mincow 01-08-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Angelina Steiner interview: Ms. Steiner shared that she is interested in the role because she considers herself a political science enthusiast and would be excited to be a part of the charter review process of her own city. She went on to elaborate about her experiences working with municipal government during her college and graduate studies, where she completed a BA in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration. She also stated shebelieves it is important to get the community involved and she would bring a grassroots perspective to the process. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Steiner saidshe thinks there is a lot that could be addressed in the charter review process, but it comes down to what the community wants. She expressed interest in examining whether there are ways to increase community engagement within the charter, such as re-visiting when Council meetings are held. She also expressed interest in looking towards the future to see if there are ways the charter can codify and protect certain liberties such as reproductive rights. She also talked about how as a community organizer she often hears people talk about their dislike of the government, but she believes that government serves a purpose and ultimately the government only does what the people allow it to do. In response to additional questions from Councilmembers, Ms. Steiner elaborated on her community organizing experience and how she thinks that will serve her work on the Charter Review Commission. She said one of her strengths is being able to listen to multiple voices and being able to coalesce that data into a cohesive voice. She also talked about the importance of understanding power structures when it comes to creating community change, and making sure that voters have the information they need to make an informed choice. In closing she reaffirmed her interest in the position, and expressed concerns that six months does not seem like enough time for a proper review and that might be something to look at. Sean Koran interview: Mr. Koran introduced himself, explaining that he has been an attorney since 2009, where in his first position he mainly focused on municipal law. Although he has since moved on to practice in other areas, he remains proficient and engaged in this area. When asked by Council about any potential changes that he had in mind to the Charter, Mr. Koran expressed that he is not presenting with preconceived notions about the direction of the work to revise the Charter. He expressed a commitment to hearing from councilmembers and those who work with the Charter on a regular basis. He voiced interest in exploring ways in which the Charter may strengthen the City’s home rule authority and potentially circumvent decisions made by the State that may be disadvantageous to the City. In response to questions by Council, Mr. Koran discussed how and why he ultimately settled in Lakewood, expressing deep appreciation for the City’s unique characteristics. In response to a question about his experience reviewing documents, he explained that this has been part of his daily work for the past 15 years and described some of the types of documents that he has reviewed. In addition, he spoke broadly about the nature of his work as an attorney as well as his 3