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Home My WebLink About12/27/95TAPE #1347 UNAPPROVED DRAFT CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES COUNCIL APPROVED JAN 2 4 1996 December 27, 1995 #0167 #0188 The regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Bremerton was called to order in the City Council Chambers, 239 4th Street, Bremerton, Washington, Wednesday, December 27, 1995, at 5:30 P.M., with Council President Sherril Huff-Menees presiding. Council members present were Bob Winters, Morrie Dawkins, Carlos Montgomery, John Law, David Farr and Lon Overson. Councilmen A1 Colvin and Richard Neville were absent. Also present were City Attorney Ian Sievers and City Clerk Kathy McCluskey. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Council President Huff-Menees and Invocation given by Reverend Roger Hennigan of Apostolic Life Tabernacle Church. Municipal Court Judge Bruce Martin administered the Oath Of Office to the following individuals: Cecil McConnell, Council District #2, Lon Overson, Council District #4, David Farr, Council District #6, and Carlos Montgomery, Council District #8. CONSENT AGENDA A. Minutes of Meeting - November 21, 1995 #AB95-161 M/S/C/U(Dawkins/Farr) to approve Consent Agenda. CLAIMS/CHECK REGISTERS Vouchers audited and certified by the auditing officer as required by RCW 42.24,080, and those expense reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24,090, have been recorded on a listing that had been made available to the Council. M/S/C/U(Farr/Montgomery) on December 27, 1995, the Council does approve for payment those vouchers included and further described as follows: 193772 through 193775, and 193776 through 193844 in the amount of $2,195,586.06; Retirees' Payroll for the period ending 12-31-95 in the amount of $84,449.56; and Regular Payroll for the period ending 12-15-95 in the amount of $656,449.56. President Huff-Menees congratulated all of the newly elected Council members, welcomed those back who had been previously seated; and extended a warm welcome to Cecil McConnell, who will join the City Council as of January. She extended a farewell wish to Councilman Morrie Dawkins as he concludes his long and distinguished service to the City. She personally found it to be an honor and privilege to work with Morrie the short time she has served on the Council and to have known him these many years. He certainly exemplifies public service and is one of those rare and TAPE #1347 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes December 27, 1995 Page 2 of 4 wonderful individuals who always looks for what is good in a situation and in an individual. Mr. Overson reported he had a wonderful Christmas and hoped next year is even better. Mr. Farr stated he is looking forward to 1996 and that it will be a good year for Bremerton. The only downside he could envision was missing Morrie on the Council. He expressed his appreciation for the privilege of working with him. Mr. Law noted Morrie put many years into the City and he deserves the chance to relax and stay home on Wednesday evenings. He wished Morrie much success in his endeavors in the future. Mr. Montgomery stated he will also miss Morrie and enjoyed being seated next to him during Council meetings. He then thanked all of the residents of District #8 who voted for him and put him in public office for another four years. He thanked Trayis Baker for the accurate report he made in the news article in todays edition of The Sun. According to that article, he will apologize for the comments he made at the November 29th City Council meeting because those comments were not appropriate for that particular night and should not have been made. For those reasons, he did apologize. However, he did get off on the wrong track and said a few things he shouldn't have said. He complimented Seaberry Blair for his newspaper article on Gordy Byrd in which he quoted him accurately on a telephone conversation. At the time of that discussion, he failed to mention that all the conversation about Mr. Byrd's soliciting donations were made prior to Mr. Montgomery joining the City Council. Mr. Byrd shared with him information about people he had loaned funds to, who never paid him back. In no way did he ever infer to anyone that Gordy took any funds for his own personal use. One of Mr. Byrd's quotes in the newspaper article was news to him and he hoped Mr. Byrd could explain where he came up with that particular idea. Lastly, he thanked everyone in District #8 who has come forward and helped get Forest Ridge Park on the move, and the residents in the Marine Drive area for coming forward with their problems, attending meetings, and meeting with he and City staff to resolve their problems. It is his hope that everyone will continue to be involved in District #8 so that we can get more things done next year. Mr. Dawkins stated it has been interesting serving as a Parks Commission member and elected official for the City for approximately 25 years. His wife Mel encouraged him to take some time off to do other things, so he is looking forward to spending some of his Wednesday evenings teeing off at Gold Mountain. He greatly appreciated the assistance from Merilynn Erhart and TAPE #1347 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes December 27, 1995 Page 3 of 4 Elaine Valencia during his years in office. Now, he feels it is time to step aside, and he is happy with what has been accomplished. Mr. Winters stated he has known Morrie Dawkins since he was 13 years old, and one of his first jobs when he was sixteen, was working in Morrie's Trophy Shop. He has many fond memories of those years. He believes the City of Bremerton is a better place because of Morrie's involvement, and he is honored to have been associated with him during his lifetime. COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS Mayor LYnn Morton wished everyone a Happy New Year and cautioned if you drink, please don't drive. She congratulated Cecil McConnell on his becoming a City Council member. Mayor Horton shared her feelings about Councilman Dawkins and the fact that he is the one person on the City Council who knows how it feels to be in her position as Mayor. One of Morrie's greatest gift is his understanding of people and their needs. He has been actively involved in the Christmas In April program since its inception in Kitsap County. Morrie also has been a long time member of the Bremerton Central Lions Club, which again helped lots of people within the community. A quality in Morrie that she particularly liked was that regardless how a vote came out on an issue, you always knew why Morrie voted the way he did and she respects that attribute. And, she was sure going from being Mayor to a City Council position was as interesting a transition as coming from the Parks & Recreation Commission on to his seat as Mayor. It was very evident that if a day was sunny, Morrie's heart really wanted to be out on the golf course, and when the new golf course opens up, she believes it is largely due to his efforts and support of that project. She also acknowledged Morrie's support of the Pendergast Regional Park project and the important role he played in that endeavor. Mayor Horton then presented the following awards: "In recognition of your significant contribution to the City of Bremerton as a City Council Member representing Council District #2 for the period 1986 - 1995"; "In appreciation and with admiration for your many years of service to the City". Lastly, she presented Morrie with a "Gold Mountain Golf Hat". Mottie Dawkins accepted the plaques, and stated he experienced a worthwhile career in the City of Bremerton, and enjoyed every minute of it. He introduced his wife, Mel, and indicated he planned to try and keep up with her golfing activities. He enjoyed his service to the City and stated there were lots of projects that have been completed, and that he can look back on them with pride. He is leaving the City knowing it is in good hands with the current Mayor and City Council. He further stated that without Mel, his commitment to the City would never have happened. He introduced TAPE #1347 City Council Reg. Mtg. Minutes December 27, 1995 Page 4 of 4 his daughters Barbara, Joanne, and Linda, and his granddaughter Lisa. He also recognized Joe and Lorraine, who run his Trophy store. Mayor Horton stated she wants Morrie to help "cut the ribbons" at the opening of the new golf course and again when the downtown development is completed. PUBLIC RECOGNITION Rachel Ketchtun, 4321 West C Street, stated open housing refers to civil rights that people may live wherever they choose and can afford to live. The United States government and many local and State governments have passed laws and regulations to protect this right. Ms. Ketchum then read from congressional law relating to this issue. Gordy Byrd asked Mr. Montgomery to read the statement in the newspaper article that he commented on earlier. Mr. Montgomez7 stated: "According to Gordv. it was Montgomery who first suggested that Byrd might be fraudulently obtaining donations from you and spending money on himself.', Mr. Byrd stated Mr. Montgomery may not have used those exact words, but that was the impression he gave him. If he was wrong, he apologized to Mr. Montgomery. He wished Councilman Dawkins well on his retirement and wished everyone a Happy New Year. ' Carol Atkinson, Bremerton Main Street Association, stated she has known Morrie for many years and it has been her privilege to have been able to work with him in the past. With no further business meeting adjourned at 6:15 P.M. KATHLEEN L. McCLUSKEY, City Clerk KLM/SH-M/me cc: Normal Distribution File/Vault