02/18/1997 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 2/18/97 ~,,,, United States. Children in Thailand and China are actually sold into slavery where they =.~ work in sweatshops. This is an abomination and must be addressed. He salutes the Mayor for taking the initiative in addressing this issue. The motion to suspend the rule requiring three readings was seconded by Mrs. Saringer; the motion passed unanimously. President Boehmer asked if anyone in the audience wished to speak on Resolution 97-9, and Susan Cowell, avice-president of Unite, the Union of Needle Trades Industrial and Textile Employees, came forward. Ms. Cowell stated that the union represented 250,000 apparel and textile workers across the United States, including about 8,000 workers in the State of Ohio. She commented that over the last couple of years Americans have been shocked to learn at how prevalent sweatshop conditions are, both in this country and around the world. Ms. Cowell congratulated Mayor Boyle and the City of North Olmsted for taking a very important step towards standing up and saying we, as Americans, do not want our buying dollars and our tax dollars to go toward supporting sweatshops. Unite and other religious/community groups will be working with the city and Mayor Boyle to spread the message across the country. Mayor Boyle commented that prior to the Council meeting he had hosted a gathering in support of this issue. In attendance had been Ms. Cowell, leaders of the Federation of Labor of Cleveland, representatives of the Diocese of Cleveland, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Congressman Sherrod Brown. This is a very big issue. As a city, it is our duty to fix streets, remove trash and provide police protection. But the protection of human beings in or out of our borders is what western civilization and democracy are about. It is important that citizens join in the city's effort, and they can by making informed decision when shopping. By making informed purchases, we can take business away from the companies who are exploiting workers. And by taking business away from them and putting it into reputable areas where people are making a living, where people can raise families, where children don't forfeit their youth and their schooling, then we can make this a better world. Mr. O'Grady moved for the adoption of Resolution 97-9. The motion was seconded by Mr. Limpert and unanimously passed. Resolution No. 97-9 adopted. REPORTS Mayor Boyle: 1) He has presented a list to Mr. O'Grady of all the members of boards and commissions for consideration of the following reappointments: Architectural Review Board--Brian Zergott, Susan Krieger, Mark Yager; Board of Building Code Appeals-- Joseph Kazak; Landmarks Commission--Joseph Lang, Betty Lord, Charles Miller; Planning Commission--Ron Tallon; Board of Zoning Appeals--Tom Koberna. Also, Anthony Smeraldi, who is Council's appointment to the Landmarks Commission, should be reappointed. Three new people are nominated to be interviewed and considered by Council: Human Resources Advisory Board--Amy Govoni, Caprice Bragg; Board of Zoning Appeals--Paul Miller. The Mayor will provide their resumes to the Clerk. 2 _ I'