Municipal Code provides:
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no rule contained in this chapter shall be rescinded, modified, suspended, altered or changed except by a vote of two-thirds of all the members of the council, and at least one day's notice, in writing, being given of the motion therefor.
Developing.
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