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Approve 3 Month Budget - Little Haiti Revitalization Trust
File No. 9310
Composite Exhibit "A"
Little Haiti Revitalization Trust Meeting Minutes Adopting Budget
(July 1, 2021)
Little Haiti Revitalization Trust Budget
File No 9310 - Composite Exhibit A SUB
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CITY OF MIAMI
SUNSHINE MEETING
Little Haiti Trust Meeting
Miami City Hall
Staff Room / First Floor
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, Florida 33133
Little Haiti Trust Meeting 07-01-2021
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1 APPEARANCES:
2 BOARD MEMBERS:
3 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5)
4 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5)
5 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5):
6 RONALD PAGE, BOARD MEMBER (DIST. 5)
7 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER:
8 DANIELA GONZALEZ, NON —VOTING YOUTH BOARD MEMBER (DIST. 5)
9 GEORGE MENSAH
10 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON
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12
13
14
15
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1 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): ... Everybody's
2 signed in? Good...
3 Mr. [Mensa 00:19:23]?
4 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :I believe we were just
5 waiting on Pablo to get back and then once he steps back in,
6 we'll start.
7 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Okay.
8 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Are all seven
9 resumes here? Yeah. I don't see everybody, I see-
12
NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :Are you referring to the
paper? Like the printout?
FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Yeah.
13 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :... Alrighty... Good
14 afternoon. My name is [Natalie Desere 00:14:21] from the
15 department of housing and community development. We're going
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to start the meeting and I'm going to start by taking roll
call. [Elisa Separa 00:14:26].
ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Here.
4 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Daniella Gonzalez.
5 DANIELA GONZALEZ: Here.
6 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Fayola Nicaisse
7 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Here.
8 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Wilkinson Sejour
9 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): Here.
10 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : And Ashley Toussaint
11 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Present.
12 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Thank you.
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1 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Good
2 morning, everybody. I'd like to first start off with a prayer.
3 That'd be, okay?
4 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Yes. I was
5 thinking the same thing.
6 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Excuse me,
7 just to reminder, when you guys are speaking, speak into the
8 mic So, that we can pick it up on the recording audio. Thank
9 you...
10
11
ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5):
Everybody's signed in? Good. Mr. Mensah.
12 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :I believe we were just
13 waiting on Pablo to get back and then once he steps back in,
14 we'll start.
15 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5):
Are all
16 seven resumes here? Yeah. I don't see everybody. I see-
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1 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Are you referring to
2 the paper? Like the printout?
3 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Yeah.
4 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :... Alrighty... Good
5 afternoon. My name is Natalie Desere from the department of
6 housing and community development. We're going to start the
7 meeting and I'm going to start by taking roll call. Elisa
8 Separa.
9 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Here.
10 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :Daniels Gonzalez.
11 Daniela Gonzalez...: Here.
12 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Fayola Nicaisse
13 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Here.
14 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :Wilkinson Sejour.
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WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): Here.
NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Ashley Toussaint.
3 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Present.
4 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :Thank you.
5 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Good
6 morning everybody. I'd like to first start off with a prayer.
7 That'd be, okay?
8 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Yes. I was
9 thinking the same thing.
10 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Excuse me.
11 Just to reminder when you guys are speaking, speak into the
12 mic So, that we can pick it up on the recording audio. Thank
13 you.
14 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Mic check.
15 Thank you, Father, Lord God for giving us the opportunity to
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1 be here today, we ask for your guidance. We ask for your will
2 to be done. We asked to execute everything in a professional
3 manner and for your strength, your courage to be implemented
4 in all the decisions that we make. In the name of our Lord
5 Christ be an indication of the God that we serve. Amen.
6 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Amen.
7 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): I'd like a
8 pledge of allegiance to the flag also. If everyone could
9 please stand... Okay. Any last minutes from the previous
10 meetings? Any last minutes from the previous meeting?
11 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : No, I don't
12 think so.
13 SPEAKER 1: I don't believe
14 we send any minutes around. So, with your permission, maybe
15 we can bring all the minutes later So, you can approve all of
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them. It's been recorder but not been transcribed yet, unless
maybe you have something?
3 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :There are no minutes to
4 be approved at this time. They haven't come back from the
5 agency just yet.
6 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Okay.
7 Thank you... All right. So, moving on to the agenda, we're at
8 approval of the partial FY 2021 budget. Am I correct?
9 SPEAKER 1: Mr. Chair, this is George Mensah,
10 the Director For Department Of Housing And Community
11 Development. Before, I think we go to the budget, we are
12 required to approve the year, the fiscal year for the Little
13 Haiti Trust. So, at this time, I think maybe if we can get a
14 motion to approve the fiscal year, which will be from the
15 same as the city's fiscal year, which is from October...
16 Sorry, which will be from October 1st to September 30th. So,
17 I will need a motion to accept the fiscal year or to approve
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the fiscal year of the board as from October lst to September
30th.
3 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): Mr. Chairman, if I
4 could ask a question to Mr. Mensah.
5 SPEAKER 1: Yes, go ahead.
6 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): I don't have that
7 information in front of us for the fiscal year that you...
8 The dates that you're speaking of. Just declare, I do want to
9 make sure we clarify the dates.
10 SPEAKER 1: Well that the dates I said was
11 October lst to September 30th will be the fiscal year for...
12 That's the fiscal year for the city. And one of the
13 requirements that we do is that we approve a fiscal... We set
14 a fiscal year for the board. So, I'm suggesting that the
15 fiscal year coincides with the city, it makes it easier in
16 terms of budgeting purposes. So, I'm recommending that the
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1 board approves a fiscal year for the trust from October 1st
2 to September 30th, which is the same as the city's fiscal
3 year.
4 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): Thank you for that
5 clarification. At this time, Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a
6 motion to approve the fiscal year from October 1st to
7 September 30.
8 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Second.
9 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Chair if I
10 could ask for a discussion.
11 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Yes.
12 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: To Mr. Mensah.
13 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Yes.
14 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Mr. Mensah, I have a
15 couple of questions as well. Could you share with us a little
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1 bit more in detail where this budget came from? If you could
2 just give us a tiny bit of background and if you could let us
3 know what we're looking at, as far as the total amount of
4 money that the trust is currently in receivership of and what
5 we're looking at for the next year, starting in October as
6 well.
7 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Mic check.
8 Thank you, Father, Lord God for giving us the opportunity to
9 be here today, we ask for your guidance. We ask for your will
10 to be done. We asked to execute everything in a professional
11 manner and for your strength, your courage to be implemented
12 in all the decisions that we make. In the name of our Lord
13 Christ be an indication of the God that we serve. Amen.
14 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Amen.
15 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): I'd like a
16 pledge of allegiance to the flag also. If everyone could
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please stand... Okay. Any last minutes from the previous
meetings? Any last minutes from the previous meeting?
NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :No, I don't think so.
4 SPEAKER 1: I don't believe we send any minutes
5 around. So, with your permission, maybe we can bring all the
6 minutes later So, you can approve all of them. It's been
7 recorder but not been transcribed yet, unless maybe you have
8 something?
9 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :There are no minutes to
10 be approved at this time. They haven't come back from the
11 agency just yet.
12 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Okay.
13 Thank you... All right. So, moving on to the agenda, we're at
14 approval of the partial FY 2021 budget. Am I correct?
15 SPEAKER 1: ... Mr. Chair, this is George Mensa, the
16 director for department of housing and community development.
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1 Before I think we go to the budget, we are required to approve
2 the year, the fiscal year for the Little Haiti Trust. So, at
3 this time, I think maybe if we can get a motion to approve
4 the fiscal year, which will be from the same as the city's
5 fiscal year, which is from October... Sorry, which will be
6 from October lst to September 30th. So, I will need a motion
7 to accept the fiscal year or to approve the fiscal year of
8 the board as from October lst to September 30th.
9 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): Mr. Chairman, if I
10 could ask a question to Mr. Mensah
11 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Yes, go ahead.
12 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): I don't have that
13 information in front of us for the fiscal year that you...
14 The dates that you're speaking of. Just declare, I do want to
15 make sure we clarify the dates.
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1 SPEAKER 1: Well that the dates
2 I said was October 1st to September 30th will be the fiscal
3 year for... That's the fiscal year for the city. And one of
4 the requirements that we do is that we approve a fiscal... We
5 set a fiscal year for the board. So, I'm suggesting that the
6 fiscal year coincides with the city, it makes it easier in
7 terms of budgeting purposes. So, I'm recommending that the
8 board approves a fiscal year for the trust from October 1st
9 to September 30th, which is the same as the city's fiscal
10 year.
11 WILKINSON SEJOUR, CHAIR (DIST. 5): Thank you for that
12 clarification. At this time, Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a
13 motion to approve the fiscal year from October 1st to
14 September 30.
15 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Second.
16 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Chair if I could ask for
17 a discussion to Mr. Mensah.
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ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Yes.
2 ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Mr. Mensah, I have a
3 couple of questions as well. Could you share with us a little
4 bit more in detail where this budget came from? If you could
5 just give us a tiny bit of background and if you could let us
6 know what we're looking at, as far as the total amount of
7 money that the trust is currently in receivership of and what
8 we're looking at for the next year, starting in October as
9 well.
10 SPEAKER 1: Okay. I would like to
11 answer your question, I think that if we can approve... Get
12 the first mattered cleared, the approval of the year, and
13 then we can go to the budget now. I was going to explain the
14 entire budget and what is behind it So, that you can be able
15 to have questions. You have the ability to make changes to it
16 if you want to, but at the moment, if you can approve the
17 fiscal year, because we don't approve it, what I did here is
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of no... Doesn't make sense. So, if you can approve the fiscal
year for me, then we can go ahead and-
ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: And just for clarity.
We're approving only the last three months left in the city's
fiscal year?
6 SPEAKER 1: Right now, you're only
7 approving the fiscal year for the board.
8
9
ALISA CEPEDA, CITY MANAGER: Chair, I'm good. We can move
forward.
10 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Okay.
11 Motion approved.
12
FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5):
13 with that.
I'm fine
14 ASHLEY TOUSSAINT, SECRETARY (DIST. 5): Okay...
15 Are any against it? All right. Motion passed.
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1 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : And Mr. Mensah, I
2 wanted to address something before we move forward. Mr. Mensah
3 spent his own money on the ads for the hiring process because
4 I wasn't part of the city budget. So, I would like for the
5 trust to reimburse him, I believe it was $16 a day?
6 SPEAKER 1: It's okay, please, please it's okay.
7 It wasn't a lot of money, it's okay. So, please. No, it's
8 okay.
9 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON : Thank you.
10 SPEAKER 1: Thank you for that thought. Thank
11 you but it's fine.
12 NATHALIE DESIR, BOARD LIAISON :Okay.
13 SPEAKER 1: So, going to the budget, as you know
14 we are in the process of hiring a CEO, and I thought that
15 it's important for us to have a budget approved So, that at
16 least we can pay the person. Right now, we don't have a budget
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1 approved and so, I decided to come up with a budget and then
2 discuss it with you. So, that with your permission, this way
3 it can be approved. And this is just an estimate. It can be
4 changed at any time, it allows us to be able to get a budget
5 approved. The line items can change based on what is going
6 on, on the ground.
7 SPEAKER 1: So, what I did was that I asked the
8 Little Haiti, no, sorry. The Liberty City [inaudible
9 00:32:40] Trust, it's a similar trust. Similar to the Little
10 Haiti Trust. I took their budget, look at what they have and
11 what they don't have, and look at what I think is important
12 for a starting organization to have. And so, the budget that
13 you see here is a combination of what, something similar to
14 Little Haiti... Sorry.
15 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Liberty City.
16 SPEAKER 1: Liberty City Trust board with the
17 combination of the fact that I have a capital budget, because
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1 it's a startup. So, basically, I have something in for chairs,
2 office equipment, and then miscellaneous, which is, I
3 estimated that the furniture would be 4,000. It could be less.
4 I don't know. I just furnished my entire department when we
5 moved two years ago, and it cost us a lot of money. Chairs,
6 desks are very expensive. Even if you have two or three desks,
7 it will cost you more than $3,000. So, I estimated $4,000.
8 And then office equipment, computers, phones, copiers, are an
9 estimate of $6,000 and miscellaneous, because, I was doing
10 this, I couldn't remember everything. So, I put in $1,000 in
11 case something else that is required, that there's money to
12 be able to purchase.
13 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): I have one
14 question.
15 SPEAKER 1: Sure.
16 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Mr. Mensah, So,
17 the salary portion is that for how many people?
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1 SPEAKER 1: I was going there.
2 FAYOLA NICAISSE, VICE CHAIR (DIST. 5): Okay.
3 SPEAKER 1: The salary is for two people at the
4 moment, because it's only three months. I supposed the CEO
5 would need an administrative assistant. Since the board
6 hasn't established a CEO salary, I made an assumption and
7 that's all subject to change. So, everything you see is
8 subject to change, you guys can change it. I made an
9 assumption of the CEO and the admin, to be a total of $129,000
10 a year. That's just an assumption.
11 SPEAKER 1: And for the three months that we have, it
12 will be $32,000. We put in the various benefits, [inaudible
13 00:34:48], retirement, life, and health, and worker's comp is
14 all included. These are based on the city's rate. And I
15 already talked to the city's risk management director to see
16 how we can be able to use some of the city's... Okay.
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PART 1 OF 14 ENDS [00:35:04]
4 MR. MENSAH: ...able to use some of the city's...
5 Okay. I would like to answer your questions I think that if
6 we can get the first matter cleared, the approval of the year,
7 and then we can go to the budget. Now, I was going to explain
8 the entire budget and what is behind it So, that you can be
9 able to have questions. You have the ability to make changes
10 to it if you want to, but at the moment, if you can approve
11 the fiscal year, because if you don't approve it, what I did
12 here is of no use. It doesn't make sense. So, if you can
13 approve the fiscal year for me, then we can go and talk about
14 the budget.
15 SPEAKER 2: And just for clarity, we're approving
16 only the last three months left in the city's fiscal year.
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1 MR MENSAH: Right now, you're only approving the
2 fiscal year for the board.
3 SPEAKER 2: Chair, I'm good. We can move forward.
4 SPEAKER 3: Okay. Motion approved.
5 SPEAKER 4: I'm fine with that.
6 SPEAKER 3: Okay. Any against it? All right. Motion
7 passed. Okay.
8 SPEAKER 4: And Mr. [Memsah 00:01:23] I wanted to
9 address something before we move forward. Mr. Memsah spent
10 his own money on the ads for the hiring process because I
11 wasn't part of the city budget. So, I would like for the trust
12 to reimburse him, I believe it was $16 a day.
13 MR MENSAH: It's okay. Please, please, it's okay. It
14 wasn't a lot of money, So, please. It's okay.
15 SPEAKER 4: Well, thank you.
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1 MR MENSAH: Thank you for that thought. Thank you,
2 but it's fine. So, going to the budget, as you know, we are
3 in the process of hiring a CEO and I thought that it's
4 important for us to have a budget approved So, that at least
5 we can pay the person. Right now, we don't have a budget
6 approved and so, I decided to come up with a budget and then
7 discuss it with you So, that, with your permission, this
8 budget can be approved. And this is just an estimate. It can
9 be changed at any time. It allows us to be able to get the
10 budget approved. The line items can change based on what is
11 going on the ground. So, what I did was that I asked the
12 Little Haiti... no sorry, the Liberty City Revitalization
13 Trust, it's a similar trust, similar to the Little Haiti
14 Trust. So, I took their budget, look at what they have and
15 what they don't have, and look at what I think is important
16 for a starting organization to have.
17 MR MENSAH: And so, the budget that you see here is
18 a combination of something similar to Little Haiti... Sorry,
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1 Liberty City Trust board with the combination of the fact
2 that I have a capital budget because this is a startup. So,
3 basically, I have something named for chairs, office
4 equipment and then miscellaneous, which is... I estimated
5 that the furniture will be 4,000. It could be less. I don't
6 know. I just furnished my entire department when we moved two
7 years ago, and it cost us a lot of money. Chairs, desks are
8 very expensive. And so, I estimated that even if you have two
9 or three desks it'll cost you more than $3,000, So, I
10 estimated 4,000. And then office equipment, computers,
11 phones, copiers have an estimate of $6,000. And miscellaneous
12 because I was doing this, I couldn't remember everything, So,
13 I put in a thousand dollars in case something else that is
14 required, that there's money to be able to purchase.
15 SPEAKER 4: I have one question, Mr. Memsah. So, the
16 salary portion is that for how many people?
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1 MR MENSAH: I was going there. The salary it's for
2 two people at the moment, because it's only three months. So,
3 I supposed that the CEO would need an administrative
4 assistant. Since the board hasn't established a CEO salary,
5 I made an assumption and that's all subject to change. So,
6 everything you see is subject to change. You guys can change
7 it. I made an assumption of the CEO and the admin. It should
8 be a total of 129,000 a year. That's just an assumption. And
9 for the three months that we have it will be $32,000. We put
10 in the various benefits, FICA, retirement, life and health
11 and worker's comp is all included. These are based on the
12 city's rates. And I already talked to the city's risk
13 management director to see how we can be able to use some of
14 the other city's... Be able to get the city to help us with
15 those fringe benefits.
16 SPEAKER 4: I have one more question.
17
MR MENSAH: Sure.
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1 SPEAKER 4: So, you said CEO and admin, will they
2 also need a secretary?
3 MR MENSAH: Well, typically... A secretary?
4 SPEAKER 4: Yes.
5 MR MENSAH: We don't use the word secretary these
6 days. So, usually everybody has an admin aid.
7 SPEAKER 4: Yes, admin aid, that's what I meant.
8 MR MENSAH: Yes. This is just one person with... An
9 admin and a CEO. Now for next year, you can have three people,
10 four people in the organization, but I was considering just
11 from now to September 30th.
12 SPEAKER 4: Okay. Thank you for clarifying.
13 MR MENSAH: So, we also have professional services,
14 accounting, [inaudible 00:40:50]. These are all numbers that
15 is part of the Liberty City Trust numbers. Like I said, these
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1 are numbers, if it's not used it can be carried on to the
2 following year. It's always better to budget a little higher
3 than what you actually need, because if you budget less, what
4 happens is that, then you have to come back to City Commission
5 to be able to get approval. And that process, we don't have
6 any time between now and September 30th to be able to do that.
7 So, this allows you to be able to hire people, accounting
8 services and any professional that you need in the next three
9 months to be able to do that. So, this is what the budget is
10 and I'm available to answer any questions anybody has. If you
11 want to make an increase in any of the line items, you are
12 free to do that. And then we just have to amend the budget
13 with the City Commission.
14 SPEAKER 5: Chair, if I may interject one minute?
15 SPEAKER 3: Yes, you can.
16 SPEAKER 5: Just to further clarify with respect to
17 the salary. Per the code, obviously the board appoints who
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1 the CEO will be and ultimately approves their salary, whatever
2 that may happen to be. And then ultimately all that goes to
3 commission. Commission has to ultimately approve both the CEO
4 and the salary. In this case because of the urgency at the
5 time and the lack of sufficient time to clarify there was a
6 misunderstanding or at least that amount wasn't properly
7 reflected. That will be rectified when this item goes to our
8 commission. Right now, it just represents that lump sum, and
9 it references the CEO. There's no reference to the admin aid
10 or the support staff. Obviously, that will be rectified when
11 this goes before our commission next week. I just wanted for
12 everyone to be aware.
13 SPEAKER 3: Okay. And another thing of please
14 everyone addresses the chair prior to you engaging in
15 conversation, please.
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1 SPEAKER 2: I still have a question that didn't get
2 answered from the first go round, if I may ask it again, is
3 that okay?
4 SPEAKER 3: Yes.
5 SPEAKER 2: Thank you. Mr. Memsah, could you explain
6 the line item, the first one, the special revenue and where
7 that is coming from? And then the total amount that the trust
8 is in receivership of this year and will be of next year So,
9 we can get an idea of what we're dealing with.
10 MR MENSAH: Okay. In the city, any fund that is not
11 generated by the city taxpayers or through the city's general
12 fund is called special revenue. So, the fund that this money
13 will come from is currently the $3 million that's available,
14 that's already been paid. As you all know, this trust was set
15 as a result of the Magic City project. Magic City made certain
16 contractual obligations to this trust, which the first money
17 which is the $3 million has already been paid.
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1 MR MENSAH: Now I have not looked at when your other
2 funds will come in, but the other funds is a total of $31
3 million and it will come in based on certain performance
4 parameters of the project. So, some of them you get some
5 money, if a payment is approved you get some money, if the
6 project is completed at some level. That's how it's been
7 established. So, right now, the only thing I can say is that
8 we've received the $3 million, which is with the city special
9 revenue account. And out of that $3 million is what we would
10 take the $56,000 to be able to operate the trust.
11 SPEAKER 2: Thank you.
12 MR MENSAH: You're welcome.
13 SPEAKER 3: Any other questions pertaining to it?
14 MR MENSAH: ...be able to get the city to help us
15 with those fringe benefits?
16 SPEAKER 4:
I have one more question.
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MR MENSAH: Sure.
2 SPEAKER 4: So, you said CEO and admin, will they
3 also need a secretary?
4 MR MENSAH: Well, typically... A secretary?
5 SPEAKER 4: Yes.
6 MR MENSAH: We don't use the word secretary these
7 days. So, usually everybody has an admin aid.
8 SPEAKER 4: Yes, admin aid, that's what I meant.
9 MR MENSAH: Yes. This is just one person with... An
10 admin aid and a CEO. Now for next year, you can have three
11 people, four people in the organization but I was considering
12 just from now to September 30th.
13 SPEAKER 4: Okay. Thank you for clarifying.
14 MR MENSAH: So, we also have professional services,
15 accounting [inaudible 00:45:50] and these are numbers that is
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1 part of the Liberty City Trust numbers. Like I said, these
2 are numbers, if it's not used, it can be carried on to the
3 following year. It's always better to budget a little higher
4 than what you actually need because if you budget less, what
5 happens is that then you have to come back to City Commission
6 to be able to get approval. And that process, we don't have
7 any time between now and September 30th to be able to do that.
8 So, this allows you to be able to hire people, accounting
9 services and any professional that you need in the next three
10 months to be able to do that. So, this is what the budget is.
11 And I'm available to answer any questions that any anybody
12 has. If you want to make an increase in any of the line items,
13 you are free to do that. And then we just have to amend the
14 budget with a City Commission.
15 SPEAKER 5: Chair, if I may interject one minute.
16 SPEAKER 3:
Yes, you can.
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1 SPEAKER 5: Just to further clarify with respect to
2 the salary. Per the code, obviously the board appoints who
3 the CEO will be and ultimately approves their salary, whatever
4 that may happen to be. And then ultimately all that goes to
5 commission. Commission has to ultimately approve both the CEO
6 and the salary. In this case because of the urgency at the
7 time and the lack of sufficient time to clarify, there was a
8 misunderstanding or at least that amount wasn't properly
9 reflected. That will be rectified when this item goes to our
10 commission. Right now, it just represents that lump sum, and
11 it references a CEO. There's no reference to the admin aid or
12 the support staff. Obviously, that will be rectified when
13 this goes before our commission next week. I just wanted
14 everyone to be aware.
15 SPEAKER 3: Okay. And another thing, please, everyone
16 addresses the chair prior to you engaging conversation,
17 please.
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1 SPEAKER 2: I still have a question that didn't get
2 answered from the first go round, if I may ask it again, is
3 that okay?
4 SPEAKER 3: Yes.
5 SPEAKER 2: Thank you, Mr. Memsah, could you explain
6 the line item, the first one, the special revenue and where
7 that is coming from? And then the total amount that the trust
8 is in receivership of this year and will be of next year So,
9 we can get an idea of what we're dealing with.
10 MR MENSAH: Okay. In the city, any fund that is not
11 generated by the taxpayers or through a city's general fund
12 is called special revenue. So, the fund that this money will
13 come from is currently the $3 million that's available, that's
14 already been paid. As you all know, this trust was set up as
15 a result of the Magic City Project. And Magic City made
16 certain contractual obligations to this trust, which the
17 first money which is the $3 million has already been paid.
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1 Now I have not looked at when the other funds will come in,
2 but the other funds are a total of $31 million, and it will
3 come in based on certain performance parameters of the
4 project. So, some of them you get some money if a payment is
5 approved, you get some money if the project is completed at
6 some level. That's how it's been established. So, right now,
7 the only thing I can say is that we received the $3 million,
8 which is with a city special revenue account. And out of that
9 $3 million is what we would take the $56,000 to be able to
10 operate the trust.
11 SPEAKER 2: Thank you.
12 MR MENSAH: You're welcome.
13 SPEAKER 3: Any other questions pertaining to it?
14 MR MENSAH: So, if you are comfortable with it, like
15 I said, it's just an estimate. Obviously, it will be based on
16 use, some money might not be used. If it's not used, it will
36
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1 be carried over to the following year. Now we have to prepare
2 a new budget. And now that new budget is due to the city
3 August 2nd. So, I was hoping that we'll be able to have
4 somebody, a CEO in place who will come and look at everything
5 and then be able to responsible for days the budget from
6 October lst. So, if you would like to take a vote on it So,
7 that we can at least make sure that you've approved the budget
8 So, that it can be approved by City Commission.
9 SPEAKER 4: Chair, I would like to ask one more
10 question.
11 SPEAKER 3: Yes.
12 SPEAKER 4: Mr. Memsah, are we able to see a salary,
13 a special revenue draft from October lst, 2021, to September
14 30th, 2022?
15 MR MENSAH:
I don't understand your question.
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1 SPEAKER 4: This paper that I'm looking at says July
2 lst to September 30th, and you said that we should bring it
3 to October lst. So, the September of the following year. I'm
4 going to assume that the number that we see currently in front
5 of us don't reflect everything for a whole year.
6 MR MENSAH: No, I think you misunderstood me. There
7 are two things involved. One is establishing a fiscal year.
8 A financial year. Every business has a financial year. You
9 decide on which year to use. For example, most personal folks,
10 all of us use... Our fiscal year is from January lst to
11 December 31st, which is how we file our taxes. The state has
12 a fiscal year from July lst to June 30th. That is the state's
13 fiscal year. The city's fiscal year is October lst to
14 September 30th.
15 MR MENSAH: So, the first motion that was passed was
16 establishing the fiscal year for the Trust, which we said is
17 from October lst to September 30th, which means that your
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1 budget will always be set October 1st/September 30th.
2 Unfortunately, we are in the middle now. If we bring somebody
3 on now, what is left of this current fiscal year, which
4 started last year October 1st, October 1st, 2020, to September
5 30th, 2021. This one we are in it right now. We are only left
6 with July, August, and September. So, this budget is for July,
7 August, September of 2021. Now the next budget will be October
8 lst, 2021, to September 30th, 2022. That is due to the city,
9 August 2nd. And my hope is that the CEO who will be hired,
10 will be the person that will work with the board to prepare
11 that budget, that new budget. So, that budget will come to
12 you sooner or later for you to approve it.
13 SPEAKER 4: Okay. Thank you for clarifying.
14 MR MENSAH: Thank you.
15 SPEAKER 2: Chair, I have two additional questions,
16 if I may.
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SPEAKER 3: Yes.
2 SPEAKER 2: Mr. Memsah, does this temporary budget
3 for the last three months of the fiscal year have to go to
4 the commission?
5 MR MENSAH: Yes.
6 SPEAKER 2: So, it has to get on for July?
7 MR MENSAH: It's already on the agenda for July 8th.
8 SPEAKER 2:
9 readings?
10 MR MENSAH:
Does it require one reading or two
One reading.
11 SPEAKER 2: Okay. So, we're going to shoot for the
12 first meeting in July or the second meeting in July?
13 MR MENSAH: First meeting in July. Next week.
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1 SPEAKER 2: Okay. And if we need to make changes to
2 this temporary budget, that is only for the last three months,
3 do we need to take it back to the commission?
4 MR MENSAH: No. Once you make the changes here, we
5 will make the changes to the line item that is with the City
6 Commission. So, it will be what is called a substitution on
7 the floor?
8 SPEAKER 2: I'm sorry, I didn't follow. So, if we get
9 this budget approved and then we get into doing things. We
10 start operations, we are up and running, we are working in
11 the community, and we find that we have another expenditure
12 that we need to add to our budget. Can we add that ourselves
13 in the next three months or do we have to come and ask the
14 commission to make adjustments to the last three months of
15 the fiscal year budget?
16 MR MENSAH: One of the things you can do is you can
17 move items within the... You can move items. You have $56,000.
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1 So, if you don't use the professional services line item and
2 you want to use it for, let's say something else, you can do
3 that.
4 SPEAKER 2: Gotcha. We can shift stuff around.
5 MR MENSAH: You can shift stuff around, yes. What you
6 can't do is go above $56,000.
7 SPEAKER 2: Okay. I understand. Thank you.
8 MR MENSAH: You're welcome.
9 SPEAKER 2: I'm good.
10 SPEAKER 3: Do we need to vote on it?
11 MR MENSAH: Yes, please.
12 SPEAKER 2: I think you had a motion and a second.
13 And then it was just discussion. I'm good with it.
14
SPEAKER 4: I'm good with it as well.
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1 MR MENSAH: So, if you are comfortable with it, like
2 I said, it's just an estimate. Obviously, it will be based on
3 use, some money might not be used. If it's not used, it will
4 be carried about to the following year. Now we have to prepare
5 a new budget. And now that new budget is due to the city
6 August 2nd. So, I was hoping that we'll be able to have
7 somebody, a CEO in place who will come and look at everything
8 and then be able to be responsible for the budget from October
9 lst. So, if you would like to take a vote on it So, that we
10 can at least make sure that you've approved the budget So,
11 that it can be approved by City Commission.
12 SPEAKER 4: Chair, I would like to ask one more
13 question.
14 SPEAKER 3: Yes.
15 SPEAKER 4: Mr. Memsah, are we able to see a salary,
16 a special revenue draft from October lst, 2021, to September
17 30th, 2022?
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MR MENSAH: I don't understand your question.
2 SPEAKER 4: This paper that I'm looking at says July
3 1st to September 30th, and you said that we should bring it
4 to October 1st. To the September of the following year. I'm
5 going to assume that the number that we see currently in front
6 of us don't reflect everything for a whole year.
7 MR MENSAH: No, I think you misunderstood me. There
8 are two things involved. One is establishing a fiscal year.
9 A financial year. Every business has a financial year. You
10 decide on which year to use. For example, most personal folks,
11 all of us use... Our fiscal year is from January 1st to
12 December 31st, which is how we file our taxes. The state has
13 a fiscal year from July 1st to June 30th. That is the state's
14 fiscal year. The city's fiscal year is October 1st to
15 September 30th.
16 MR MENSAH: So, the first motion that was passed was
17 establishing the fiscal year for the trust, which we said is
44
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1 from October 1st to September 30th, which means that your
2 budget will always be October 1st/September 30th.
3 Unfortunately, we are in the middle now. If we bring somebody
4 on now, what is left of this current fiscal year, which
5 started last year October 1st. October 1st, 2020, to September
6 30th, 2021. This one we are in it right now. We are only left
7 with July, August and September. So, this budget is for July,
8 August, September of 2021.
9 MR MENSAH: Now the next budget will be October lst,
10 2021, to September 30th, 2022. That is due to the city August
11 2nd. My hope is that they see who will be hired, will be the
12 person that will work with the board to prepare that budget,
13 that new budget. So, that budget will come to you sooner or
14 later for you to approve it.
15 SPEAKER 4: Okay. Thank you for clarifying.
16 MR MENSAH: Thank you.
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1 SPEAKER 2: Chair, I have two additional questions,
2 if I may.
3 SPEAKER 3: Yes.
4 SPEAKER 2: Mr. Memsah, does this temporary budget
5 for the last three months of the fiscal year have to go to
6 the commission?
7 MR MENSAH: Yes.
8 SPEAKER 2: So, it has to get on for July?
9 MR MENSAH: It's already on the agenda for July 8th.
10 SPEAKER 2: Does it require one reading or two
11 readings?
12 MR MENSAH: One reading.
13 SPEAKER 2: Okay. So, we're going to shoot for the
14 first meeting in July or the second meeting in July?
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MR MENSAH: First meeting in July. Next week.
2 SPEAKER 2: Okay. And if we need to make changes to
3 this temporary budget, that is only for the last three months,
4 do we need to take it back to the commission?
5 MR MENSAH: No. Once you make the changes here, we
6 will make the changes to the line item that is with the City
7 Commission. So, it will be what is called a substitution on
8 the floor?
9 SPEAKER 2: I'm sorry, I didn't follow. So, if we get
10 this budget approved and then we get into doing things. We
11 start operations, we are up and running, we are working in
12 the community, and we find that we have another expenditure
13 that we need to add to our budget. Can we add that ourselves
14 in the next three months or do we have to come and ask the
15 Commission to make adjustments to the last three months of
16 the fiscal year budget?
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1 MR MENSAH: One of the things you can do is you can
2 move items within the... You can move items. You have $56,000.
3 So, if you don't use the professional services line item and
4 you want to use it for, let's say something else, you can do
5 that.
6 SPEAKER 2: Gotcha. We can shift stuff around.
7 MR MENSAH: You can shift stuff around, yes. What you
8 can't do is go above $56,000.
9 SPEAKER 2: Okay. I understand. Thank you.
10 MR MENSAH: You're welcome.
11 SPEAKER 2: I'm good.
12 SPEAKER 3: Do we need to vote on it?
13 MR MENSAH: Yes please.
14 SPEAKER 2: I think you had a motion and a second and
15 then it was just discussion. I'm good with it.
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SPEAKER 4:
SPEAKER 3:
SPEAKER 6:
I'm good with it as well.
Any oppositions?
Just for clarity, I just would like to
hear the motion restated to approve this budget, that's what
we're doing?
SPEAKER 3:
three months.
SPEAKER 2:
SPEAKER 3:
SPEAKER 2:
Yes, to approve this budget, the next
May I.
Yes.
The motion is for the
Revitalization Trust budget from July lst,
September 30th, 2021?
13 SPEAKER 4:
14
SPEAKER 3:
Correct.
That would be correct.
49
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1 SPEAKER 2: Okay. I made it So, somebody has to...
2 SPEAKER 6: Yeah, I second.
3 SPEAKER 4: I'm fine with it. Thank you.
4 SPEAKER 3: All right, motion approved.
5 MR MENSAH: Okay, thank you. Now I need to bring your
6 attention to another issue related to this particular budget
7 and that is that the City Commission ordinance that
8 established the trust requires that any budget of the trust
9 that goes to the Commission is accompanied by a master plan.
10 Now it's difficult, which means that with this budget that is
11 currently on the agenda, one of the exhibits that I'm supposed
12 to produce and give to the Commission is a master plan. Now
13 we know that you just can't do a master plan. The master plan
14 involves going into the community and talking about it. And
15 so, it needs somebody to be hired, a CEO to be hired who will
16 lead the effort to get a master plan. So, currently what we
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1 have is a catch 22 situation where the Commission can't
2 approve a budget without a master plan and you can't have a
3 master plan without a budget.
4 MR MENSAH: So, I reached out to the D5 commissioner
5 and asked his permission to talk to the City Commission, July
6 8th, and try to amend the... Not amend, but indicate, give a
7 deferral for the requirement of master plan to January So,
8 that the City Commission can approve this budget subject to
9 deferral of the master plan requirement to January 30th, 2022.
10 What it means is that once we hire a CEO, that CEO will have
11 to start the most important... Actually, a very critical need
12 of this trust to have a master plan in place and be able to
13 have commission approval for that. So, if that goes well, if
14 the city commission agrees to that, then this will be
15 approved. Now if for some reason something happens and they
16 don't agree to that, I just want you to be aware that this
17 budget might not be approved. I just want to... It's just
18 some information that I'm giving you here.
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1 MR MENSAH: I think there was a flaw in the way that
2 ordinance was written. And I just want you to know and I
3 probably... Just for clarification, I want to read what it
4 says here. Section 12.5 to 49 of the Little Haiti Trust
5 ordinance states that... Part C says that in conjunction with
6 the submission of the budget, the Little Haiti Trust shall
7 submit a master plan. It didn't say will they say shall submit
8 that plan, reflecting the proposed operations activities and
9 improvements of the revitalization initiative for the
10 forthcoming fiscal year, which means that every year we have
11 to give them a plan.
12 MR MENSAH: Now this is three months budget, So, that
13 makes it difficult and you don't have a staff person. You
14 don't have anybody to help with this plan and therefore we
15 can't basically do that without a budget. So, that's why I
16 have requested that we have a deferral of that requirement,
17 get the budget approved, hire a CEO, and then the CEO will be
18 responsible for doing this master plan. And I asked for six
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1 months. You don't have to vote on it or anything, it's just
2 something that I talked to the commissioner to see if he can
3 do that. But I just want you to know that in case that it
4 doesn't happen, then this budget might not be approved and if
5 this budget is not approved it means we cannot hire a CEO. I
6 just want to bring that to your attention.
7 SPEAKER 3: Any oppositions?
8 SPEAKER 6: Just for clarity I just would like to
9 hear the motion and restated to approve this budget, that's
10 what we're doing?
11 SPEAKER 3: Yes, to approve this budget for the next
12 three months.
13 SPEAKER 2: May I?
14 SPEAKER 3: Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 2: The motion is for the Little Haiti
2 Revitalization Trust budget from July lst, 2021, through
3 September 30th, 2021.
4 SPEAKER 4: Correct.
5 SPEAKER 3: That would be correct.
6 SPEAKER 2: Okay. I made it. So, somebody has to...
7 SPEAKER 6: Yeah, I second.
8 SPEAKER 4: I'm fine with it.
9 SPEAKER 3: All right, motion approved.
10 MR MENSAH: Okay, thank you. Now I need to bring your
11 attention to another issue related to this particular budget.
12 And that is that the City Commission ordinance that
13 established the trust requires that any budget of the trust
14 that goes to the commission is accompanied by a master plan.
15 Now it's difficult... Which means that what this budget that
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1 is kind on the agenda, one of the exhibits that I'm supposed
2 to produce and give to the Commission is a master plan. Now
3 we know that you just can't do a master plan. The master plan
4 involves going into the community and talking about it. And
5 so, it needs somebody to be hired, a CEO to be hired who will
6 lead the effort to get a master plan. So, currently what we
7 have is a catch 22 situation where the Commission can't
8 approve a budget without a master plan, and you can't have a
9 master plan without a budget.
10 MR MENSAH: So, I reached out to the D5 commissioner
11 and asked his permission to talk to the City Commission, July
12 8th, and try to amend the... Not amend, but indicate, give a
13 deferral for that requirement of master plan to January So,
14 that the City Commission can approve this budget subject to
15 the deferral of the master plan requirement to January 30th,
16 2022. What it means is that once we hire a CEO, that CEO will
17 have to start the important... Actually, a very critical need
18 of this trust to have a master plan in place and be able to
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1 have Commission approval for that. So, if that goes well, the
2 City Commission agrees to that, then this will be approved.
3 Now if for some reason, something happens and they don't agree
4 to that, I just want you to be aware that this budget might
5 not be approved. I just want to... It's just some information
6 that I'm giving you here.
7 MR MENSAH: I think there was a flaw in the way that
8 ordinance was written and I just want you to know. I
9 probably... Just for clarification, I want to read what it
10 says here. Section 12.5 to 49 of the Little Haiti Trust
11 ordinance states that... Part C says that in conjunction with
12 the submission of the budget, the Little Haiti you trust shall
13 submit a master plan. It didn't say will, they say shall
14 submit a master plan reflecting the proposed operations
15 activities and improvements of the revitalization initiative
16 for the forthcoming fiscal year, which means that every year
17 we have to give them a plan. Now this is three months budget
18 So, that makes it difficult. And you don't have a staff
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person. You don't have anybody to help with this plan and
therefore we can't basically do that without a budget.
3 MR MENSAH: So, that's why I have requested that we
4 have a deferral of that requirement. Get the budget approved,
5 hire a CEO and then the CEO will be responsible for doing
6 this master plan. And I asked for six months. You don't have
7 to vote on it or anything. It's just something that I talked
8 to the commissioner to see if he can do that. But I just want
9 you to know that in case that it doesn't happen, then this
10 budget might not be approved. And if it's not approved it
11 means we cannot hire a CEO.
12 PART 2 OF 14 ENDS [01:10:04]
13 Mr. Mensah: ...yeah, it might not be approved and if
14 this budget is not approved, it means we cannot hire a CEO.
15 I just want to bring that to your attention.
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1 SPEAKER 7: Okay. Is it safe to say, from a
2 fundamental standpoint, that is making a decision for a CEO
3 today would be in vain or does it make any sense?
4 Mr. Mensah: That's a difficult question. I'm a very
5 optimistic person, I live my life that way, and so, I always
6 make decisions thinking that things will happen. So, for me,
7 I would say that maybe there might be other reasons why you
8 might not want to go ahead with selecting the CEO right now.
9 But you can select a CEO and then make the effective date
10 sometime after January eighth... Sorry, after July eighth,
11 So, that by July eighth, you would have known whether your
12 budget is approved or not. And that can help you move ahead
13 with whatever needs to be done with the trust.
14 SPEAKER 8: Chair...
15 SPEAKER 7: Yes?
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1 SPEAKER 8: If you're through, I have some questions
2 in the same line of thought that you're heading in.
3 SPEAKER 7: Yes, you can go on.
4 SPEAKER 8: Thank you. So, I think that I
5 wholeheartedly agree with you, and I try to be an extremely
6 positive person as well, but I try to leave as little to
7 chance as possible; I am a lifelong city resident. I am a
8 little bit confused because the legislation that you're
9 reading from, which is the jurisdictional authority that
10 established the trust, has a very specific framework in it.
11 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
12 SPEAKER 8: So, I'm not sure how we don't have at
13 least the framework of a master plan. Our duties and
14 responsibilities have been very specifically laid out. This
15 isn't a haphazard thing where we just pick and choose and go
16 on an "Easter egg hunt." It has very specific detailed tasks
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1 that we're going to try to accomplish for Little Haiti. So,
2 in the absence of an official developed master plan with very
3 specific details, can this framework and the consolidated
4 plan, for example, be the substitution for right now...the
5 stop gap for right now to not leave this to chance and not
6 let it turn into... Where we can't get started until next
7 year, for example.
8 Mr. Mensah: Okay. Now, if that happens, it kind of
9 means that next year, if the plan that I... What I talked
10 about doesn't work because you are discussing that maybe we
11 can interim plan...first of all, I just want you to know that
12 I work most of my...this is done with federal funds...whereas
13 I can do this as part of revitalization and everything. We
14 don't have the means to be able to embark on a master plan on
15 behalf of the lady trust. We don't...we just don't have the
16 capacity and the bandwidth to be able to do that. And that's
17 the reason why a CEO coming in and being able to do all the
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community meetings that...that is required to be able to do
that.
3 SPEAKER 8: Understood. But in the absence of that,
4 because that is extremely time consuming, extremely detailed,
5 all of those things. So, I'm a little bit worried and a little
6 bit confused and that...how do we get started because without
7 having...it is a total "Catch-22"; it's "chasing its tail"
8 So, to speak because how do you get that done without an
9 executive director, without the staff, without the bandwidth,
10 without the budget, without all of those things? So, can, I
11 guess, you share how you would present to the commission,
12 your idea in short; it doesn't have to be the full...I'm sure
13 you need time to think about it but I was just under the
14 impression that this framework that's laid out, the authority
15 to implement the trust to begin with, was going to be good
16 enough to stand on until we could get up and running. So, I'm
17 just totally... I hear everything you're saying. I... we're
18 in the same thought...in the same line of thought, but I'm
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just very confused and concerned to leave it to chance at a
commission meeting.
3 Mr. Mensah: I thought So, too. I... This is my fault,
4 I'll be honest with you, I didn't read that portion of the
5 ordinance until it was brought to my attention by the city
6 attorney's office...and the city attorney right now is hoping
7 to get a master plan from me...or generally now. There are
8 two things I can do. I can go and put together a one pager
9 and say, what this able director would do for the next three
10 months. That could be...
11 SPEAKER 7: Okay, is safe to say from a fundamental
12 standpoint, that is making a decision for a CEO today would
13 be in vain or does it make any sense?
14 Mr. Mensah: That's a difficult question. I'm a very
15 optimistic person, I live my life that way, and so, I always
16 make decisions thinking that things will happen. So, for me,
17 I will say that maybe there might be other reason why you
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1 might not want to go ahead with selecting a CEO right now,
2 but you can select a CEO and then make the effective date
3 sometime after January eighth... Sorry, after July eighth So,
4 that you would, by July eight, you would have known whether
5 your budget is approved or not and that can help you move
6 ahead with whatever needs to be done with the trust.
7 SPEAKER 8: Chair...
8 SPEAKER 7: Yes...
9 SPEAKER 8: If you're through, I have some questions
10 in the same line of thought that you're heading in.
11 SPEAKER 7: Yes, you can go.
12 SPEAKER 8: Thank you. So, I think that I
13 wholeheartedly agree with you and I try to be an extremely
14 positive person as well. But I try to leave as little to
15 chance as possible; I am a lifelong city resident. I am a
16 little bit confused because the legislation that you're
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1 reading from, which is the jurisdictional authority that
2 established the trust, has a very specific framework in it.
3 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
4 SPEAKER 8: So, I'm not sure how we don't have at
5 least the framework of a master plan. Our duties and
6 responsibilities have been very specifically laid out. This
7 isn't a haphazard thing where we just pick and choose and go
8 on an "Easter egg hunt." It has very specific detailed tasks
9 that we're going to try to accomplish for Little Haiti. So,
10 in the absence of an official developed a master plan with
11 very specific details, can this framework and the
12 consolidated plan, for example, be the substitution for right
13 now... the stop gap for right now... to not leave this to chance
14 and not let it turn into where we can't get started until
15 next year, for example.
16 Mr. Mensah: Okay. Now, if that happens, it kind of
17 means that next year, if the plan that I... What I talked
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1 about doesn't work because you are discussing that maybe we
2 can interim plan...first of all, I just want you to know that
3 I work most of my...this is done with federal funds...whereas
4 I can do this as part of revitalization and everything. We
5 don't have the means to be able to embark on a master plan on
6 behalf of the lady trust. We don't...we just don't have the
7 capacity and the bandwidth to be able to do that. And that's
8 the reason why a CEO coming in and being able to do all the
9 community meetings that...that is required to be able to do
10 that.
11 SPEAKER 8: Understood. But in the absence of that,
12 because that is extremely time consuming, extremely detailed,
13 all of those things. So, I'm a little bit worried and a little
14 bit confused and that...how do we get started because without
15 having...it is a total "Catch-22"; it's "chasing its tail"
16 So, to speak because how do you get that done without an
17 executive director, without the staff, without the bandwidth,
18 without the budget, without all of those things? So, can, I
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1 guess, you share how you would present to the commission,
2 your idea in short; it doesn't have to be the full...I'm sure
3 you need time to think about it but I was just under the
4 impression that this framework that's laid out, the authority
5 to implement the trust to begin with, was going to be good
6 enough to stand on until we could get up and running. So, I'm
7 just totally... I hear everything you're saying. I... we're
8 in the same thought...in the same line of thought, but I'm
9 just very confused and concerned to leave it to chance at a
10 commission meeting.
11 Mr. Mensah: I thought So, too. I. This is my fault,
12 to be honest with you, I didn't read that portion of the
13 ordinance until it was brought to my attention by the city
14 attorney's office...and the city attorney right now is hoping
15 to get a master plan from me...or generally now. There are
16 two things I can do: I can go and put together a one pager
17 and say what this able director would do for the next three
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months, that could be my master plan, and give it to them.
They could accept it or they might decide not to accept it.
3 SPEAKER 8: So, maybe if we could make a substitution
4 like you're saying and we can take the criteria from this, if
5 everyone agrees and we vote on it here, take the criteria
6 from the initial governing documents...the initial
7 legislation...and turn that into a temporary or some type of
8 stop gap for the master plan to allow us to operate properly.
9 So...
10 Mr. Mensah: Which is actually...which is one of the
11 suggestions that is on the table; to be able to do that and
12 then get it. But I always tell people that I've been here
13 long enough to know that sometimes when it comes to
14 commission, you think that whatever you are bringing is okay;
15 you come and then they scream at you...they do all sorts of
16 things at you.
17
SPEAKER 8: Which is...which is my point...
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Mr. Mensah: For me as a professional...
2 SPEAKER 8: I want to have as many things in our back
3 pocket as possible to get started because there's a lot of
4 serious things that we need to address in the community and
5 don't want this to get derailed for three months or six months
6 or however long.
7 Mr. Mensah: For me as a professional, the difficulty
8 is presenting a document that I know is half baked. That is
9 not something that I will want to put my name on it just for
10 the purpose of getting a budget; that's me. And so, that's
11 the reason why I requested that they give a deferment for
12 just the portion of the master plan. Now, if it's the way of
13 how the money is going to be spent, that's not a problem;
14 that I can just... It's what is called giving a narrative to
15 a budget. So, I can do a budget narrative, which is not our
16 problem. If they posted the budget narrative as a plan then,
17 yeah, I can do that. However, that will not include the thing
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1 that is necessary to revitalize the community because, it
2 says here that reflecting on post operations activities and
3 improvements [inaudible 01:22:09] initiative and there will
4 not be an improvement site because that's not the idea...for
5 the next three months is to establish the trust; make sure
6 the trust has all the infrastructure in place So, that it can
7 be out there in the community and do that.
8 Mr. Mensah: And we can't do that without money. And
9 that is the reason why I'm forced...and I can put a budget
10 narrative that can form a type of plan on how this money is
11 going to be used, but it will never...it will not include the
12 revitalization portions and the thing that is needed. So,
13 this information purposes, what I'll do is I'll probably
14 prepare some budget narrative and things like that to give to
15 the city commission. But I think the best thing was that the
16 drafters of this...they didn't situate, and maybe they were
17 being careful, make sure that the managers don't go to people
18 and they don't use it Willy dilly. So, that was the intention.
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But they forgot that you have to start from somewhere, and
that was not even... they have at least allowed on initial
budget; the first -year budget to be approved, and then
subsequent budgets will have to include a plan that would
have been better to be able to establish this organization.
6 SPEAKER 9: Mr. Chair, if I may ask a question: Mr.
7 Mensah, is there a template that we can borrow from the
8 Liberty City Trust master plan that we can probably look at?
9 I mean, for the sake of edification, to get more clarity on
10 what that should look like?
11 Mr. Mensah: The liberty's Trust were established
12 probably 20 something years ago; I don't have any template.
13 I can look and see if there's anything in the archives about
14 what their master plan looks like. But, if we look at the
15 implementing ordinance of the board, it tells you basically
16 what they need. The things that they expect the board to do
17 affordable housing, business things, and all those things are
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1 listed. So, your master plan should include how do you deal
2 with affordable housing, how do you deal with safety, and
3 anything that would revitalize you. And that's why [inaudible
4 01:24:17] this way. So, we can easily look at the points that
5 their master plan has to do. So...but I think...all I'm saying
6 is that I think we are in a "catch-22" situation and we have
7 two ways of satisfying this: either provide some type of plan
8 that is not based in reality, something just to get it
9 approved, or let them defer it So, that we get a proper plan
10 in place to...in the future.
11 SPEAKER 7: Before we further this discussion, which
12 is very important, I have a concern now that...in reference
13 to selecting our CEO, that we're putting the cart in front of
14 the horse. So, before we go any further...
15 Mr. Mensah: ...master plan, and give it to them. They
16 could accept it or they might decide not to accept it.
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1 SPEAKER 8: So, maybe if we could make a substitution
2 like you're saying and we can take the criteria from this, if
3 everyone agrees and we vote on it here, take the criteria
4 from the initial governing documents...the initial
5 legislation...and turn that into a temporary or some type of
6 stop gap for the master plan to allow us to operate properly.
7 So...
8 Mr. Mensah: Which is actually...which is one of the
9 suggestions that is on the table; to be able to do that and
10 then get it. But, I always tell people that I've been here
11 long enough to know that sometimes when it comes to
12 commission, you think that whatever you are bringing is okay;
13 you come and then they scream at you...they do all sorts of
14 things at you.
15 SPEAKER 8: Which is...which is my point...
16 Mr. Mensah:
For me as a professional...
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1 SPEAKER 8: I want to have as many things in our back
2 pocket as possible to get started because there's a lot of
3 serious things that we need to address in the community and
4 don't want this to get derailed for three months or six months
5 or however long.
6 Mr. Mensah: For me as a professional, the difficulty
7 is presenting a document that I know is half baked. That is
8 not something that I will want to put my name on it just for
9 the purpose of getting a budget; that's me. And So, that's
10 the reason why I requested that they give a deferment for
11 just the portion of the master plan. Now, if it's the way of
12 how the money is going to be spent, that's not a problem;
13 that I can just... It's what is called giving a narrative to
14 a budget. So, I can do a budget narrative, which is not our
15 problem. If they posted the budget narrative as a plan then,
16 yeah, I can do that. However, that will not include the thing
17 that is necessary to revitalize the community because, it
18 says here that reflecting on post operations activities and
73
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1 improvements [inaudible 01:27:10] initiative and there will
2 not be an improvement site because that's not the idea... for
3 the next three months is to establish the trust; make sure
4 the trust has all the infrastructure in place So, that it can
5 be out there in the community and do that.
6 Mr. Mensah: And we can't do that without money. And
7 that is the reason why I'm forced... and I can put a budget
8 narrative that can form a type of plan on how this money is
9 going to be used, but it will never...it will not include the
10 revitalization portions and the thing that is needed. So,
11 this information purposes, what I'll do is I'll probably
12 prepare some budget narrative and things like that to give to
13 the city commission. But I think the best thing was that the
14 drafters of this...they didn't situate, and maybe they were
15 being careful, make sure that the managers don't go to people
16 and they don't use it Willy dilly. So, that was the intention.
17 But they forgot that you have to start from somewhere, and
18 that was not even... they have at least allowed on initial
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budget; the first -year budget to be approved, and then
subsequent budgets will have to include a plan that would
have been better to be able to establish this organization.
4 SPEAKER 9: Mr. Chair, if I may ask a question: Mr.
5 Mensah, is there a template that we can borrow from the
6 Liberty City Trust master plan that we can probably look at?
7 I mean, for the sake of edification, to get more clarity on
8 what that should look like?
9 Mr. Mensah: The liberty's Trust were established
10 probably 20 something years ago; I don't have any template.
11 I can look and see if there's anything in the archives about
12 what their master plan looks like. But, if we look at the
13 implementing ordinance of the board, it tells you basically
14 what they need. The things that they expect the board to do
15 affordable housing, business things, and all those things are
16 listed. So, your master plan should include how do you deal
17 with affordable housing, how do you deal with safety, and
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1 anything that would revitalize you. And that's why [inaudible
2 01:29:18] this way. So, we can easily look at the points that
3 their master plan has to do. So...but I think...all I'm saying
4 is that I think we are in a "catch-22" situation and we have
5 two ways of satisfying this: either provide some type of plan
6 that is not based in reality, something just to get it
7 approved, or let them defer it So, that we get a proper plan
8 in place to...in the future.
9 SPEAKER 7: Before we further this discussion, which
10 is very important, I have a concern now that...in reference
11 to selecting our CEO, that we're putting the cart in front of
12 the horse. So, before we go any further, I want us to
13 establish: do we now defer selection for the CEO at this
14 point? Because if we're going to do that, I don't want to
15 hold these good people here any much longer if we're not going
16 to make a selection because there's some fundamental things
17 that are not in place in order for us to move forward
18 selecting the CEO. And of course, coupled with... We've got
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1 one board member that's not here and I definitely would like
2 if we're going to select our CEO, that we have four board
3 members here. So, a motion to defer the selection of the CEO
4 as of right now...
5 SPEAKER 10: Chairman, before...if I may, before we
6 make that decision, thinking about a timeline, is there...do
7 we have an opportunity to see when we would meet again; what
8 will be the next meeting dates that we'd have available to
9 possibly meet?
10 Mr. Mensah: Okay. Just before...we can do two things:
11 I wanted to, for us to start with our meetings in the
12 community, So, I've asked my staff to look at possibly meeting
13 at Little Haiti Cultural Center, right? Little Haiti Cultural
14 Center and be able to, maybe...and they wanted to know dates
15 by which when to meet So, that they can be able to accommodate
16 us. So, maybe if you guys can give us a date on when you
17 think...because I think I...what I said was that we're doing
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1 this initial study and then we'll move into a community. I
2 think we've met here three or four or five times...four times
3 already. So, I think it's probably time we move back to the
4 community. So, if we can get a date from you, then we will
5 make sure that that date is available or inquire about the
6 availability of that date in Little Haiti Cultural Center;
7 So, we can meet there.
8 SPEAKER 11: Yes. And just to be clear on that, when
9 you guys are selecting the date, they would like for you to
10 pick like a consistent date. So, if you're going to say the
11 first of every month, So, that way we can book the room at
12 the Little Haiti cultural center for you guys. So,
13 just...that's just more So, for clarification.
14 SPEAKER 12: I have a question for Mr. Mensah.
15 SPEAKER 7:
Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 12: Mr. Mensah, You were saying that it will
2 take a very long time to find a master plan from Liberty City?
3 Mr. Mensah: I'm saying it has to be somewhere, I'll
4 have to look; I can get it tomorrow the next day now.
5 SPEAKER 12: Okay. The other question that I had,
6 because I really liked the model of Little Havana, are we
7 able to get a master plan from Little Havana?
8 Mr. Mensah: The one that was just done about a year
9 ago or two ago?
10 SPEAKER 12: Yes, thank you.
11 Mr. Mensah: I have that...that was a great plan, by
12 the way.
13 SPEAKER 12: Thank you.
14 SPEAKER 7: I think if you look at what we already
15 have in place...a mission statement in our ordinance right
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1 now, we don't have to reinvent the wheel; there's So, many
2 studies that's been done in Little Haiti already. So, we could
3 definitely use that as our guide moving forward. So, I don't
4 think we'll be pretty much charting unchartered waters when
5 it comes to coming up with a definite direction. Like, I think
6 we already have a pretty much a simple master plan pretty
7 much at this point. So, I don't think we're going to have any
8 challenges or issues moving forward with this as far as it
9 might be a time sensitive issue.
10 SPEAKER 12: Right...I just wanted to see the format.
11 SPEAKER 7: Yes. Okay, back to the selection of the
12 CEO...because we definitely don't want to hold any of the
13 candidates much longer than they should be here.
14 SPEAKER 8: I would like to go ahead and move
15 forward; I understand what you're saying, but I think I'd
16 like to try to have as many things in place as possible and
17 have someone lined up and ready to go and have all of our
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"ducks in a row" So, that we can get to these things that
already exist and get moving before any more time passes.
3 SPEAKER 7: Taking into consideration it's supposed
4 to be a five...five members board voting; We have four.
5 SPEAKER 8: I completely understand. And I think that
6 we would need to address that as a new business agenda item
7 today. And my thought process...
8 SPEAKER 7: I want us to establish: do we now differ
9 selection for the CEO at this point? Because if we're going
10 to do that, I don't want to hold these good people here any
11 much longer if we're not going to make a selection because
12 there's some fundamental things that are not in place in order
13 for us to move forward, selecting the CEO. And of course,
14 coupled with, we've got one board member that's not here. And
15 I definitely would like, if we're going to select our CEO,
16 that we have four board members here. So, a motion to defer
17 the selection of the CEO as of right now...
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1 SPEAKER 10: Chairman, before...if I may, before we
2 make that decision, thinking about a timeline, is there...do
3 we have an opportunity to see when we would meet again; what
4 will be the next meeting dates that we'd have available to
5 possibly meet?
6 Mr. Mensah: Okay. Just before...we can do two things:
7 I wanted to, for us to start with our meetings in the
8 community, So, I've asked my staff to look at possibly meeting
9 at Little Haiti Cultural Center, right? Little Haiti Cultural
10 Center and be able to, maybe...and they wanted to know dates
11 by which when to meet So, that they can be able to accommodate
12 us. So, maybe if you guys can give us a date on when you
13 think...because I think I...what I said was that we're doing
14 this initial study and then we'll move into a community. I
15 think we've met here three or four or five times...four times
16 already. So, I think it's probably time we move back to the
17 community. So, if we can get a date from you, then we will
18 make sure that that date is available or inquire about the
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availability of that date in Little Haiti Cultural Center;
So, we can meet there.
3 SPEAKER 11: Yes. And just to be clear on that, when
4 you guys are selecting the date, they would like for you to
5 pick like a consistent date. So, if you're going to say the
6 first of every month, So, that way we can book the room at
7 the Little Haiti cultural center for you guys. So,
8 just...that's just more So, for clarification.
9 SPEAKER 12: I have a question for Mr. Mensah.
10 SPEAKER 7: Yes.
11 SPEAKER 12: Mr. Mensah, You were saying that it will
12 take a very long time to find a master plan from Liberty City?
13 Mr. Mensah: I'm saying it has to be somewhere, I'll
14 have to look; I can get it tomorrow the next day now.
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1 SPEAKER 12: Okay. The other question that I had,
2 because I really liked the model of Little Havana, are we
3 able to get a master plan from Little Havana?
4 Mr. Mensah: The One that was just done about a year
5 ago or two ago?
6 SPEAKER 12: Yes, thank you.
7 Mr. Mensah: I have that...that was a great plan, by
8 the way.
9 SPEAKER 12: Thank you.
10 SPEAKER 7: I think if you look at what we already
11 have in place...a mission statement in our ordinance right
12 now, we don't have to reinvent the wheel; there's So, many
13 studies that's been done in Little Haiti already. So, we could
14 definitely use that as our guide moving forward. So, I don't
15 think we'll be pretty much charting unchartered waters when
16 it comes to coming up with a definite direction. Like, I think
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1 we already have a pretty much a simple master plan pretty
2 much at this point. So, I don't think we're going to have any
3 challenges or issues moving forward with this as far as it
4 might be a time sensitive issue.
5 SPEAKER 12: Right...I just wanted to see the format.
6 SPEAKER 7: Yes. Okay, back to the selection of the
7 CEO...because we definitely don't want to hold any of the
8 candidates much longer than they should be here.
9 SPEAKER 8: I would like to go ahead and move
10 forward; I understand what you're saying, but I think I'd
11 like to try to have as many things in place as possible and
12 have someone lined up and ready to go and have all of our
13 "ducks in a row" So, that we can get to these things that
14 already exist and get moving before any more time passes.
15 SPEAKER 7: Taking into consideration it's supposed
16 to be a five...five members board voting; We have four.
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1 SPEAKER 8: I completely understand. And I think that
2 we would need to address that as a new business agenda item
3 today. And my thought process is we would have to give some
4 direction to our team here, and I guess, repost for a new
5 board member and go through that process again. I believe
6 it's our commissioner for district five, commissioner Watson,
7 that picks that person. So, I, at least my understanding is,
8 it would have to be advertised or go back to the previous
9 advertisement and have someone assigned, have someone
10 selected for the board again. But I would need their
11 direction, the city attorney and Mr. Mensah's direction on
12 that. But I think we have to take that up today as well
13 considering what transpired with the previous board member.
14 SPEAKER 10: Chair, just for clarification, that board
15 member that you're referencing, if I'm not mistaken, and Mr.
16 George Mensa can attest to what I'm saying. I believe he
17 resigned, as he needed to, in order to be considered for that
18 executive director position.
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SPEAKER 8: Correct.
2 SPEAKER 10: So, that's why you... That's... I'm
3 assuming that obviously that's why he's not present right
4 now; he's not a board member at this time.
5 SPEAKER 7: Nope. My concern is... I know he
6 resigned. My concern is that I would rather have all the board
7 members present when making a decision for the CEO because
8 right now it could be a split. You know, that deciding person
9 is not here. And I would rather, if we're going to do this,
10 let's have that deciding person here; I'm very uncomfortable
11 selecting a CEO with the board members at this point.
12 SPEAKER 10: Okay, So, you wish to have a replacement
13 board member and they all compliment on the board before
14 proceeding with...
15 SPEAKER 7:
Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 10: Okay. The other thing, just also for
2 clarification, we have two remaining commission meetings
3 before they go on break for the month of August. We have this
4 upcoming meeting for which there's currently that tentative
5 item for the commission to approve whoever you selected as
6 the CEO, as the executive director. Obviously, if you
7 don't...if it's still the will of the board not to proceed
8 with that at this time, that's fine. We would have to defer
9 that item. There's only one other commission meeting; it would
10 be the final meeting in July before...like I said before,
11 they take their August break and then they wouldn't start up
12 again until September. September tends to be busy because
13 there's also the two budget meetings, the two budget hearings,
14 or the city's approval for its fiscal year going forward
15 thereafter. So, it's just for you to be aware. It's just
16 clarification for the board to be mindful of.
17 SPEAKER 7: Okay, let me ask you a question:
18 parallel...are we able...because right now we still have to
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1 fundamentally put things together in order for us to move
2 forward even if we selected a CEO today or whatnot; there are
3 still things that needs to be in place. Is it possible through
4 the board that in the interim that we can create like a
5 subcommittee like each board member, let's just say we have
6 affordable housing, we have arts and crafts, or we have
7 business improvement in a way for us to be much more intimate
8 with the community that each board member oversees, like a
9 small group of people that would pretty much be
10 doing...helping to build a foundation So, when the CEO does
11 come on board, that we're still hitting the ground running.
12 Is that something that we can -do, worst -case scenario if we
13 don't pick a board member today?
14 Mr. Mensah: I think this is probably... I don't know
15 if it's a legal question, but I think that the board can
16 consider is that what you're saying is that you are looking
17 to fall various subcommittees of the board which would include
18 members of the community who are not necessarily on the board.
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1 I think you have the ability to do that. I think that it's
2 even a nice way of doing it because what happens is that now
3 you are bringing the entire community closer to the trust
4 because members of the community will now have to serve on
5 maybe... Let's say you have an affordable housing committee
6 member or the committee community, maybe four or five members
7 who are not on the board, can now help guide what your
8 affordable housing policies and what programs you want to
9 run. So, you can have a lot of input from the community...
10 PART 3 OF 14 ENDS [01:45:04]
11 George Mensa: ... do you want to run? So, you can have
12 a lot of input from the community. You can have an education
13 committee, or you can have something related to, maybe-
14 SPEAKER 13: We would have to give some direction to
15 our theme here, and I guess repost for a new board member and
16 go through that process. Again, I believe it's our
17 commissioner for district five, Commissioner Watson, that
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1 picks that person. So, at least my understanding is it would
2 have to be advertised or go back to the previous advertisement
3 and have someone assigned, have someone selected for the board
4 again, but I would need their direction, the city attorney
5 and Mr. [Mensa's 01:45:44] direction on that. But I think we
6 have to take that up today as well considering what transpired
7 with the previous board member.
8 SPEAKER 14: Sure, just for clarification, that board
9 member that you're referencing, if I'm not mistaken, Mr.
10 George Mensa can attest to what I'm saying. I believe he
11 resigned, as he needed to, in order to be considered for that
12 executive director position.
13 SPEAKER 13: Correct.
14 SPEAKER 14: I'm assuming that obviously that's why
15 he's not present right now, is he's not a board member at
16 this time.
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1 SPEAKER 15: My concern is, I know he resigned. My
2 concern is that I would rather have all the board members
3 present when making a decision for the CEO. Because right now
4 it could be a split that that deciding person is not here.
5 And I would rather, if we're going to do this, this have that
6 deciding person here, I'm very uncomfortable selecting a CEO
7 with the board members at this point.
8 SPEAKER 14: Okay. So, you wish to have a replacement
9 board member and a full complement on the board before
10 proceeding with-
11 SPEAKER 15: Yes.
12 SPEAKER 14: Okay. The other thing, just also for
13 clarification, we have two remaining commission meetings
14 before they go on break for the month of August. We have this
15 upcoming meeting for which there's currently that tentative
16 item for the commission to approve whoever you selected as
17 the CEO, as the executive director. Obviously, if it's still
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1 the will of the board not to proceed with that at this time,
2 that's fine. We would have to defer that item. There's only
3 one other commission meeting. It would be the final meeting
4 in July, like I said before, they take their August break,
5 and then they wouldn't start up again until September.
6 September tends to be busy because there's also the two budget
7 hearings or the city's approval for its fiscal year going
8 forward thereafter. So, it's just for you to be aware. It's
9 just clarification for the board to be mindful of.
10 SPEAKER 15: Okay, let me ask the question. Parallel.
11 Are we able, because right now we still have to fundamentally
12 put things together in order for us to move forward. Even if
13 we selected a CEO today or whatnot, there are still things
14 that needs to be in place. Is it possible, through the board,
15 that in the interim that we can create like a sub -committee,
16 like each board member, let's just say we have affordable
17 housing, we have arts and crafts, or we have business
18 improvement, in a way for us to be much more intimate with
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1 the community that each board member oversees like a small
2 group of people that would pretty much be doing, helping to
3 build a foundation. So, when the CEO does come on board, that
4 we're still hitting the ground running. Is that something
5 that we can do worst case scenario if we don't pick a board
6 member today?
7 George Mensa: I think this is probably... I don't know
8 if it's a legal question. But, I think that the board can
9 consider this. What you are saying is that you are looking to
10 form various subcommittees of the board and which would
11 include members of the community who are not necessarily on
12 the board. I think you have the ability to do that. I think
13 that it's even a nice way of doing it, because what happens
14 is that now you are bringing the entire community closer to
15 the trust. Because members of the community will now have to
16 serve on... Maybe let's say you have an affordable housing
17 committee, members or the community, maybe four or five
18 members who are not on the board can now help guide what your
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affordable housing policies and what programs you want to
run. So, it can have a lot of input from the community.
3 George Mensa: You can have an education committee, or
4 you can have something related to maybe business development
5 committee, where you can have people who have businesses in
6 the community as part of it. So, they can help the board or
7 the trust think broadly about what the business community
8 needs and how you can help the business community. So, I think
9 that's a great idea. And obviously that does not necessarily
10 require a staff person, even though a staff person will be
11 the one that will help organize all these things. Because
12 organizing meetings, finding places for meetings, they all
13 take time. And typically, you need a staff person who will be
14 able to do that. And So, with a CEO in place, it's easier to
15 do that. Now, if members of the board decide that they want
16 to take that responsibility themselves and organize their own
17 meetings, definitely that could be done.
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1 George Mensa: So, you can each select to be a member,
2 like somebody can decide to be, okay, I'll be in charge of
3 affordable housing and they will recruit members of the
4 community to be on the affordable housing, call it task force,
5 for lack of a better word. And then they will organize the
6 meetings and discuss the affordable housing topic, which they
7 will bring to the board for general discussion and
8 implementation. So, yeah, that's a great idea. It could be
9 done. It would have been better though, if you have staff
10 people that can coordinate all that. But if the board members
11 are willing and able to do that, yes, I think that can be
12 implemented.
13 SPEAKER 14: Chair. If I may also elaborate on what
14 Mr. Mensah just finished commenting on. He is correct, the
15 board has the authority to establish subcommittees for
16 different needs. The only thing is to be mindful of the
17 Sunshine Law still applies, So, you can have more than one
18 board member, unless it's been a properly noticed and
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advertised public meeting, but otherwise you have Sunshine
Law issues.
3 SPEAKER 16: And also Chair, I wanted to address
4 something, regarding taking the CEO today. I was told that
5 not everyone was able to make it because of short notice. I
6 personally would like to speak to everyone that I have here
7 present in front of me on paper. I think I see Miss Sabrina
8 Paul -Noel; I believe [inaudible 01:52:56], and I'm going to
9 assume, that I have a picture of you, that you're [Rigi Alexis
10 01:53:00] location. That was just a joke. But is Aria Morrell
11 here? And Guerlain Liebherr.
12 George Mensa: Aria wasn't able to make it because he
13 has a prior engagement. So, what we had indicated was that if
14 it's time for that, he should be available through the phone.
15 So, in case you need to talk to him, we can arrange for
16 communications to get him on the phone.
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1 SPEAKER 16: I personally like to talk to people in
2 person. I think that gives you a better idea of who they are
3 versus a phone conversation.
4 George Mensa: I agree with you.
5 SPEAKER 16: That's my personal... And also Mr.
6 [Levinson 01:53:48] Julio is not here, as also [Kavi Defec
7 01:53:52]. So, of the resumes here, we have three present and
8 the others couldn't make it because they didn't have enough
9 notice. So, just to be fair, I don't know how you guys feel
10 about that. Perhaps we could reschedule sooner rather than
11 later. Ms. [Dizzier 01:54:15] if something's available in the
12 next week or so?
13 Ms. Dizzier: With the anticipation of this meeting
14 going over and not having enough time, there were two dates
15 already preselected based on the availability of the chambers
16 for next week to get a special meeting in prior to the
17 commission meeting to be held on Thursday, July 8th. So, those
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1 two dates that are tentative would be Tuesday, July 6. And
2 the timeframe for that would be between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
3 And then Wednesday, July 7th with the timeframe of 12:00 PM
4 to 4:00 PM.
5 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Well, it looks like we've gotten,
6 I would say, about one thing of the-
7 George Mensa: business development committee,
8 where you can have people who have businesses in the community
9 as part of it. So, they can help the board or the trust think
10 broadly about what the business community needs and how you
11 can help the business community. So, I think that's a great
12 idea. And obviously that does not necessarily require a staff
13 person, even though a staff person will be the one that will
14 help organize all these things. Because organizing meetings,
15 finding places for meetings, they all take time. And
16 typically, you need a staff person who will be able to do
17 that. And So, with a CEO in place, it's easier to do that.
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1 George Mensa: Now, if members of the board decide that
2 they want to take that responsibility themselves and organize
3 their own meetings, definitely that could be done. So, you
4 can each select to be a member, like somebody can decide to
5 be, okay, I'll be in charge of affordable housing and they
6 will recruit members of the community to be on the affordable
7 housing, call it task force, for lack of a better word. And
8 then they will organize the meetings and discuss the
9 affordable housing topic, which they will bring to the board
10 for general discussion and implementation. So, yeah, that's
11 a great idea. It could be done. It would have been better
12 though, if you have staff people that can coordinate all that.
13 But if the board members are willing and able to do that,
14 yes, I think that can be implemented.
15 SPEAKER 14: Chair. If I may also elaborate on what
16 Mr. Mensah just finished commenting on. He is correct, the
17 board has the authority to establish subcommittees for
18 different needs. The only thing is to be mindful of the
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Sunshine Law still applies, So, you can have more than one
board member, unless it's been a properly noticed and
advertised public meeting, but otherwise you have Sunshine
Law issues.
5 SPEAKER 16: And also Chair, I wanted to address
6 something, regarding taking the CEO today. I was told that
7 not everyone was able to make it because of short notice. I
8 personally would like to speak to everyone that I have here
9 present in front of me on paper. I think I see Miss Sabrina
10 Paul -Noel; I believe [inaudible 01:57:55] , and I'm going to
11 assume, that I have a picture of you, that you're [Rigi Alexis
12 01 : 58 : 04 ] . Location. That was just a joke. But is Aria Morrell
13 here? And Guerlain Liebherr.
14 George Mensa: Aria wasn't able to make it because he
15 has a prior engagement. So, what we had indicated was that if
16 it's time for that, he should be available through the phone.
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So, in case you need to talk to him, we can arrange for
communications to get him on the phone.
3 SPEAKER 16: I personally like to talk to people in
4 person. I think that gives you a better idea of who they are
5 versus a phone conversation.
6 George Mensa: I agree with you.
7 SPEAKER 16: That's my personal... And also Mr.
8 [Levinson 01:58:48] Julio is not here, as also [Kavi Defec
9 01:58:53]. So, of the resumes here, we have three present and
10 the others couldn't make it because they didn't have enough
11 notice. So, just to be fair, I don't know how you guys feel
12 about that. Perhaps we could reschedule sooner rather than
13 later. Ms. [Dizzier 01:59:16], if something's available in
14 the next week or so?
15 Ms. Dizzier: With the anticipation of this meeting
16 going over and not having enough time, there were two dates
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1 already preselected based on the availability of the chambers
2 for next week, to get a special meeting in prior to the
3 commission meeting to be held on Thursday, July 8th. So, those
4 two dates that are tentative would be Tuesday, July 6. And
5 the timeframe for that would be between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
6 And then Wednesday, July 7th with the timeframe of 12:00 PM
7 to 4:00 PM.
8 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Well, it looks like we've gotten,
9 I would say, about one thing of the list in front of us today
10 So, far. Do you think we'll need four hours?
11 Ms. Dizzier: Well, that time block was scheduled just
12 with anticipation of going through the candidates. So, it is
13 available. And if you guys finish early, if you decide that
14 you need a shorter timeframe, I don't think that's an issue
15 of making it shorter. The only reason I scheduled those
16 timeframes is because should you need more time than we need
17 to make sure that we had the chambers available.
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1 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Thank you So, much.
2 Ms. Dizzier: You're welcome.
3 SPEAKER 16: So, if we can pick July 6, is that
4 something that's doable for everyone here?
5 SPEAKER 14: Oh, July 7th is more-
6 SPEAKER 16: I think she said six and eight.
7 Ms. Dizzier: No correction. It's July 6, between the
8 hours of 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM or July 7th, between the hours
9 of 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM. The reason being the city commission
10 meeting is July 8th. So, whatever you guys need to discuss
11 and get approved prior to Mr. Mensah going to the commission
12 meeting, it needs to happen before Thursday.
13 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
14 SPEAKER 14: July 7th is better for me.
15 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Everyone else, July 7th?
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1 SPEAKER 13: Chair, if I may.
2 Chair: Yes.
3 SPEAKER 13: I am a bit confused, because I agree
4 wholeheartedly with having everyone here in person to speak
5 with, I'm on board with you, but it doesn't resolve us having
6 the other board member and it doesn't resolve the master plan
7 budget issue.
8 SPEAKER 16: Well, the master plan, we're going to get
9 a copy of the Little Havana plan So, that we can use it as a
10 draft, that was already addressed with Mr. Mensah, which I
11 think he can send it to us by email. And maybe, I was not
12 following properly, but I believe that we shall have a new
13 board member for the next meeting, hopefully?
14 George Mensa: No, you can't have a new board member for
15 the next meeting, unless you may do it after July 8th. Just
16 because of the fact that a new board member has to be approved
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1 by city commission. I know that there's talks about a new...
2 Because I think based on the application that was received,
3 they can just go and pick up one and then have it approve on
4 the eighth? So, I think the earliest probably will be on the
5 ninth where you have a new board member be able to attend.
6 SPEAKER 16: Is that data available Ms. Dizzier?
7 Ms. Dizzier: I would have to verify on the schedule.
8 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
9 George Mensa: Friday, July 9th. Can you check on the
10 schedule to see if it's available?
11 Ms. Dizzier: Any particular time?
12 SPEAKER 16: I think the 12:00 to 4:00 is the time
13 that seems to be working for everyone. I don't know if
14 something earlier in the morning would be...
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1 Ms. Dizzier: Okay, I'll see what's available. And then
2 I'll just block off the times and let you guys know.
3 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Thank you.
4 SPEAKER 13: So, for clarity, we're good. I think that
5 if it's okay with the chair that we should memorialize that
6 we'd like to use the other templates for the other
7 neighborhoods, like Little Havana, we should vote on that and
8 be okay with that and give clear direction, 100% good with
9 that. And then address the situation with the other board
10 member and decide whether we want to hear from the folks that
11 are here today to be a little more expedient and then hear
12 from the other folks that are unable to be here today at
13 another time. And figure out our process going forward, to be
14 able to move as quickly as possible. Since we're here today,
15 since we're all assembled, maybe we divide it up into two to
16 keep the meetings more brief. I mean, just my thoughts, my
17 suggestion.
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1 SPEAKER 16: Chair if I may?
2 Chair: Yes.
3 SPEAKER 16: How do you guys feel about doing partial
4 today and then the other folks coming next week? Would you
5 like to be there amongst them or are you comfortable with
6 splitting it?
7 Ms. Dizzier: I'm sorry.
8
Chair: Hold on. Someone wants to speak, please.
9 Ms. Dizzier: You can come to the podium to speak, and
10 please state your name before you speak.
11 Sabrina Lourdes...: Good afternoon. My name is Sabrina
12 Lourdes Paul -Noel. And I would prefer to be amongst the other
13 candidates as well.
14 Ms. Dizzier: Okay.
15 Sabrina Lourdes...: Thank you.
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1 Rigi Alexis: Hello board. This is Rigi Alexis and
2 probably have a cold So, my voice is a little bad. But I
3 prefer to be amongst the candidates as well.
4 SPEAKER 16: Mr. [Alyse 02:05:05].
5 Mr. Alyse: Good afternoon, everyone, I will defer to
6 the will of the board and the other candidates.
7 SPEAKER 16: ... in front of us today So, far. Do you
8 think that we'll need four hours?
9 Ms. Dizzier: Well, that time block was scheduled just
10 with anticipation of going through the candidates. So, it is
11 available. And if you guys finish early, if you decide that
12 you need a shorter timeframe, I don't think that's an issue
13 of making it shorter. The only reason I scheduled those
14 timeframes is because should you need more time, then we need
15 to make sure that we had the chambers available.
16 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Thank you So, much.
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Ms. Dizzier: You're welcome.
2 SPEAKER 16: So, if we can pick July 6, is that
3 something that's doable for everyone here?
4 SPEAKER 14: Oh, July 7th is more-
5 SPEAKER 16: I think she said six and eight.
6 Ms. Dizzier: No correction. It's July 6, between the
7 hours of 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM or July 7th, between the hours
8 of 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Reason being the city commission
9 meeting is July 8th. So, whatever you guys need to discuss
10 and get approved prior to Mr. Mensah going to the commission
11 meeting, it needs to happen before Thursday.
12 SPEAKER 14: July 7th is better for me.
13 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Everyone else. July 7th.
14 SPEAKER 13: Chair, if I may?
15 Chair: Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 13: I am a bit confused, because I agree
2 wholeheartedly with having everyone here in person to speak
3 with, I'm on board with you, but it doesn't resolve us having
4 the other board member and it doesn't resolve the master plan
5 budget issue.
6 SPEAKER 16: Well, the master plan, we're going to get
7 a copy of the Little Havana plan So, that we can use it as a
8 draft, that was already addressed with Mr. Mensah, which I
9 think he can send it to us by email. And maybe, I was not
10 following properly, but I believe that we shall have a new
11 board member for the next meeting, hopefully?
12 George Mensa: No, you can't have a new board member for
13 the next meeting, unless you may do it after July 8th. Just
14 because of the fact that a new board member has to be approved
15 by city commission. I know that there's talks about a new...
16 Because I think based on the application that was received,
17 they can just go and pick up one and then have it approved on
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1 the eighth? So, I think the earliest probably will be on the
2 ninth where you have a new board member be able to attend.
3 SPEAKER 16: Is that date available, Ms. Dizzier?
4 Ms. Dizzier: I would have to verify it on the
5 schedule.
6 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
7 George Mensa: Friday, July 9th. Can you check on the
8 schedule to see if it's available?
9 Ms. Dizzier: Any particular time?
10 SPEAKER 16: I think the 12:00 to 4:00 is the time
11 that seems to be working for everyone. I don't know if
12 something earlier in the morning would be...
13 Ms. Dizzier: Okay, I'll see what's available. And then
14 I'll just block off the times and let you guys know.
15 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Thank you.
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1 SPEAKER 13: So, for clarity, we're good. I think that
2 if it's okay with the chair that we should memorialize that
3 we'd like to use the other templates for the other
4 neighborhoods, like Little Havana, we should vote on that and
5 be okay with that and give clear direction, 100% good with
6 that. And then address the situation with the other board
7 member and decide whether we want to hear from the folks that
8 are here today to be a little more expedient and then hear
9 from the other folks that are unable to be here today at
10 another time. And figure out our process going forward, to be
11 able to move as quickly as possible. Since we're here today,
12 since we're all assembled, maybe we divide it up into two to
13 keep the meetings more brief. I mean, just my thoughts, my
14 suggestion.
15 SPEAKER 16: Chair if I may?
16 Chair: Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 16: How do you guys feel about doing partial
2 today and then the other folks coming next week? Would you
3 like to be there amongst them or are you comfortable with
4 splitting it?
5 Ms. Dizzier: I'm sorry.
6
Chair: Hold on. Someone wants to speak, please.
7 SPEAKER 16: You can come to the podium to speak. And
8 please state your name before you speak.
9 Sabrina Lourdes...: Good afternoon. My name is Sabrina
10 Lourdes Paul -Noel. And I would prefer to be amongst the other
11 candidates as well.
12 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
13 Sabrina Lourdes...: Thank you.
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1 Rigi Alexis: Hello board. This is Rigi Alexis and
2 probably have a cold So, my voice is a little bad. But I
3 prefer to be amongst the candidates as well.
4 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Mr. Alyse.
5 Mr. Alyse: Good afternoon, everyone. I will defer to
6 the will of the board and the other candidates.
7 SPEAKER 16: Thank you So, much. Are we all okay with
8 that?
9 SPEAKER 15: Oh yeah. One more person.
10 KEVI DUFRANK: Good morning, [Kevi DuFrank 02:10:23]
11 everyone. I personally don't mind. However, I'm driving from
12 Tampa, So, it's up to you guys.
13 SPEAKER 16: So, did you want to be interviewed today
14 or would you like to come back next week with everyone? That's
15 a choice you have to make.
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1 Kevi DuFrank: I like to do it today.
2 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
3 Kevi DuFrank: Thank you.
4 Ms. Dizzier: Just for clarification, next Friday, July
5 9th is completely open. So, whatever time you guys decide,
6 the calendar does show availability for Friday, July 9th.
7 George Mensa: I think for Friday you probably should do
8 it in the morning.
9 Ms. Dizzier: Correct. Okay.
10 SPEAKER 15: Everybody agree with July morning? What
11 time is available in the morning?
12 Ms. Dizzier: The entire morning.
13 SPEAKER 16: Which starts at 10:00.
14 George Mensa: 10:00 is fine. Yeah.
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1 Ms. Dizzier: 10:00 is a good time.
2 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Does that work for everybody?
3 Ms. Dizzier: I guess we don't get stuck in that crazy
4 morning traffic.
5 SPEAKER 14: Yes. July 9th works for me.
6 Chair: Hold on. We got one other candidate who'd like
7 to say something.
8 SPEAKER 17: Chair, if I may. One clarification. I
9 feel like it'd be important to leverage the time we have now,
10 if we have in mind discussing the interview process, and I
11 wouldn't have no problem coming back the second time around.
12 But I think leveraging the people and the time that we have
13 right now would be beneficial, in my opinion.
14
SPEAKER 16: Okay.
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1 George Mensa: Mr. [Kay 02:12:01], just So, you know, if
2 you're going to talk to anyone, what I'll prefer to do is to
3 get the rest of them out to the back here So, they don't
4 basically have a sense of your discussion with the individual.
5 So, that they can get a true sense of how things are. So, if
6 you're ready and you want to talk to anybody, just give me a
7 heads up So, I can get the rest of the candidates into a
8 separate room.
9 SPEAKER 15: Okay. So, let's find out if that's the
10 direction that we want to go in right now. Chair, motion to
11 interview people that agree to be interviewed right now.
12 SPEAKER 13: We have three motions, but that's okay.
13 Of the things that we've discussed to be able to provide clear
14 direction.
15 Male: Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 13: Okay. First motion. Motion to use the
2 Little Havana master plan template for the Little Haiti Trust
3 in the interim.
4 SPEAKER 16: Yes.
5 Male: I second.
6 SPEAKER 15: Motion approved. Anybody opposed?
7 SPEAKER 13: No. I even have both of the moment.
8 Female: I'm So, sorry.
9 SPEAKER 13: That's okay. Second motion or a
10 suggestion. I don't know if it necessarily needs a full
11 motion. But a suggestion to our District Five commissioner,
12 Commissioner Watson, to select a new board member to have the
13 selection ready for next week's 7th, 8th commission meeting.
14 SPEAKER 14: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for interrupting.
15 It's right on point with what the board members making mention
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of right now. The clerk just brought to my attention that the
District Five commissioner already has an appointment, a
replacement. And per the code, there's a 10 day notice
requirement of an appointment. That said, it wouldn't have
been in time to have made this next commission meeting next
week, which is July 8th. That said, it will be on the
following commission meeting, the final commission meeting in
July, which I believe is July 22nd.
9 SPEAKER 13: Chair, can I ask the city attorney a
10 question?
11 Chair: Yes.
12 SPEAKER 13: Even though that it has already been
13 posted. And if the commissioner is selecting from the original
14 people that submitted their qualifications, there's still a
15 10 day notice requirement.
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1 SPEAKER 14: Yes. Yes. That is pursuant to the code.
2 Otherwise, this would have been on this next commission
3 meeting agenda for this next week, July 8th.
4 SPEAKER 13: So, we will not have a board member until
5 the second meeting in July?
6 SPEAKER 14: Right. You will not have a full
7 complement until they are after.
8 SPEAKER 13: So, then, that goes to your point chair
9 of having all the board members. So, then we're back to square
10 one with the meeting on the Friday after the commission
11 meeting, because we don't have a full board still.
12 SPEAKER 14: Chair, if I may elaborate or add to that.
13 The code does not prevent you from being able to move forward.
14 You still have-
15 SPEAKER 16: Thank you So, much. Are we all okay with
16 that?
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SPEAKER 15: Yeah. One more person.
Kevi DuFrank: Good morning, Kevi DuFrank everyone. I
personally don't mind. However, I'm driving from Tampa, So,
it's up to you guys.
5 SPEAKER 16: So, did you want to be interviewed today
6 or would you like to come back next week with everyone? That's
7 a choice you have to make.
8 Kevi DuFrank: I like to do it today.
9 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
10 Kevi DuFrank: Thank you.
11 Ms. Dizzier: Just for clarification, next Friday, July
12 9th is completely open. So, whatever time you guys decide,
13 the calendar does show availability for Friday, July 9th.
14
George Mensa: I think for Friday you probably should do
15 it in the morning.
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1 Ms. Dizzier: Correct.
2 SPEAKER 16: Okay.
3 SPEAKER 15: Everybody agree with July morning? What
4 time is available in the morning?
5 Ms. Dizzier: The entire morning,
6 SPEAKER 16: Which starts at 10:00?
7 George Mensa: 10:00 is fine. Yeah.
8 Ms. Dizzier: 10:00 is a good time.
9 SPEAKER 16: Okay. Does that work for everybody?
10 Ms. Dizzier: I guess we don't get stuck in that crazy
11 morning traffic.
12 SPEAKER 15: Yes. July 9th works for me.
13 Chair: Hold on. We got one other candidate who'd like
14 to say something.
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1 SPEAKER 17: Chair, if I may. One clarification. I
2 feel like it'd be important to leverage the time we have now,
3 if we have in mind discussing the interview process, and I
4 wouldn't have no problem coming back the second time around.
5 But I think leveraging the people and the time that we have
6 right now would be beneficial, in my opinion.
7 George Mensa: Mr. Kay, just So, you know, if you're
8 going to talk to anyone, what I'll prefer to do is to get the
9 rest of them out to the back here So, they don't basically
10 have a sense of your discussion with the individual. So, that
11 they can get a true sense of how things are. So, if you're
12 ready and you want to talk to anybody, just give me a heads
13 up So, I can get the rest of the candidates into a separate
14 room.
15 SPEAKER 15: Okay. So, let's find out if that's the
16 direction that we want to go in right now. Chair, motion to
17 interview people that agree to be interviewed right now.
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1 SPEAKER 13: We have three motions, but that's okay.
2 Of the things that we've discussed to be able to provide clear
3 direction.
4 Male: Yes.
5 SPEAKER 13: Okay. First motion. Motion to use the
6 Little Havana master plan template for the Little Haiti Trust
7 in the interim.
8 SPEAKER 16: Yes.
9 Male: I second.
10 SPEAKER 15: Motion approved. Anybody opposed?
11 SPEAKER 13: No. I even have both of the moment.
12 Female: I'm So, sorry.
13 SPEAKER 13: That's okay. Second motion or a
14 suggestion. I don't know if it necessarily needs a full
15 motion. But a suggestion to our District Five commissioner,
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Commissioner Watson, to select a new board member to have the
selection ready for next week's 7th, 8th commission meeting.
3 SPEAKER 14: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for interrupting.
4 It's right on point with what the board members making mention
5 of right now. The clerk just brought to my attention that the
6 District Five commissioner already has an appointment, a
7 replacement. And per the code, there's a 10 day notice
8 requirement of an appointment. That said, it wouldn't have
9 been in time to have made this next commission meeting next
10 week, which is July 8th. That said, it will be on the
11 following commission meeting, the final commission meeting in
12 July, which I believe is July 22nd.
13 SPEAKER 13: Chair, can I ask the city attorney a
14 question?
15 Chair: Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 13: Even though that it has already been
2 posted. And if the commissioner is selecting from the original
3 people that submitted their qualifications, there's still a
4 10 day notice requirement.
5 SPEAKER 14: Yes. Yes. That is pursuant to the code.
6 Otherwise, this would have been on this next commission
7 meeting agenda for this next week, July 8th.
8 SPEAKER 13: So, we will not have a board member until
9 the second meeting in July?
10 SPEAKER 14: Right. You will not have a full
11 complement until they are after.
12 SPEAKER 13: So, then, that goes to your point chair
13 of having all the board members. So, then we're back to square
14 one with the meeting on the Friday after the commission
15 meeting, because we don't have a full board still.
16 SPEAKER 14: Chair, if I may elaborate...
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1 PART 4 OF 14 ENDS [02:20:04]
2 Jay Rhodes: Chaired by me elaborate or add to that.
3 The code does not prevent you from being able to move forward.
4 You still have quorum, and that's what you would need for the
5 purposes of being able to meet and obviously being able to
6 decide to move forward. I know that it would be ideal if you
7 had a full body, but in light of the circumstances and the
8 time constraints and the urgency, obviously it's the will of
9 the board how you wish to move forward, but I just wanted you
10 to be aware.
11 SPEAKER 21: And I have a question.
12 Jay Rhodes: Yes ma'am
13 SPEAKER 21: Can that rule be amended if necessary?
14 Jay Rhodes: Yes, it is possible to amend the code
15 sections that dictate and regulate the board. That's by way
16 of an ordinance that requires two separate readings at two
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1 separate commission meetings: it's a separate process. But it
2 is possible. It's not something that can happen immediately
3 or automatically. It would require bringing an ordinance to
4 the commission and two readings of that ordinance, at two
5 separate meetings.
6 SPEAKER 21: Well, I would like for it to see if it
7 could be amended. I don't know how everyone else feels, but
8 I just don't want to wait until the second till the end of
9 the month, because that kind of delays what we're trying to
10 do.
11 Jay Rhodes: You're talking about amending the 10 day
12 notice requirement?
13 SPEAKER 21: Yes.
14 Jay Rhodes: Okay. That, I'll have to look into,
15 because that might be statutory as well; that notice
16 requirement. And if it is, that's a different story.
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SPEAKER 21: If we could make it seven days?
2 Jay Rhodes: I will look into that. Again, I think
3 that's set by state statute, and So, we keep in order with or
4 in line with. The state requirements are statutorily, but I
5 will confirm that. That's the impression I'm under at this
6 time: I will confirm that for you.
7 SPEAKER 21: Thank you very much.
8 Jay Rhodes: No problem.
9 SPEAKER 20: Okay. Yes.
10 SPEAKER 19: Yes. To what she's saying, instead of
11 amending it, is there a form for a waiver for this, since
12 this was already advertised? Instead of fully amending
13 something and defeating the purpose by going through two
14 commission readings, just like the person having to wait the
15 10 days and making it to the second commission meeting in
16 July, is there a waiver for this, since there's waivers for
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1 other things like addresses or city employees or things of
2 that nature? Could this have a waiver for this one thing
3 instead of amending it for all the boards and committees
4 citywide?
5 Jay Rhodes: Through the chair of course. It's really
6 two separate issues. One is if we can amend the code, and
7 obviously we can by way of an ordinance; the other issue is
8 whether this is a statutory requirement that we are reflecting
9 in our own code, in which case if it's statutorily required,
10 we can simply do away with that requirement by amending our
11 own code.
12 SPEAKER 19: Okay, can we figure that portion out, So,
13 that we can make a motion and a formal decision? I guess we're
14 on hold up here until we understand that. So, I'm not sure
15 how to...
16 Jay Rhodes: Well again, you're not precluded due to
17 the absence of one board member, from being able to engage in
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your official duties. You still have the quorum necessary to
meet and to discuss items and to take a vote on them.
3 SPEAKER 19: I completely understand, but that seems
4 to be the preference of the majority of the board. So, I would
5 like to respect the preference of my fellow board members if
6 they want the additional person to be here. I see their point.
7 Jay Rhodes: Unfortunately, due to the time
8 constraints you're dealing with-
9 SPEAKER 19: I hear you completely. And quite the
10 contrary, I hear you.
11 Jay Rhodes: In an ideal world, yes it would be ideal
12 to have a complete body. But you're dealing with certain time
13 constraints. And again, it's the will of the board how
14 ultimately you choose to proceed. But due to your time
15 constraints, you may have to choose otherwise from what would
16 be the ideal and a move.
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1 SPEAKER 19: Okay, thank you Rhodes. I appreciate the
2 insight.
3 Jay Rhodes: But that's entirely the will of the
4 board.
5 SPEAKER 19: Chair, So, I want to then, as a point of
6 housekeeping, to rescind my second motion of talking to our
7 district commissioner. It's no longer needed, since I
8 understand he has his selection already. So, I want to take
9 my emotion off the table. And then as far as the date for
10 next Friday, I suppose that we have to make a decision up
11 here, how we want to proceed, and then address that
12 secondarily.
13 Jay Rhodes: Quorum, and that's what you would need
14 for the purposes of being able to meet, and obviously being
15 able to decide and move forward. I know that it would be ideal
16 if you had a full body. But in light of the circumstances and
17 the time constraints and the urgency, obviously it's the will
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1 of the board, how you wish to move forward. But I just wanted
2 you to be aware.
3 SPEAKER 21: And I have a question.
4 Jay Rhodes: Yes ma'am
5 SPEAKER 21: Can that rule be amended if necessary?
6 Jay Rhodes: Yes, it is possible to amend the code
7 sections that dictate and regulate the board. That's by way
8 of an ordinance that requires two separate readings at two
9 separate commission meetings: it's a separate process. But it
10 is possible. It's not something that can happen immediately
11 or automatically. It would require bringing an ordinance to
12 the commission and two readings of that ordinance at two
13 separate meetings.
14 SPEAKER 21: Well, I would like for it to see if it
15 could be amended. I don't know how everyone else feels, but
16 I just don't want to wait until the second till the end of
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the month, because that kind of delays what we're trying to
do.
3 Jay Rhodes: You're talking about amending the 10 day
4 notice requirement?
5 SPEAKER 21: Yes,.
6 Jay Rhodes: Okay. That, I'll have to look into
7 because that might be statutory as well; that notice
8 requirement. And if it is, that's a different story.
9 SPEAKER 21: If we could make it seven days?
10 Jay Rhodes: I will look into that. Again, I think
11 that's set by state statute, and So, we keep in order with or
12 in line with. The state requirements are statutorily, but I
13 will confirm that. That's the impression I'm under at this
14 time: I will confirm that for you.
15 SPEAKER 21: Thank you very much.
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1 Jay Rhodes: No problem.
2 SPEAKER 20: Okay. Yes.
3 SPEAKER 19: Yes. To what she's saying, instead of
4 amending it, is there a form for a waiver for this, since
5 this was already advertised? Instead of fully amending
6 something and defeating the purpose by going through two
7 commission readings, just like the person having to wait the
8 10 days and making it to the second commission meeting in
9 July, is there a waiver for this, since there's waivers for
10 other things like addresses or city employees or things of
11 that nature? Could this have a waiver for this one thing
12 instead of amending it for all the boards and committees
13 citywide?
14 Jay Rhodes: Through the chair of course. It's really
15 two separate issues. One is if we can amend the code, and
16 obviously we can by way of an ordinance; the other issue is
17 whether this is a statutory requirement that we are reflecting
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1 in our own code, in which case if it's statutorily required,
2 we can simply do away with that requirement by amending our
3 own code.
4 SPEAKER 19: Okay, can we figure that portion out, So,
5 that we can make a motion and a formal decision? I guess we're
6 on hold up here until we understand that. So, I ' m not sure
7 how to...
8 Jay Rhodes: Well again, you're not precluded due to
9 the absence of one board member, from being able to engage in
10 your official duties. You still have the quorum necessary to
11 meet and to discuss items and to take a vote on them.
12 SPEAKER 19: I completely understand, but that seems
13 to be the preference of the majority of the board. So, I would
14 like to respect the preference of my fellow board members if
15 they want the additional person to be here. I see their point.
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1 Jay Rhodes: Unfortunately, due to the time
2 constraints you're dealing with,
3 SPEAKER 19: I hear you completely in quite a
4 quandary. I hear you
5 Jay Rhodes: In an ideal world, yes it would be ideal
6 to have a complete body. But you're dealing with certain time
7 constraints. And again, it's the will of the board how
8 ultimately you choose to proceed. But due to your time
9 constraints, you may have to choose otherwise from what would
10 be the ideal and a move.
11 SPEAKER 19: Okay, thank you Rhodes. I appreciate the
12 insight.
13 Jay Rhodes: But that's entirely the will of the
14 board.
15 SPEAKER 19: Chair, So, I want to then, as a point of
16 housekeeping, to rescind my second motion of talking to our
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1 district commissioner. It's no longer needed, since I
2 understand he has his selection already. So, I want to take
3 my emotion off the table. And then as far as the date for
4 next Friday, I suppose that we have to make a decision up
5 here, how we want to proceed, and then address that
6 secondarily.
7 SPEAKER 21: And if I can, I wanted to ask you, how
8 soon do you think you'll have an answer for us on this
9 amendment issue?
10 Jay Rhodes: Through the board, yes I will look into
11 that immediately for you; in fact, today, and I will
12 communicate the same to Mr.[Mensah 02:30:35], and then he
13 will provide you with that information. I want to say it's
14 based on a statutory requirement. Which, if it is, that
15 requires the state legislature choosing to amend the states'
16 statutory requirement, and then us proceeding accordingly,
17 reflecting that in our code.
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1 SPEAKER 21: Okay. Thank you.
2 Jay Rhodes: You're welcome.
3 SPEAKER 20: All right.
4 SPEAKER 22: I just have one more question, Mr. Chair.
5 I wanted to open up an opportunity to formally decide if we
6 are fine with moving forward without a full body to make any
7 decisions. So, the question is, are we willing to move forward
8 without a full body to make decisions?
9 SPEAKER 20: I'm not okay with moving forward without
10 a full body. I would rather have a full body.
11 SPEAKER 21: I'm not okay we move without having a
12 full body as well, because I don't want to have a tie
13 situation, which will prolong things anyway. And if we can
14 get that answer on the amendment today... There has to be
15 some type of... what's the word I'm looking for? There has to
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be some type of rule that allows us to admin in an emergency.
No?
3 SPEAKER 20: I think Mensah and the attorney will do
4 it, that we put to task. But we definitely got to move
5 forward.
6 Jay Rhodes: I will look into that today, and I will
7 get you that information. If in fact it turns out that it's
8 what I believe, which is a state statutory requirement, then
9 we have to comply with the state's statutes. We have to comply
10 with the notice requirement.
11 SPEAKER 21: I have another question.
12 SPEAKER 20: Yes.
13 SPEAKER 21: Here's my other question. Do you know
14 when the other person was picked? Because perhaps it's been
15 a few days already, are we able to get that information?
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1 Jay Rhodes: The clerk was the one that brought it to
2 my attention, that the commissioner already had a replacement
3 in mind and was already submitting the necessary paperwork
4 and what have you, for the next available meeting, taking
5 into account that 10 day notice period. I don't know exactly
6 when it was that the commissioner came to that determination,
7 but...
8 SPEAKER 21: Well, the reason I'm asking that-
9 SPEAKER 19: Can we have the clerk come back then? Can
10 we have miss Joan come back, So, we can get a definitive
11 answer? And I apologize, Chair, for interjecting, but this
12 really is complicating things, because this is either putting
13 us into August or this is allowing us to deal with these
14 things for the first commission meeting in July on the 8th.
15 So, could we determine what the notice requirement is, when
16 the 10 days began, and could we get some more concrete
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answers? Because this is really making it difficult for us to
make motions and move forward.
3 Jay Rhodes: Well, I can tell you this much, the
4 resignation of the board member that's no longer with the
5 body, that wasn't received until earlier this very week.
6 SPEAKER 21: When this week?
7 Mensah: I think that's the problem. And I know that
8 we're discussing all these things when at your last meeting,
9 there was a whole discussion about somebody resigning or not
10 resigning or something. And that person waited until last
11 minute to resign. The person put in an application June 4th.
12 He could have resigned June 4th, June 5th, June 6th, June
13 7th. They didn't resign until June 28th or something.
14 SPEAKER 19: Chair, if I may, when did [Mr.Nieri
15 02:34:52] actually resigned? Could you tell us if it was the
16 28th, the 29th, the 30th? What day did-
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1 Mensah: It's not based on when he resigned, it's based
2 on their position is declared vacant.
3 SPEAKER 19: Well, is it declared vacant when he
4 resigned?
5 Jay Rhodes: No. Through the board, that was this
6 week.
7 SPEAKER 19: Understood. But if it's on-
8 SPEAKER 21: And if I can, I wanted to ask you how
9 soon do you think you'll have an answer for us on this
10 amendment issue
11 Jay Rhodes: Through the board, yes I will look into
12 that immediately for you; in fact, today, and I will
13 communicate the same to Mr.Mensah, and then he will provide
14 you with that information. I want to say it's based on a
15 statutory requirement. Which, if it is, that requires the
16 state legislature choosing to amend the states' statutory
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1 requirement, and then us proceeding accordingly, reflecting
2 that in our code.
3 SPEAKER 21: Okay. Thank you.
4 Jay Rhodes: You're welcome.
5 SPEAKER 22: I just have one more question, Mr. Chair.
6 I wanted to open up an opportunity to formally decide if we
7 are fine with moving forward without a full body to make any
8 decisions. So, the question is, are we willing to move forward
9 without a full body to make decisions?
10 SPEAKER 20: I'm not okay with moving forward without
11 a full body. I would rather have a full body.
12 SPEAKER 21: I'm not okay we move without having a
13 full body as well, because I don't want to have a tie
14 situation, which will prolong things anyway. And if we can
15 get that answer on the amendment today... There has to be
16 some type of... what's the word I'm looking for? There has to
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be some type of rule that allows us to admin in an emergency.
No?
3 SPEAKER 20: I think Mensah and the attorney will do
4 it, that we put to task. But we definitely got to move
5 forward.
6 Jay Rhodes: I will look into that today, and I will
7 get you that information. If in fact it turns out that it's
8 what I believe, which is a state statutory requirement, then
9 we have to comply with the state' s statutes. We have to comply
10 with the notice requirement.
11 SPEAKER 21: I have another question.
12 SPEAKER 20: Yes.
13 SPEAKER 21: Here's my other question. Do you know
14 when the other person was picked? Because perhaps it's been
15 a few days already, are we able to get that information?
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1 Jay Rhodes: The clerk was the one that brought it to
2 my attention, that the commissioner already had a replacement
3 in mind and was already submitting the necessary paperwork
4 and what have you, for the next available meeting, taking
5 into account that 10 day notice period. I don't know exactly
6 when it was that the commissioner came to that determination,
7 but...
8 SPEAKER 21: Well, the reason I'm asking that-
9 SPEAKER 19: Can we have the clerk come back then? Can
10 we have miss Joan come back, So, we can get a definitive
11 answer? And I apologize, Chair, for interjecting, but this
12 really is complicating things, because this is either putting
13 us into August or this is allowing us to deal with these
14 things for the first commission meeting in July on the 8th.
15 So, could we determine what the notice requirement is, when
16 the 10 days began, and could we get some more concrete
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answers? Because this is really making it difficult for us to
make motions and move forward.
3 Jay Rhodes: Well, I can tell you this much, the
4 resignation of the board member that's no longer with the
5 body, that wasn't received until earlier this very week.
6 SPEAKER 21: When this week?
7 Mensah: I think that's the problem. And I know that
8 we're discussing all these things when at your last meeting,
9 there was a whole discussion about somebody resigning or not
10 resigning or something. And that person waited until last
11 minute to resign. The person put in an application June 4th.
12 He could have resigned June 4th, June 5th, June 6th, June
13 7th. They didn't resign until June 28th or something.
14 SPEAKER 19: Chair, if I may, when did Mr.Nieri
15 actually resigned? Could you tell us if it was the 28th, the
16 29th, the 30th? What day did-
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1 Mensah: It's not based on when he resigned, it's based
2 on their position is declared vacant.
3 SPEAKER 19: Well, is it declared vacant when he
4 resigned?
5 Jay Rhodes: No. Through the board, that was this
6 week.
7 SPEAKER 19: Understood. But if it's on Monday or
8 Tuesday, it gives us the 10 days.
9 SPEAKER 18: Yes.
10 Jay Rhodes: No, but the 10 days is when it's posted
11 that there's going to be a replacement. And that can't be
12 posted any sooner than the resignation is received. The
13 resignation was received... Today's Wednesday. If I'm not
14 mistaken, it was either Monday or yesterday, Tuesday.
15 SPEAKER 19: I don't know. Is it just me? Are there
16 other fellow board members that, if the commission has already
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1 selected someone, what is the... I'm totally not processing
2 all of this information. If there's a replacement that's been
3 selected, the gentleman resigned and it is officially 10 days,
4 I'm not sure what the requirement for the posting is for then.
5 Jay Rhodes: Through the board. I was just informed
6 that apparently there has been a pocket item placed for this
7 next meeting concerning this replacement. So, it will be
8 addressed, apparently, at this next commission meeting next
9 week.
10 SPEAKER 21: So, we can move forward with the date of
11 July 9th?
12 Jay Rhodes: Well, yeah. After the commission has
13 approved the replacement board member, yes then you will have
14 that board member present. They'll have to take their oath,
15 and then they'll officially be a part of the body.
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1 SPEAKER 21: And the commission meets on the 8th,
2 correct?
3 Jay Rhodes: The commission meets on the 8th.
4 SPEAKER 21: So, then we can safely, hopefully say
5 that the new board member will become the 9th and we'll be
6 able to move forward?
7 Jay Rhodes: Yes. That's the thing with a pocket item;
8 it wasn't part of the normal regular agenda. And sometimes
9 that'll happen, and it's due to a lack of being able to meet
10 the deadlines because of information or different other
11 factors that come into play. But yes there's a pocket item,
12 and it will be decided upon on the 8th.
13 SPEAKER 21: That resolves that issue.
14 SPEAKER 20: Just to be noted, it's very clear how
15 selfish that is board member was, and how he designed this
16 whole thing and did what he did. I am very disappointed,
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1 because it's very clear that everybody's not on the same page
2 and everybody's not looking at the goal of trying to make
3 this a success. So, this is just something that we have to
4 always keep in mind when we're working together.
5 SPEAKER 19: In that spirit, if I may address the City
6 Attorney.
7 SPEAKER 20: Yes.
8 SPEAKER 19: Okay. Mr. Attorney, and for that matter,
9 Mr.Mensah. So, in being positive, the pocket item is heard in
10 the commission meeting next Thursday, and the person is
11 approved and selected, and we are good to go. Can an item
12 please be added to the agenda that this tentative meeting
13 that we're discussing, for 7/9 on Friday, that whomever this
14 person is, be placed on this agenda to be sworn in like we
15 all were previously, So, that we can have this be the most
16 efficient process as possible and keep this moving. We'd like
17 to try to address as much business as we can and give as much
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1 direction as we can. So, if all goes well, and our temporary
2 master plan is accepted, we have that ready to go, our budget
3 is ready to go, this next person is ready to go. If that can
4 all be placed on the following Friday's agenda, I think that
5 that would be the most efficient, and gets us to where we're
6 trying to get at this point with all our board members, and
7 keeps us on track, So, we don't run out of time.
8 Mensah: Yes. Definitely the first order of business
9 will be the swearing in of the new board member, again on the
10 9th.
11 SPEAKER 20: Okay. Moving forward guys, we still
12 haven't addressed the issue with the candidates that we have
13 right now, because they're still here and we still haven't
14 addressed them.
15 SPEAKER 24: Two of them want to be interviewed today.
16 SPEAKER 20: If we're going to do that... Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 23: Good afternoon again. In reference to
2 wanting to wait until the other candidates are available,
3 that would be a preference. However, if we are going to move
4 forward today, I would like to be considered for today as
5 well.
6 SPEAKER 19: Okay.
7 SPEAKER 20: Okay. Motion to move forward with
8 candidates. We're good with that?
9 SPEAKER 19: I just have a friendly amendment. I would
10 like to observe what Mr.Mensah suggested that we hear from
11 one at a time, and the rest are put in the District 5 office
12 or somewhere else, that they're moved, So, we speak to just
13 one person at a time.
14 SPEAKER 18: That is correct. That is what Mr.Mensah
15 did state.
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1 SPEAKER 19: And then on Tuesday, it gives us the 10
2 days.
3 SPEAKER 18: Yes.
4 Jay Rhodes: No, but the 10 days is when it's posted
5 that there's going to be a replacement. And that can't be
6 posted any sooner than the resignation is received. The
7 resignation was received... Today's Wednesday. If I'm not
8 mistaken, it was either Monday or yesterday, Tuesday.
9 SPEAKER 19: I don't know. Is it just me? Are there
10 other fellow board members that, if the commission has already
11 selected someone, what is the... I'm totally not processing
12 all of this information. If there's a replacement that's been
13 selected, the gentleman resigned and it is officially 10 days,
14 I'm not sure what the requirement for the posting is for then.
15 Jay Rhodes: Through the board. I was just informed
16 that apparently there has been a pocket item placed for this
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next meeting concerning this replacement. So, it will be
addressed, apparently, at this next commission meeting next
week.
4 SPEAKER 21: So, we can move forward with the date of
5 July 9th?
6 Jay Rhodes: The commission meets on the 8th.
7 SPEAKER 21: So, then we can safely, hopefully say
8 that the new board member will become the 9th and we'll be
9 able to move forward?
10 Jay Rhodes: Yes. That's the thing with a pocket item;
11 it wasn't part of the normal regular agenda. And sometimes
12 that'll happen, and it's due to a lack of being able to meet
13 the deadlines because of information or different other
14 factors that come into play. But yes there's a pocket item,
15 and it will be decided upon on the 8th.
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1 SPEAKER 21: So, then we can safely hopefully say that
2 the new board member will be, they will be able to move
3 forward. Yes,
4 Jay Rhodes: I wasn't. That's the thing with a pocket
5 item. It wasn't part of the normal regular agenda and
6 sometimes that'll happen. And it's due to a lack of being
7 able to meet the deadlines because of information or
8 different, different other F other factors that come into
9 play. But yes, there's a pocket item and it will be decided
10 upon on the eighth
11 SPEAKER 21: That resolves that issue.
12 SPEAKER 20: Just to be noted, it's very clear how
13 selfish that is board member was, and how he designed this
14 whole thing and did what he did. I am very disappointed,
15 because it's very clear that everybody's not on the same page
16 and everybody's not looking at the goal of trying to make
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this a success. So, this is just something that we have to
always keep in mind when we're working together.
3 SPEAKER 19: In that spirit, if I may address the City
4 Attorney.
5 SPEAKER 20: Yes.
6 SPEAKER 19: Okay. Mr. Attorney, and for that matter,
7 Mr. Mensah. So, in being positive, the pocket item is heard
8 in the commission meeting next Thursday, and the person is
9 approved and selected, and we are good to go. Can an item
10 please be added to the agenda that this tentative meeting
11 that we're discussing, for 7/9 on Friday, that whomever this
12 person is, be placed on this agenda to be sworn in like we
13 all were previously, So, that we can have this be the most
14 efficient process as possible and keep this moving. We'd like
15 to try to address as much business as we can and give as much
16 direction as we can. So, if all goes well, and our temporary
17 master plan is accepted, we have that ready to go, our budget
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1 is ready to go, this next person is ready to go. If that can
2 all be placed on the following Friday's agenda, I think that
3 that would be the most efficient, and gets us to where we're
4 trying to get at this point with all our board members, and
5 keeps us on track, So, we don't run out of time.
6 Mensah: Yes. Definitely the first order of business
7 will be the swearing in of the new board member, again on the
8 9th.
9 SPEAKER 20: Okay. Moving forward guys, we still
10 haven't addressed the issue with the candidates that we have
11 right now, because they're still here and we still haven't
12 addressed them.
13 SPEAKER 24: Well, two of them want to be interviewed
14 today.
15 SPEAKER 20: If we're going to do that... Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 23: Good afternoon again. In reference to
2 wanting to wait until the other candidates are available,
3 that would be a preference. However, if we are going to move
4 forward today, I would like to be considered for today as
5 well.
6 SPEAKER 20: Okay. Motion to move forward with the
7 candidates. We're good with that?
8 SPEAKER 19: I just have a friendly amendment. I would
9 like to observe what Mr.Mensah suggested that we hear from
10 one at a time, and the rest are put in the District 5 office
11 or somewhere else, that they're moved, So, we speak to just
12 one person at a time.
13 SPEAKER 18: That is correct. That is what Mr.Mensah
14 did state. But I think you're not voting too as individual
15 people currently, just to move forward. So, that is something
16 that will happen: should you guys decide to move forward,
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then the candidates will be removed as you guys interview
them one by one.
3 SPEAKER 19: So, with that friendly amendment, I'm
4 100% onboard. I second your motion.
5 SPEAKER 18: Yeah.
6 SPEAKER 20: Okay. No one's against it, let's move
7 forward.
8 SPEAKER 21: Can I say something?
9 SPEAKER 20: Okay.
10 SPEAKER 21: I'm sorry. Just keep in mind that if
11 you're being interviewed today, the member that is missing,
12 that is not yet amongst us, is not going to hear your
13 interview. Just keep that in mind, unless we're going to have
14 them do it again on Friday of next week. Just keep that in
15 mind.
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1 SPEAKER 20: Another thing. If we're going to
2 proceed... because there's one item that I do want to address,
3 but we can only do that if all the candidates now remove
4 themselves.
5 Mensah: Okay. You want us to move the candidate?
6 SPEAKER 20: Yes.
7 SPEAKER 21: I'm glad that's resolved.
8 SPEAKER 20: Are we ready?
9 SPEAKER 20: Are we ready to go? No?
10 SPEAKER 20: Mensah's not here yet. We'll wait for
11 Mensah.
12 SPEAKER 18: Just for clarification, you guys are
13 moving forward with continuing today? Everyone? There was no
14 one against? Everyone was for it?
15 SPEAKER 20: Okay.
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Mensah: Okay.
2 SPEAKER 20: Well, we're doing an interview. We're not
3 making no decision for a CEO today.
4 SPEAKER 18: Correct. That's what I just needed
5 clarification on.
6 SPEAKER 20: Okay.
7 SPEAKER 18: Thank you.
8 SPEAKER 21: Yeah. I just wanted the folks that are
9 here to realize that they're not going to be heard by that
10 missing member.
11 SPEAKER 19: I agree.
12
SPEAKER 20: Okay.
13 SPEAKER 19: I had a question, if I may, Chair, to
14 Mr.Mensah. Wherever the other candidates have been placed,
15 they cannot hear the audio, correct?
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1 Mensah: No, there is no audio there.
2 SPEAKER 19: Thank you.
3 SPEAKER 20: Since we're starting the interview
4 process, do we now want to establish a range, as far as the
5 salary was concerned, since we're interviewing the people
6 right now? The range.
7 SPEAKER 21: If I may, I think we addressed that in
8 our last meeting. The range is 65,000 to 80,000.
9 SPEAKER 19: Correct. That's what I was going to say
10 as well.
11 SPEAKER 21: So, that's why I was asking earlier, if
12 the 129 per year included more than one person, which
13 Mr.Mensah said yes.
14 Mensah: Okay, for the record, I don't think you voted
15 on that range.
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1 SPEAKER 21: I believe we did, Mr.Mensah.
2 SPEAKER 19: We did.
3 Mensah: You did?
4 SPEAKER 21: Yes.
5
SPEAKER 19: We put a motion forward.
6 Mensah: Okay, because what I wanted to do was put that
7 range in the ad, and I didn't put that because of the fact
8 that I-
9 SPEAKER 21: We did not want the salary in the ad. But
10 yeah we did select the salary at our last meeting, and we
11 also decided that we would not put a number in the ad. That's
12 something that we would decide on the person's qualification
13 as they're being interviewed.
14 Mensah: Okay. So, what we did was, on the salary item,
15 I had put 90,000, which is enough. I make sure that I reached
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1 that 90,000, then 40,000 for the admin aid. So, it can go
2 anyway. I just made sure that at least I'm at that top end.
3 So, that in case you guys decide to go to the top end, we
4 have money in the budget for it.
5 SPEAKER 21: Okay.
6 Mensah: Oh yeah.
7 SPEAKER 21: Well, I think 80 max.
8 PART 5 OF 14 ENDS [02:55:04]
9 Mr. Mensah: Oh, yeah.
10 SPEAKER 25: Well, I think 80 max, I'm comfortable
11 with.
12 Mr. Mensah: That's your decision.
13 Lisa: I was feeling like if we could wind up
14 somewhere more in the middle to be able to give increases
15 based on performance and those types of things. I did basic
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1 quick math and thought that maybe 70,000 to start for the
2 director, and that would leave us $40,000 for an
3 administrative type of person. And also, for if we need to
4 hire a consultant for any reason, or we need some type of
5 help or a little other flexibility in the budget. After Mr.
6 Armenta said that we can move things in the budget, but not
7 take on additional budget. So, I wanted to leave a little
8 play if there was something that came up. So, I was thinking
9 70 and 40 or something of that nature, 70 and 45, leaving us
10 a few dollars to compensate for unforeseen things that may
11 pop up in the next three months in the budget to shift things
12 around, like he had suggested.
13 SPEAKER 25: I think 40 is too much for an assistant.
14 I will be more comfortable in the 30, 35 range.
15 Mr. Mensah: I think you should allow the CEO the
16 opportunity to do that, because you guys will have to approve
17 whatever person he hires. So, I think you should allow the
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1 salary to be decided on during that time when the hiring of
2 that person is occurring, and not make a decision here right
3 now. That's what I'm trying to say.
4 SPEAKER 25: Okay.
5 SPEAKER 27: What we want to do is just establish a
6 range, not establish the actual salary. So, that way, if a
7 candidate comes in here, we're not wasting their time. If
8 they know that the range is between 60 and 80, if that's
9 something they feel comfortable with, then they'll move
10 forward with us. And if not, they could discontinue right
11 there.
12 Lisa: I would like to see, maybe then in reference
13 to what you were saying, the ceiling be 70 from 60 or 65 to
14 70. And if it ends up being 71 or 72, fine, I'm not going to
15 split hairs, but I would want to hold some money back. if
16 there's an amazing candidate that we discuss and their floor
17 is 75, of course we can discuss that. But I'm cautious of
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1 getting into the top ceiling, like you were saying, not at
2 80. So, as long as we leave a little bit of room, if it's a
3 perfect candidate and we all feel really comfortable and we
4 decide this is the right person for us, for the Little Haiti
5 trust, I would entertain some movement or an increase, but I
6 would like to leave a little bit of a buffer.
7 Mr. Mensah: Okay. I just want you to know, to the
8 chair, that you got top candidates there. You got people who
9 I think are making a lot more. I know that you have certain
10 amount that you want to pay, 70 would be too much, would be
11 too small, I think. So, I think that if you want a good
12 candidate for the amount of job, the expectation that you
13 need, I think you should be willing to go a little higher
14 than the 70 that you suggested. I think the 80 range, it's
15 doable.
16 Mr. Mensah: I'm just telling you based on just what
17 the market is right now. Right now, the market is very tight,
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And if you want somebody with the expertise that we are
looking for, I think we should be willing to go that
direction. I don't think we should box ourselves on 70, that's
what I'm trying to say.
5 SPEAKER 26: Also, to the chair, if you don't mind, I
6 just also want us to be clear that we are interviewing people
7 who have the right to negotiate.
8 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
9 SPEAKER 26: And So, just have that open mind that we
10 have not got a chance to really present anything. So, I think
11 the discussions of putting a cap on anything is premature.
12 Let us just give the candidates a free opportunity to present
13 and negotiate. That's what it's about.
14 SPEAKER 27: I think it's fair to say, we need to have
15 a range, and the only reason why we need to have a range, is
16 So, that candidate knows this is the cap with your
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1 negotiation. If we say between 60 and 110, then they know
2 that it's going to be 110, and we of course stipulate what's
3 going to take you to that 110. Performance -based on whatever,
4 if you just come in here and saying that, "I'm here to work,
5 I'm here to get paid and not work," then you know you're at
6 the base salary. So, definitely, we want to give that range
7 because I don't want to play us. So, that way we don't give
8 it the value that it deserves because we're looking for the
9 best and we should be able to put our best foot forward in
10 order to have that person.
11 SPEAKER 25: Yeah. And if I may, Mr. [Mensah
12 03:00:13], at our last meeting, the reason why we had decided
13 between 65 and 80 is because basically the trust would be
14 like a CRA for Little Haiti. And upon some of my research, a
15 director for the CRA makes between 65 and 80, with the city.
16 Mr. Mensah: With the city?
17
SPEAKER 25: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
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1 Mr. Mensah: Okay. I don't know, I did ask for the
2 salaries of the trust, all the trust that we have. Sierra is
3 a different ballgame, but we have the Liberty City Trust, we
4 have the [inaudible 03:00:48] front Trust, we have the
5 Virginia Key Trust, and all those sides were sent to me. And
6 the way within that range, I'm not saying that they were
7 hired, they were within that range between seventies and
8 eighties. And that's what I used as my barometer as to what
9 the market should be.
10 SPEAKER 25: Okay. So, we're not going to go above 80.
11 I just want to make that decision right now.
12 SPEAKER 26: To the chair, are you asking to vote on
13 that at this time, or a recommendation?
14 SPEAKER 25: We've voted on it already, last meeting.
15 I just wanted to just reinstate that's the cap.
16 SPEAKER 26: So, the cap again is?
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SPEAKER 25: 80,000.
2 SPEAKER 26: 80,000. For clarity, with room for
3 bonuses and opportunity to show performance?
4 SPEAKER 25: Like I said, that's the cap. If I want to
5 leave room for bonuses and performance, then perhaps we should
6 start within the 70,000 range as Lisa suggested.
7 Lisa: I think we want to leave room to negotiate.
8
SPEAKER 25: I agree with that.
9 Lisa: And I think what Mrs. [Fill 03:02:01] is
10 explaining is this is the only time that we can really hash
11 this out amongst ourselves. So, I think that's what she's
12 trying to do, correct me if I'm wrong. And I agree with you,
13 and I'd like to have a floor, whether the range is 60 to 80,
14 or 65 to 80, I'd like to start somewhere in the $70,000 range.
15 And if the person checks every box, maybe we get to 80. But
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maybe there's some room for negotiation and there's a little
money left over for different things to move around.
3 Lisa: And once you are at the ceiling of what we
4 feel comfortable with, this person that we choose, I'm sure
5 will expect cost of living increases, will expect things over
6 the years, if they're there for two years, five years, 10
7 years. So, we have to be conscious too of how high we go,
8 because they will need cost of living increases and increases
9 based on their performance, like you're mentioning and
10 things. So, I think that somewhere in the realm of 70,000,
11 whether it's 75 or 72 or 78, I think we start with that as
12 our comfort, our [inaudible 03:03:12] spot.
13 SPEAKER 25: Right. And also, I agree with you because
14 right now, we're looking at the three month budget anyway.
15 When we go to the other budget for next year, perhaps based
16 on this person's performance, we can decide whether or not
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their bonuses and anything can be increased and revisited at
that time.
3 Lisa: And I would like to make one more comment to
4 put it on the record. Although this is very similar to CRA,
5 like you're mentioning, we do not have the benefit of constant
6 income, meaning we don't get tax revenue.
7 SPEAKER 25: Right.
8 Lisa: We have a limited amount of funds that has
9 been set aside, and maybe we get some other things from some
10 new projects that come into the area and So, on and So, forth,
11 we get additional contributions over the years. But right
12 now, there's a fixed amount of income that we are left to
13 work with. We do not have where the businesses and property
14 owners are taxed on a yearly basis, and that small tax is
15 given to the CRA. And as property values go up or as the area
16 improves, So, do the funds that come in. We are on a, for
17 lack of a better way to say it, a fixed income, a fixed
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1 budget. So, we have to be very careful with our expenses and,
2 $2,000 in some cases can go a long way. So, we have to really
3 think these things through and plan them up and be very frugal
4 with our money.
5 SPEAKER 25: And also, I think we also need to revisit
6 and see when the rest of the money from Magic City is supposed
7 to come in, because right now we have 3 million, and it's an
8 estimated 30 million. So, that's something we need to visit
9 with the clerk, I guess, is the person that would know this.
10 Lisa: Yes. In the benefits agreement it's spelled
11 out.
12 SPEAKER 28: Yes. Mr. Mensah.
13 Mr. Mensah: I think the clerk will not be the best,
14 you just get from the clerk the rezo, but the planning and
15 zoning department is the one that kind of handles the
16 compliance of such requirements. So, there will be the person
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1 that we need to meet with them. And I think what you can do
2 is, you can require them to come to the board meeting and
3 give you an explanation of what is the expectation of when
4 those funds will come in.
5 Lisa: I think that's a great idea. And if we could
6 then invite the person that's responsible for the community
7 benefits agreements for these special area plans from
8 planning and zoning, that would be fabulous for them to give
9 us a very clear and detailed breakdown of the milestones in
10 the community benefits agreement over. It's my understanding
11 that this is going to be 10, 15, 18 years until this project
12 is going to be built out.
13 Mr. Mensah: So, with that said, can I then make a
14 suggestion that, that'd be on the agenda after you hired a
15 CEO? So, the CEO be present during those presentations since
16 they used to be the responsible, the CEO to coordinate with
17 planning, to see when the money comes in and things like that.
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1 Lisa: Chair, I'm good with that. And that can be for
2 our new budget.
3 SPEAKER 28: Okay.
4 SPEAKER 25: I'm good with that too.
5 SPEAKER 28: All right. Motion.
6 Mr. Mensah: Second.
7 SPEAKER 28: Any opposed?
8 Lisa: Well, let me see if I restate it. I can't
9 remember what I said. Okay. So, in the new fiscal year,
10 meaning the October-
11 SPEAKER 25: 2021 to September 2022.
12 Lisa: Correct. And to address... Let me see. A
13 motion to address the amount of funds that will be provided
14 to the Little Haiti Trust over the life of the community
15 benefits agreement from Magic City. If a representative from
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1 planning and zoning can come and provide a detailed
2 explanation of that.
3 SPEAKER 25: Yes.
4 Lisa: Okay.
5 SPEAKER 28: Okay. All right. Moving forward.
6 SPEAKER 25: Oh, one more thing, sorry. When we would
7 like to see this person, can we see them on Wednesday, July
8 9th?
9 Lisa: It's Friday.
10 SPEAKER 25: Oh, I'm sorry, Friday.
11 Lisa: No, that was the point that, when we get a
12 CEO, because we're only approving the three months of the
13 budget, we wouldn't deal with this person and the benefits
14 agreement until we go forward to deal with the permanent
15 yearlong fiscal budget in the next year.
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1 SPEAKER 25: Right. I understand that. But if we can
2 just meet them ahead of that, if it's possible.
3 SPEAKER 28: That's fine. But let that be a different
4 discussion because I definitely want to get this-
5 Mr. Mensah: Yeah. I think you probably wouldn't have
6 enough time-
7 Lisa: on Friday.
8 Mr. Mensah: If you intend to interview all the
9 candidates.
10 Lisa: Okay.
11 SPEAKER 28: Okay. So, are we fine with fundamentally
12 how we're going with the salary and getting a new candidate
13 in the interview right now? We're fine with that? We're good?
14 Lisa: Yes.
15 SPEAKER 28: Any oppositions? Any other questions?
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1 Lisa: No.
2 SPEAKER 28: All right. First candidate please.
3 Mr. Mensah: So, who do you want to bring?
4 SPEAKER 28: [crosstalk 03:08:12] let's bring
5 Sabrina.
6 SPEAKER 26: I'm not sure if all, I think only two
7 candidates, if I'm not mistaken, were prepared to speak. And
8 I think that was Mr. Frank and Ms. Paul Noelle, I believe.
9 SPEAKER 28: Paul Noelle.
10 SPEAKER 25: I think all three don't mind from my
11 understanding.
12 SPEAKER 28: Okay.
13 SPEAKER 26: I guess we'll find out.
14 SPEAKER 28: All right. Bring Sabrina in, please.
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1 SPEAKER 26: Okay.
2 SPEAKER 28: Ms. Paul Noelle.
3 SPEAKER 29: Also, to the board, for the candidates
4 that were unable to attend today. They have been notified
5 that if you guys wish to speak to them, to be on standby. Mr.
6 Manson noted that you guys can be able to call them via the
7 telephone. So, also keep that in mind, after you're done
8 interviewing the candidates who are physically present today,
9 if you wish to call the candidates who are not able to
10 physically attend today, they are on standby.
11 SPEAKER 25: Now I think I would prefer to see them in
12 person on July 9th. And I think that's what we decided.
13 SPEAKER 28: Good morning.
14 SABRINA LORDIS: Hi. Good afternoon.
15 SPEAKER 28: How are you?
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SABRINA LORDIS: Feeling well, thank you.
2 SPEAKER 28: Go ahead and state your name again,
3 please.
4 SABRINA LORDIS: Sabrina [Lordis 03:09:51] Paul
5 Noelle.
6 SPEAKER 28: All right. So, we're going to start the
7 process of interviewing you. And the first question that I
8 have for you is, can you tell us about your strengths and
9 your weaknesses?
10 SABRINA LORDIS: Well, in regards to my strengths, I
11 believe my strengths have been proven through my track record-
12 Mr. Mensah: When those funds will come in.
13 Lisa: I think that's a great idea. And if we could
14 then invite the person that's responsible for the community
15 benefits agreements or these special area plans from planning
16 and zoning, that would be fabulous for them to give us a very
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1 clear and detailed breakdown of the milestones in the
2 community benefits agreement over. Because it's my
3 understanding that this is going to be 10, 15, 18 years until
4 this project is going to be built out.
5 Mr. Mensah: So, with that said, can I then make a
6 suggestion that, that'd be on the agenda after you hired a
7 CEO? So, the CEO be present during those presentations, since
8 they is to be the responsibility of the CEO, to coordinate
9 with planning, to see when the money comes in and things like
10 that.
11 Lisa: Chair, I'm good with that. And that can be for
12 our new budget.
13 SPEAKER 28: Okay.
14 SPEAKER 25: I'm good with that too.
15 SPEAKER 28: All right. Motion.
16 Mr. Mensah: Second.
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SPEAKER 28: Any opposed?
2 Lisa: Well, let me see if I restate it. I can't
3 remember what I said. Okay. So, in the new fiscal year,
4 meaning the October-
5 SPEAKER 25: 2021 to September 2022.
6 Lisa: Correct. And to address the... Let me see. A
7 motion to address the amount of funds that will be provided
8 to the Little Haiti Trust over the life of the community
9 benefits agreement from Magic City. If a representative from
10 planning and zoning can come and provide a detailed
11 explanation of that.
12 SPEAKER 25: Yes.
13 Lisa: Okay.
14 SPEAKER 28: Okay. All right. Moving forward.
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1 SPEAKER 25: Oh, one more thing, sorry. When we would
2 like to see this person, can we see them on Wednesday July
3 9th?
4 Lisa: It's Friday.
5
SPEAKER 25: Oh, I'm sorry, Friday.
6 Lisa: No, that was the point of that, when we get a
7 CEO, because we're only approving the three months of the
8 budget, we wouldn't deal with this person and the benefits
9 agreement until we go forward to deal with the permanent year
10 long fiscal budget in the next year.
11 SPEAKER 25: Right. I understand that, but if we can
12 just meet them ahead of that, if it's possible.
13 SPEAKER 28: That's fine, but let that be a different
14 discussion, because I definitely want to get this-
15 Mr. Mensah: Yeah. I think you probably wouldn't have
16 enough time-
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Lisa: On Friday?
2 Mr. Mensah: On Friday, if you intend to interview all
3 the candidates.
4 Lisa: Okay.
5 SPEAKER 28: Okay. So, are we fine with fundamentally
6 how we're going with the salary and getting a new candidate
7 in here to interview right now? We're fine with that? We're
8 good?
9 Lisa: Yes.
10 SPEAKER 28: Any oppositions? Any other questions?
11 Lisa: No.
12 SPEAKER 28: All right. First candidate please.
13 Mr. Mensah: So, who do you want to bring?
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1 SPEAKER 28: [crosstalk 03:13:12] Let's bring
2 Sabrina.
3 SPEAKER 26: I think only two candidates, if I'm not
4 mistaken, were prepared to speak. And I think that was Mr.
5 Frank and Ms. Paul Noelle, I believe.
6 SPEAKER 28: Paul Noelle.
7 SPEAKER 25: I think all three don't mind from my
8 understanding.
9 SPEAKER 28: Okay.
10 SPEAKER 26: I guess we'll find out.
11 SPEAKER 28: All right. Bring Sabrina in please.
12 SPEAKER 26: Okay. Sabrina.
13 SPEAKER 28: Ms. Paul Noelle.
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1 SPEAKER 29: Also, to the board, for the candidates
2 that were unable to attend today. They have been notified
3 that if you guys wish to speak to them, to be on standby. Mr.
4 Manson noted that you guys can be able to call them via the
5 telephone. So, also keep that in mind, after you're done
6 interviewing the candidates who are physically present today,
7 if you wish to call the candidates who are not able to
8 physically attend today, they are on standby.
9 SPEAKER 25: No, I think I would prefer to see them in
10 person on July 9th. And I think that's what we decided.
11 SPEAKER 28: Good morning.
12 SABRINA LORDIS: Hie. Good afternoon.
13 SPEAKER 28: How are you?
14 SABRINA LORDIS: Feeling well, thank you.
15 SPEAKER 28: Go ahead and state your name again
16 please.
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SABRINA LORDIS: Sabrina Lordis Paul Noelle.
SPEAKER 28: All right. So, we're going to start the
process of interviewing you. And the first question that I
have for you is, can you tell us about your strengths and
your weaknesses?
SABRINA LORDIS: In regards to my strengths, I
believe my strengths have been proven through my track record,
throughout my professional career is being that I am an
innovative thinker, a go getter. More specifically is, is
that I'd like to bring about change, change being something
to bring more efficient and effective practices in whichever
project that I would ever undertake. Most recently with my
career and tenure with the Catholic church, with the
Archdiocese of
necessarily easy.
Miami, bringing about change is not
However, my strength is that, not only would
I have an open mind to what the practices have been before,
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but being able to implement changes and effective processes
and procedures in that.
3 SABRINA LORDIS: As far as my weakness, I believe my
4 weakness is, professionally, a weakness that I know I may
5 have is a soft spot. As far as when it comes to executing
6 when it is in reference to laying off a professional. I
7 usually try to side with the humanitarian side of it, as far
8 as giving people additional chances and opportunities to
9 prove themselves, and trying to work with other people before
10 executing and releasing someone from a position. So, I believe
11 that is a weakness that I have.
12 SPEAKER 28: Tell us about your most recent successful
13 project. What was the budget and what were the challenges?
14 SABRINA LORDIS: All right. Well, the most recent
15 project that I undertook was the Give Catholic Forgiving
16 Tuesday campaign. With a budget of $2,000, we were able to
17 successfully raise $219,000. And that includes staff, that
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1 includes promotion, that includes everything. As far as how
2 I was able to do that successfully, is I went about an
3 innovative change. In 2015, I implemented the Giving Tuesday
4 campaign for the Archdiocese of Miami, and each year you could
5 do about a project or you approach a campaign to try to
6 approach it differently. For the past year because of COVID-
7 19, we had limited communication with the parishes and schools
8 and organizations, the different entities within the
9 Archdiocese of Miami. I like to state that we have 109
10 parishes, 62 schools, and about 17 to 18 programs, depending
11 on how you would look at it as an entity.
12 SABRINA LORDIS: With that, I was able to say,
13 determine or make the executive decision that, instead of
14 allowing them to opt in, is that I included everyone. So, I
15 included the Archbishop's annual appeal, I included every
16 school, every parish, and we were able to communicate with
17 all of the parishioners across the tri-county area.
18 Archdiocese of Miami being from north Broward to Monroe. So,
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1 we were able to communicate with everyone and raise those
2 funds specifically on that day.
3 Lisa: That's awesome.
4 SPEAKER 28: What do you think the concerns and the
5 possibilities are concerning-
6 SABRINA LORDIS: I'm sorry-
7 SPEAKER 28: I'm sorry. What do you think the concerns
8 and the possibilities are in reference to Little Haiti?
9 SABRINA LORDIS: Well, a concern that I've always had
10 for Little Haiti is more of miscommunication. I believe that
11 our elected officials, I believe that the community leaders
12 all do mean well. Because you wouldn't want to have faith,
13 and the community elected officials, and our leaders that are
14 speaking up for the voice of the people that they do mean
15 well. However, the execution, as far as were it meets to the
16 residents, there is a big miscommunication and
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1 misinterpretation that comes along. So, being able to build
2 a bridge where as far as with the elective officials, a board
3 would be able to come together and help make decisions for
4 the betterment of the community, and being able to properly
5 communicate those wishes and communicate and educate the
6 residents, that would be a major improvement on everything
7 that's done.
8 SABRINA LORDIS: As far as most recently, there was
9 a discussion as far as trying to reach out to the business
10 owners and members of the community, the business members of
11 the Little Haiti community. Again, the means are good.
12 However, it's the lack of communication, not everyone knows
13 if they qualify, would you have to have this license or that
14 license? So, being able to be on the ground, working and
15 communicating with the community and educating them as far as
16 what they would need to qualify, that would be a huge
17 improvement.
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1 SPEAKER 28: Now, given that you work in the capacity
2 of charities.
3 SABRINA LORDIS: Yes.
4 SPEAKER 28: There's definitely a difference between
5 someone with a mindset of charities and a mindset of actually
6 running a business-
7 SABRINA LORDIS: I'm sorry, permission to speak. With
8 the Archdiocese of Miami, yes, we are a nonprofit, and the
9 Archdiocese of Miami is a religious based entity. However,
10 the Archdiocese of Miami has parishes, programs and schools.
11 SABRINA LORDIS: Throughout my professional career
12 is being that I am an innovative thinker, a go getter, more
13 specifically is that I'd like to bring about change. Change
14 being something to bring more efficient and effective
15 practices in whichever project that I would ever undertake.
16 Being most recently with my career and tenure with the
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1 Catholic church, with the Archdiocese of Miami, bringing
2 about change is not necessarily easy. However, my strength is
3 that, not only would I have an open mind to what the practices
4 have been before, but being able to implement changes and
5 effective processes and procedures in that.
6 SABRINA LORDIS: As far as my weakness, I believe my
7 weakness is, professionally, a weakness that I know I may
8 have is a soft spot. As far as when it comes to executing,
9 when it is in reference to laying off a professional. I
10 usually try to side with the humanitarian side of it, as far
11 as giving people additional chances and opportunities to
12 prove themselves, and trying to work with other people before
13 executing and releasing someone from a position. So, I believe
14 that is a weakness that I have.
15 Lisa: Tell us about your most recent successful
16 project. What was the budget and what were the challenges?
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1 SABRINA LORDIS: All right. Well, the most recent
2 project that I undertook was the Give Catholic For Giving
3 Tuesday campaign. With a budget of $2,000, we were able to
4 successfully raise $219,000. And that includes staff, that
5 includes promotion, that includes everything. As far as how
6 I was able to do that successfully, is I went about an
7 innovative change. In 2015, I implemented the Giving Tuesday
8 campaign for the Archdiocese of Miami, and each year you could
9 do about a project, or you approach a campaign to try to
10 approach it differently. For the past year because of COVID-
11 19, we had limited communication with the parishes and schools
12 and organizations, the different entities within the
13 Archdiocese of Miami. I like to state that we have 109
14 parishes, 62 schools, and about 17 to 18 programs that have
15 been depending on how you would look at it as an entity.
16 SABRINA LORDIS: With that, I was able to determine
17 or make the executive decision that, instead of allowing them
18 to opt in, is that I included everyone. So, I included the
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1 Archbishop's annual appeal, I included every school, every
2 parish, and we were able to communicate with all of the
3 parishioners across the Tri-County area, Archdiocese of Miami
4 being from north Broward to Montereau. So, we were able to
5 communicate with everyone and raise those funds specifically
6 on that day.
7 Lisa: That's awesome.
8 SPEAKER 28: What do you think the concerns and the
9 possibilities are, concerning?
10 Lisa: I'm sorry.
11 SPEAKER 28: I'm sorry. What do you think the concerns
12 and the possibilities are in reference to Little Haiti?
13 Lisa: Well, a concern that I've always had for
14 Little Haiti, is more of miscommunication. I believe that our
15 elected officials, I believe that the community leaders all
16 do mean well, because you would want to have faith in the
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1 community elected officials and our leaders that are speaking
2 up for the voice of the people, that they do mean well.
3 However, the execution, as far as where it meets to the
4 residents, there is a big miscommunication and
5 misinterpretation that comes along. So, being able to build
6 a bridge, whereas far as what the elective officials, our
7 board would be able to come together and help make decisions
8 for the betterment of the community, and being able to
9 properly communicate those wishes and communicate and educate
10 the residents, that would be a major improvement on everything
11 that's done.
12 Lisa: Most recently, there was a discussion as far
13 as trying to reach out to the business owners and members of
14 the community, the business members of the Little Haiti
15 community. Again, the means are good. However, it's the lack
16 of communication, not everyone knows if they qualify, would
17 you have to have this license or that license? So, being able
18 to be on the ground, working and communicating with the
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community, and educating them as far as what they would need
to qualify, that would be a huge improvement.
3 SPEAKER 28: Now, given that you work in the capacity
4 of charities.
5 Lisa: Yes.
6 SPEAKER 28: There's definitely a difference between
7 someone with a mindset of charities and a mindset of actually
8 running a business-
9 SABRINA LORDIS: I'm sorry, permission to speak. With
10 the archdiocese of Miami, yes, we are a nonprofit. And the
11 Archdiocese of Miami is a religious based entity. However,
12 the archdiocese of Miami has parishes, programs and schools,
13 and fully operates as a business. So, as far as the
14 development office and development services, that is run as
15 an organization, it's run with business practices, same
16 policies and procedures that we would find in corporate
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1 America, the same practices and procedures and policies, as
2 far as everything goes. The only difference is that, as the
3 fundraising arm of the Archdiocese of Miami, making sure that
4 we have this sufficient funds and raise funds, as opposed to
5 saying the funds make the mission move, the funds are given
6 to the mission to make the mission of the Archdiocese of Miami
7 to reach its goal.
8 SPEAKER 28: And the reason why I bring that to your
9 attention, is because working under that environment is
10 pretty much a controlled environment. Everything is pretty
11 much in perspective, and you pretty much know what you're
12 able to do on a day-to-day basis. Dealing with something like
13 a high profile position that you're applying for. We're
14 talking about thinking out of the box, we're talking about
15 improvising when things are not pretty much set as plan.
16 Dealing with a community that could be very difficult and
17 trying to mitigate those things. I think I'm trying to make
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sure that that mindset can be a whole lot different than
working under umbrella of a charity.
3 SABRINA LORDIS: Okay. As far as that, I do respect
4 that opinion of yours. However, as far as working with the
5 Archdiocese of Miami, I believe that we, myself particularly
6 has to think outside of the box every day. It's always a
7 challenge with just media, and it's in its own, media being
8 a major business of its own. And the church, as far as again,
9 just the church side of it, because the Archdiocese of Miami
10 has a lot of entities, including legal programs and hospitals.
11 So, it's a lot of different entities. As far as my position,
12 it would be to not be reactive, but to be proactive. So, it's
13 always going above and beyond what the status quo would be
14 and wanting to, again, maneuver. So, if there's a headline
15 today, and the Archbishop being our corporate soul speaks up
16 against immigration, that would throw off something else in
17 reference to the fundraising.
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1 SABRINA LORDIS: So, we always have to be, I have to
2 be on the defense, but however I prefer to move proactively.
3 So, always make sure that I'm ahead of whatever may arise,
4 whatever may pop out of the box.
5 SPEAKER 25: I have a question.
6 SPEAKER 28: Air the question.
7 SPEAKER 25: What would be the first thing that you
8 would do if selected as director?
9 SABRINA LORDIS: Well, my first order of business
10 would to be completing a SWOT analysis. Creating a SWOT
11 analysis, making sure that we view all the strengths,
12 weakness, opportunities, and threats across the board. As far
13 as looking at the board, looking at the position, looking at
14 the community and making sure that we address all needs,
15 making sure that we make smart goals. Smart goals, being that
16 that it's specific, maintainable, achievable, reachable,
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targeted specific
loosely and just,
executing change.
business.
SPEAKER 27:
goals So, that we aren't just wandering
I guess, praying for a change, but actually
So, that would be my first order of
Hi, Ms. Noelle Paul, I have two questions
for you, as you too [inaudible 03:28:41] here. First question
is how would you try to implement funds in the manner of the
trust? I know you work with the archdiocese, but with the
trust, what will be one of your innovative ideas to help bring
resources to the trust?
11 SABRINA LORDIS: Well, bringing resources to the
12 trust, essentially would be a key responsibility of the CEO
13 and president. How I would prefer to do that is to create
14 endowment funds. To create endowment funds, where we are able
15 to attract and maintain and receive larger gifts that however,
16 put them into endowment funds So, that we can see the
17 successes throughout the year, as opposed to saying, okay, we
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1 received a $10 million grant, or we received a $10 million
2 gift from a donor and using it within the next two years. But
3 I would prefer to, again, place it into endowment funds So,
4 we can extend it out for the future.
5 SPEAKER 27: Thank you. And then my second question
6 is, why would you want to lead this community? What is your
7 connection or relationship to the Haitian community?
8 SABRINA LORDIS: I grew up in Little Haiti. My mother
9 is the longest standing and still operating beauty salon and
10 Little Haiti, her beauty salon is in the Sable Palm Plaza. I
11 grew up right there in the Sable Palm Plaza-
12 PART 6 OF 14 ENDS [03:30:04]
13 FEMALE CANDIDATE: I grew up right there in the Sabal
14 Palm Plaza, I grew up at the Church on 67th and North Miami,
15 at St. Paul Episcopal Church. I have very strong ties to
16 Little Haiti. As far as being in the community, I'm a graduate
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1 of Miami Edison Senior High School. Little Haiti is home, So,
2 wanting to better that community and wanting to [inaudible
3 03:30:20] and fully operates as a business.
4 FEMALE CANDIDATE: So, as far as the development office
5 and development services, that is run as an organization.
6 It's run with business practices, same policies and
7 procedures that we would find in corporate America. The same
8 practices and procedures and policies as far as everything
9 goes. The only difference is that as the fundraising arm of
10 the Archdiocese of Miami making sure that we have the
11 sufficient funds and race funds as opposed to saying the funds
12 make the mission move, the funds are given to the mission to
13 make the mission of the Archdiocese of Miami to reach its
14 goal.
15 Male 1 (Chair) : And the reason why I bring that to
16 your attention is because working under that environment,
17 it's pretty much a controlled environment. Everything is
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1 pretty much in perspective and you pretty much know what
2 you're able to do on a day-to-day basis. Dealing with
3 something like high profile position that you're applying
4 for, we're talking about thinking out of the box. We're
5 talking about improvising when things are not pretty much set
6 as planned, dealing with a community that can be very
7 difficult and trying to mitigate those things. I think I'm
8 trying to make sure that that mindset can be a whole lot
9 different than working under the umbrella of a charity.
10 FEMALE CANDIDATE:As far as that, I do respect that
11 opinion of yours. However, as far as working with the
12 Archdiocese of Miami, I believe that we, myself particularly,
13 has to think outside of the box every day. It's always a
14 challenge with just media in its own. Media being a major
15 business of its own and the Church, as far as again, just the
16 Church side of it because the Archdiocese of Miami has a lot
17 of entities, including legal programs and hospitals, So, it's
18 a lot of different entities.
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FEMALE CANDIDATE:As far as my position, it would be to
not be reactive but to be proactive So, it's always going
above and beyond what the status quo would be, and wanting
to, again, maneuver. So, if there's a headline today and the
Archbishop,
immigration,
being our corporate soul, speaks up against
that would throw off something else and
[inaudible 03:32:35] the fundraising, So, we always have to
be, I have to be on the defense. However, I prefer to move
proactively, to always make sure that I'm ahead of whatever
may arise, whatever may pop out of the box.
11 Female question
12 Male 1 (Chair) :
13 Female question
...: I have a question.
Any other questions.
...: What would be the first thing that
14 you would do if selected as Director?
15 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well, my first order of business will
16 to be completing a SWOT analysis, creating a SWOT analysis,
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1 making sure that we view all the strengths, weakness,
2 opportunities and threats across the board, as far as looking
3 at the board, looking at the position, looking at the
4 community and making sure that we address on these, making
5 sure that we make smart goals, smart goals being that it's
6 specific, maintainable, achievable, reachable, targeted,
7 specific goals So, that we aren't just wandering loosely and
8 just I guess praying for a change, but actually executing
9 change. So, that would be my first order of business.
10 Male questioner: Hi Miss [Napalm 03:33:40], I have
11 two questions for you, actually [inaudible 03:33:42] not
12 here.
13 Male questioner: First question is: how would you try
14 to implement funds in the manner of the trust? I know you
15 work with the Archdiocese, but with the trust, what would be
16 one of your innovative ideas to help bring resources to the
17 trust?
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1 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well, bringing resources to the trust
2 essentially would be a key responsibility of the CEO and
3 President. How I would prefer to do that is to create
4 endowment funds. To create endowment funds where we are able
5 to attract and maintain and receive larger gifts, however put
6 them into endowment funds So, that we can see the successes
7 throughout the year, as opposed to saying, "Okay, we received
8 a $10 million grant" or "We received a $10 million gift from
9 a donor" and using it within the next two years, but I would
10 prefer to, again, place it into endowment funds So, that we
11 can see the foreseeable... So, we can extend it out for the
12 future.
13 Male questioner: Thank you, and my second question is
14 why would you want to lead in this community? What is your
15 connection, relationship to the Haitian community?
16 FEMALE CANDIDATE:I grew up in Little Haiti. My mother is
17 the longest standing and still operating beauty salon in
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1 Little Haiti. Her beauty salon is in the Sabal Palm Plaza. I
2 grew up right there in the Sabal Palm Plaza, I grew up at the
3 Church on 67th and North Miami, at St. Paul Episcopal Church.
4 I have very strong ties to Little Haiti. As far as being in
5 the community, I'm a graduate of Miami Edison Senior High
6 School. Little Haiti is home, So, wanting to better that
7 community and wanting to engage and keep everyone and actually
8 keeping the essence, the true essence of the community that
9 my parents, my godparents, my aunts and uncles, my friends,
10 my neighbors, that they built and maintained and created this
11 space So, that investors could come in and want to improve
12 the conditions.
13 FEMALE CANDIDATE:I would want to make sure that we are
14 able to not only preserve the identity but preserve our
15 culture as it relates to Little Haiti. So, yes, the name
16 Little Haiti is great, but however if we aren't able to
17 preserve the community and preserve the culture and the true
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1 essence behind what Little Haiti stands for, then we're lost.
2 And So, that's why I'm directly driven for this position.
3 Female question...: Okay. Good afternoon.
4 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Good afternoon.
5 Female question...: I have a question with regard to one
6 of our specific duties in the purposes of the Little Haiti
7 trust and that is one of our mandates, one of our duties, is
8 the development of affordable housing and engaging home buyer
9 assistance programs, and I would like to know how you would
10 approach this and how you would see that this gets implemented
11 in Little Haiti.
12 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well, in reference to home buyers'
13 assistance program, I believe financial literacy would be the
14 first step. So, again, going back to education and making
15 sure that we're able to communicate with the community and as
16 far as making sure that the message isn't lost in translation.
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1 Through financial literacy, not only are we educating the
2 community as far as how to prepare to become a home buyer,
3 but we're also educating the community as far as the steps
4 and what the processes and procedures are for them to be able
5 to maintain and attain a home within the Little Haiti
6 community.
7 Female question...: Thank you.
8 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Any other questions?
9 Male 1 (Chair): Any other questions?
10 Male 2: I don't have any other questions at this time.
11 Male questioner: I got one more question. Again,
12 given that you have this high profile, that you may possibly
13 have this high profile position, how do you mitigate yourself
14 in reference to solicitation? You are being very intimate,
15 you always be in the community, there's going to be all kinds
16 of people coming at you, trying to do all types of deals and
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they'll be very crafty in how they craft their conversation.
How do you mitigate that?
3 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well, as far as myself, professionally
4 I carry myself and I carry my moral values, my ethical values,
5 I take it very seriously and I believe that's... As far as
6 the work that I've done in the community now, I believe... I
7 call it shadow work, not necessarily on the forefronts, making
8 sure that I'm there to hug every baby or kiss every cheek.
9 It's more shadow work, making sure that I do what needs to
10 get done. It's not about having a hidden agenda or making
11 sure... It's more of executing what I need to do as far as
12 the toy drive, handing out turkeys, making sure that we're
13 doing mentorship programs for the youth. Those items and those
14 projects that I've been able to take over, there has been a
15 lot of interaction with other personalities within the
16 community, but again, maintaining my ethics and my morals,
17 I'll be able to not only stand firm on my beliefs but hold
18 other people accountable for even trying to bring shady deals
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1 to the table or being unethical. It's shining light on it and
2 not being afraid to stand up for justice.
3 Male 1 (Chair): Any other questions?
4 Female question...: Can I ask a question? If you were
5 elected into the position, what would be an action you would
6 take to benefit the youth of Little Haiti?
7 FEMALE CANDIDATE: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
8 Female question...: If you were elected into this
9 position, what would be an action you would take to benefit
10 the youth of Little Haiti?
11 FEMALE CANDIDATE: An action? Well, one action I... And
12 thank you for your question. A few years ago, I was approached
13 as far as it was, in relation to the sale of Curley and it
14 was to create a plan, and I named this plan The Revitalization
15 of Little Haiti, and this is back in 2018. So, with this plan
16 I created, it was a community engagement action plan that I
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1 foresaw that would need to be in place, and one item from
2 that would be in reference to safety. Safety in Little Haiti
3 throughout the years, crime has decreased, the amount of
4 accidents, those have decreased throughout the years.
5 However, with the drive of I guess the population drive
6 and[inaudible 03:40:19] engage and keep everyone, and
7 actually keeping the essence, the true essence of the
8 community that my parents, my godparents, my aunts and uncles,
9 my friends, my neighbors, that they built and maintained and
10 created this space So, that investors could come in and want
11 to improve the conditions, I would want to make sure that we
12 are able to not only preserve the identity but preserve our
13 culture as it relates to Little Haiti.
14 FEMALE CANDIDATE: So, yes, the name Little Haiti is
15 great, but however, if we aren't able to preserve the
16 community and preserve the culture and the true essence behind
17 what Little Haiti stands for, then we're lost, and So, that's
18 why I am directly driven for this position.
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Female question...: Thank you. Good afternoon.
FEMALE CANDIDATE: Good afternoon.
3 Female question...: I have a question with regard to one
4 of our specific duties in the purposes of the Little Haiti
5 trust and that is one of our mandates, one of our duties, is
6 the development of affordable housing and engaging home buyer
7 assistance programs and I would like to know how you would
8 approach this and how you would see that this gets implemented
9 in Little Haiti.
10 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well, in reference to the home buyers'
11 assistance program, I believe financial literacy would be the
12 first step. So, again, going back to education and making
13 sure that we're able to communicate with the community and as
14 far as making sure that the message isn't lost in translation.
15 Through financial literacy, not only are we educating the
16 community as far as how to prepare to become a home buyer,
17 but we're also educating the community as far as the steps
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1 and what the processes and procedures are for them to be able
2 to maintain and attain a home within the Little Haiti
3 community.
4 Female question...: Thank you.
5 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Any other questions?
6 Male 1 (Chair): Any other questions?
7
Male 2: I don't have any other questions at this time.
8 Male questioner: I got one more question. Again,
9 given that you have this high profile, that you may possibly
10 have this high profile positions, how do you mitigate yourself
11 in reference to solicitation? You are being very intimate,
12 you'll always be in the community, there's going to be all
13 kinds of people coming at you and trying to do all types of
14 deals and they'll be very crafty in how they craft their
15 conversation. How do you mitigate that?
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1 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well, as far as myself, professionally
2 I carry myself and I carry my moral values, my ethical values,
3 I take it very seriously and I believe that's... As far as
4 the work that I've done in the community now, I believe... I
5 call it shadow work, not necessarily on the forefronts, making
6 sure that I'm there to hug every baby or kiss every cheek.
7 It's more shadow work, making sure that I do what needs to
8 get done. It's not about having a hidden agenda or making
9 sure... It's more of executing what I need to do as far as
10 the toy drive, handing out turkeys, making sure that we're
11 doing mentorship programs for the youth. Those items and those
12 projects that I've been able to take over, there has been a
13 lot of interaction with other personalities within the
14 community, but again, maintaining my ethics and my morals,
15 I'll be able to not only stand firm on my beliefs but hold
16 other people accountable for even trying to bring shady deals
17 to the table or being unethical. It's shining light on it and
18 not being afraid to stand up for justice.
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Male 1 (Chair): Any other questions?
2 Female question...: Can I ask a question? If you were
3 elected into this position, what would be an action you would
4 take to benefit the youth of Little Haiti?
5 FEMALE CANDIDATE: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
6
7
8
Female question...: If you were elected into this
position, what would an action you would take to benefit the
youth of Little Haiti?
9 FEMALE CANDIDATE: An action? Well, one action I... And
10 thank you for your question. A few years ago, I was approached
11 as far as it was, in relation to the sale of Curley and it
12 was to create a plan, and I named this plan The Revitalization
13 of Little Haiti, and this is back in 2018. So, with this plan
14 I created, it was a community engagement action plan that I
15 foresaw that would need to be in place, and one item from
16 that would be in reference to safety.
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1 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Safety in Little Haiti throughout the
2 years, crime has decreased, the amount of accidents, those
3 have decreased throughout the years. However, with the drive
4 of I guess the population drive in reference to traffic
5 studies with midtown and design district having more
6 traction, Little Haiti, the crime has now slowly but subtly
7 has risen and also So, has the number of accidents. So, one
8 specific thing from that revitalization plan would be to make
9 North Miami Avenue more of a residential area. As of right
10 now, North Miami Avenue, it's like a highway. If you can just
11 think between 54th Street and 62nd, think about how many times
12 that you've driven through that area and you've gone above
13 the 40 miles, probably 50, just zoning through. I would
14 propose to make sure that not only do we have pedestrians'
15 crosswalks, but also to have a barrier to allow the community
16 again to be able to commute by foot, by bicycle, being able
17 to commute.
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1 FEMALE CANDIDATE: So, that is something. The safety of
2 the community is something that I would like to address as an
3 action item.
4 Female question...: Chair, if I may, I have one last
5 question.
6 Male 1 (Chair) : Yes.
7 Female question...: I have to fix these things. What is
8 your view in development and special area plans in Little
9 Haiti?
10 FEMALE CANDIDATE: I'm sorry, can you repeat the
11 question?
12 Female question...: Sure. Is that better?
13 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Yes.
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1 Female question...: Okay. What is your view on
2 development and special area plans in specific in Little
3 Haiti?
4 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well as far as the development, I
5 welcome the changes. I believe it's wonderful that we are
6 able to have improvements in the community. I welcome it in
7 special areas, most specifically the Tri-Rail [System
8 03:47:01]. I think it would be great to have those
9 developments in Little Haiti. However, with that being said,
10 it's, again, making sure that we don't lose the essence of
11 the community, making sure... I'm sorry.
12 Female question...: Bless you.
13 Male 1 (Chair) :
Bless you.
14 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Thank you. Making sure that we don't
15 lose the identity and we maintain the dignity of the
16 community, as far as making sure that not only are the
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1 builders or the contractors on the project or just the
2 janitors or that the security guards, but we have someone in
3 executive positions, someone inside of the offices that is of
4 Haitian descent or from the Little Haiti community to preserve
5 what it is to be Little Haiti So, that, again, we maintain
6 the identity and preserve the dignity of the community.
7 Female question...: Thank you.
8 FEMALE CANDIDATE: You're welcome.
9 Male 1 (Chair): All right, thank you So, much for
10 your time.
11 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Thank you for your time.
12 Female 2: Yes, thank you So, much.
13 FEMALE CANDIDATE: All right.
14 Male 1 (Chair): Been a pleasure. Next?
15 Male 3: Who should be the next one?
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1 Male 1 (Chair): I believe Mr. [Desfranc 03:48:08]
2 was the gentleman who came up?
3 Male 3: Okay.
4 Male 3: (silence)
5 Male 3: Mr. Chair, can we wait a few minutes for the
6 other Board member to arrive? Thank you.
7 Male 3: (silence)
8 FEMALECANDIDATE: Thee traffic studies with midtown and
9 design district having more traction, Little Haiti, the crime
10 has now slowly but subtly has risen and also So, has the
11 number of accidents. So, one specific thing from that
12 revitalization plan would be to make North Miami Avenue more
13 of a residential area. As of right now, North Miami Avenue,
14 it's like a highway. If you can just think between 54th Street
15 and 62nd, think about how many times that you've driven
16 through that area and you've gone above the 40 miles, probably
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1 50, just zoning through. I would propose to make sure that
2 not only do we have pedestrians' crosswalks, but also to have
3 a barrier to allow the community again to be able to commute
4 by foot, by bicycle, being able to commute.
5 FEMALE CANDIDATE: So, that is something, the safety of
6 the community, is something that I would like to address as
7 an action item.
8 Female question...: Chair, if I may, I have one last
9 question.
10 Male 1 (Chair): Yes.
11 Female question...: I have to fix these things. What is
12 your view in development and special area plans in Little
13 Haiti?
14
FEMALE CANDIDATE: I'm sorry, can you repeat the
15 question?
16 Female question...: Sure. Is that better?
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1 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Yes.
2 Female question...: Okay. What is your view on
3 development and special area plans in specific in Little
4 Haiti?
5 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Well as far as the development, I
6 welcome the changes. I believe it's wonderful that we are
7 able to have improvements in the community. I welcome it in
8 special areas, most specifically the Tri-Rail System. I think
9 it would be great to have those developments in Little Haiti.
10 However, with that being said, it's, again, making sure that
11 we don't lose the essence of the community, making sure...
12 I'm sorry.
13 Female question...: Bless you.
14
Male 1 (Chair) : Bless you.
15 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Thank you. Making sure that we don't
16 lose the identity and we maintain the dignity of the
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1 community, as far as making sure that not only are the
2 builders or the contractors on the project or just the
3 janitors or that the security guards, but we have someone in
4 executive positions, someone inside of the offices that is of
5 Haitian descent or from the Little Haiti community to preserve
6 what it is to be Little Haiti So, that, again, we maintain
7 the identity and preserve the dignity of the community.
8 Female question...: Thank you.
9 FEMALE CANDIDATE: You're welcome.
10 Male 1 (Chair): All right, thank you So, much for
11 your time.
12 FEMALE CANDIDATE: Thank you for your time.
13 Female 2: Yes, thank you So, much.
14 FEMALE CANDIDATE: All right.
15 Male 1 (Chair): Been a pleasure.
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1 Male 1 (Chair) : Next?
2 Male 3: Who should be the next one?
3 Male 1 (Chair): I believe Mr. Desfranc was the
4 gentleman who came up?
5 Male 3: Okay.
6 Male 3: (silence)
7 Male 3: Mr. Chair, can we wait a few minutes for the
8 other Board member to arrive? Thank you.
9 Male 3: (silence)
12
KEVY DESFRANC: Good afternoon, Board. [Kevy 03:49:18]
Desfranc, not Kevin.
Male 3: Yes, Kevy.
13 KEVY DESFRANC: I'm Haitian. Kevy Desfranc.
14 Male 3: Put your mic on, Mr. Chair.
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1 Male 1 (Chair): Yes, Mr. Desfranc, thank you for
2 being here. The first question that I have for you is what do
3 you think about the concerns about Little Haiti and what do
4 you think the possibilities are for Little Haiti under your
5 direction?
6 KEVY DESFRANC: So, based on my research and reading
7 different articles, I've heard or seen that the concerns are
8 with further gentrification and sea level rising, affordable
9 housing and I see that the Little Haiti revitalization trust
10 is the missing piece or key component between a unique and
11 successful marriage between the developers and the residents
12 and the business owners within the Little Haiti community,
13 and the trust would be able to utilize mechanisms and tools
14 with the local government such as the master plan, which you
15 can incorporate or establish a CRA, which other communities
16 have structured the CRA to utilize the increase in tax
17 revenues from a base year to reinvest that money into the
18 community and I've thought of efforts such as creating a pot
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1 or fund where you can focus it into basically actually
2 assisting unemployed individuals within the community with
3 obtaining jobs or assist them in creating their own businesses
4 or starting up their own businesses.
5 KEVY DESFRANC: In addition to that, you could also
6 incorporate or utilize other tools such as requiring
7 residential and mixed use developments to be mixed income,
8 which you're always going to have some component or level of
9 affordability. You could also incorporate many other aspects
10 that you can, you could use to further economic development
11 and redevelopment in the community. And I see many
12 possibilities and I hope that you all have possibilities or
13 future thoughts for the community and how it can be shaped
14 and redeveloped.
15 KEVY DESFRANC: Hopefully that answered your question.
16 Male 1 (Chair) :
Yes, thank you.
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1 Male 1 (Chair): Next, I've noticed that you said
2 based on your research. I'm curious to know what is your
3 relationship with the Little Haiti community specifically?
4 What has been a track record of working within the community?
5 KEVY DESFRANC: My personal relationship with Little
6 Haiti is that I am of Haitian descent and I probably have
7 family members that live here. I have a lot of family members
8 that live in Florida so...
9 KEVY DESFRANC: (silence)
12
KEVY DESFRANC: Good afternoon, Board. Kevy Desfranc, not
Kevin.
Male 3: Yes, Kevy.
13 KEVY DESFRANC: I'm Haitian. Kevy Desfranc.
14 Male 3: Put your mic on, Mr. Chair.
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1 Male 1 (Chair): Yes, Mr. Desfranc, thank you for
2 being here. The first question that I have for you is what do
3 you think about the concerns about Little Haiti and what do
4 you think the possibilities are for Little Haiti under your
5 direction?
6 KEVY DESFRANC: So, based on my research and reading
7 different articles, I've heard or seen that the concerns are
8 with further gentrification and sea level rising, affordable
9 housing, and I see that the Little Haiti revitalization trust
10 is the missing piece or key component between a unique and
11 successful marriage between the developers and the residents
12 and the business owners within the Little Haiti community,
13 and the trust would be able to utilize mechanisms and tools
14 with the local government such as the master plan, which you
15 can incorporate or establish a CRA, which... Other
16 communities have structured the CRA to utilize the increase
17 in tax revenues from a base year to reinvest that money into
18 the community, and I've thought of efforts such as creating
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1 a pot or fund where you can focus it into basically actually
2 assisting unemployed individuals within the community with
3 obtaining jobs or assist them in creating their own businesses
4 or starting up their own businesses.
5 KEVY DESFRANC: In addition to that, you could also
6 incorporate or utilize other tools such as requiring
7 residential and mixed use developments to be mixed income,
8 which you're always going to have some component or level of
9 affordability. You could also incorporate many other aspects
10 that you can, you could use to further economic development
11 and redevelopment in the community. And I see many
12 possibilities and I hope that you all have possibilities or
13 future thoughts for the community and how it can be shaped
14 and redeveloped.
15 KEVY DESFRANC: Hopefully that answered your question.
16 Male 1 (Chair) :
Yes, thank you.
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1 Male 1 (Chair): Next, I've noticed that you said
2 based on your research. I'm curious to know what is your
3 relationship with the...
4 PART 7 OF 14 ENDS [04:05:04]
5 SPEAKER 30: I'm curious to know, what is your
6 relationship with the Little Haiti community specifically?
7 What has been a track record of working within the community?
8 SPEAKER 31: My personal relationship with Little
9 Haiti is that I am of Asian descent and I probably have family
10 members that live here. I have a lot of family members that
11 live in Florida. As a personal responsibility that I have
12 basically embarked on in my career to ensure the betterment
13 of the Haitian community. It can start right here in Little
14 Haiti.
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1 SPEAKER 30: Be a little bit more specific. What is a
2 concern or what is a project that you will work on immediately
3 in the Little Haiti community?
4 SPEAKER 31: Master plan. The master plan that you
5 guys were discussing. There are other issues such as...
6 SPEAKER 30: The question I'm asking like based on
7 your experience of Little Haiti, not based on your experience.
8 Maybe I can go down the street just to give you some framing.
9 There might be something to that. I'd say, "Oh, you know what?
10 If I had the resources, I would take care of that." Like on
11 a ground level.
12 SPEAKER 31: On a ground level like... I personally
13 haven't basically developed or prepared the existing
14 conditions of Little Haiti. But what I can imagine is that
15 there might be roadways or streets where there are missing
16 sidewalk links and that there are roadways that are not
17 walkable or pedestrian -friendly. We can embark on projects or
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1 efforts to improve upon pedestrian -friendly type of
2 facilities within Little Haiti. That's basically what I've
3 thought of at the moment, but I haven't gotten enough to be
4 able to give you a good enough answer in regards to the
5 different, current existing conditions that I can improve
6 upon within Little Haiti.
7 SPEAKER 32: I had a couple of questions if I can.
8 SPEAKER 31: Yes.
9 SPEAKER 32: First... Hello. Earlier you said that you
10 cannot come back on Friday because you have to go back to
11 Tampa. I noticed that the address that you listed here is
12 also Tampa.
13 SPEAKER 31: Yes. I currently live in Tampa but I
14 never said that I couldn't come back. I just said I preferred
15 to do the interview today because I still have family that
16 live here in South Florida, which is why I was able to drive
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down here and stay with my family. But I would be able to
return if that was the case.
3 SPEAKER 32: Well, the question that I was going to
4 ask is if your residence is in Tampa, are you planning on
5 moving to? Because this is a full-time position.
6 SPEAKER 31: Yes, understood. I would love to move to
7 Little Haiti if that's the possibility, because I want to be
8 entrenched in the community. I want to be here doing the
9 groundwork, making sure that I'm making an impact, and I'm
10 not just an outsider looking in.
11 SPEAKER 32: Another question that I have for you and
12 you may think that this is comical. Have you been to Little
13 Haiti?
14 SPEAKER 31: Yes.
15 SPEAKER 32: Yeah. Okay. Just wondering because you
16 live in Tampa.
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1 SPEAKER 31: I'm originally from Palm Beach, but I
2 live in Tampa now.
3 SPEAKER 32: Okay. My other question is if you were
4 selected as a director, what'll be the first business?
5 SPEAKER 31: What would be the first business?
6 SPEAKER 32: The first thing that you would...
7 SPEAKER 31: Embark upon? That master plan, because
8 that's important. You need to have that master plan and set
9 So, that you can have that framework to move forward and be
10 able to legally adopt and enforce certain policies that would
11 better or basically have an impact on redevelopment and
12 development in the community.
13 SPEAKER 32: Okay. Let's say that we put the master
14 plan together. What would your first thing be? Let's say that
15 a master plan is already in place. What would your first
16 business for the community be?
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1 SPEAKER 31: Would be to... In addition to those, I...
2 Give me a second, please, while I think about your answer or
3 question. In my profession as a Senior Planner, I deal with
4 master plans and land development. As a personal
5 responsibility that I have basically embarked on in my career
6 to ensure the betterment of the Haitian community. It can
7 start right here in Little Haiti.
8 SPEAKER 30: Be a little bit more specific. What is a
9 concern or what is a project that you will work on immediately
10 in the Little Haiti community?
11 SPEAKER 31: Master plan. The master plan that you
12 guys were discussing. There are other issues such as...
13 SPEAKER 30: The question I'm asking like based on
14 your experience of Little Haiti, not based on your experience.
15 Maybe I can go down the street just to give you some framing.
16 There might be something that I see. I'd say, "Oh, you know
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what? If I had a resource, I would take care of that." Like
on a ground level.
3 SPEAKER 31: On a ground level like... I personally
4 haven't basically developed or prepared the existing
5 conditions of Little Haiti. But what I can imagine is that
6 there might be roadways or streets where there are missing
7 sidewalk links and that there are roadways that are not
8 walkable or pedestrian -friendly. We can embark on projects or
9 efforts to improve upon pedestrian -friendly type of
10 facilities within Little Haiti. That's basically what I've
11 thought of at the moment, but I haven't gotten enough to be
12 able to give you a good enough answer in regards to the
13 different, current existing conditions that I can improve
14 upon within Little Haiti.
15 SPEAKER 32: I had a couple of questions if I can.
16 SPEAKER 31: Yes.
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1 SPEAKER 32: First... hello. Earlier you said that you
2 cannot come back on Friday because you have to go back to
3 Tampa. I noticed that the address that you listed here is
4 also Tampa.
5 SPEAKER 31: Yes. I currently live in Tampa but I
6 never said that I couldn't come back. I just said I preferred
7 to do the interview today because I still have family that
8 live here in South Florida, which is why I was able to drive
9 down here and stay with my family. But I would be able to
10 return if that was the case.
11 SPEAKER 32: Well, the question I was going to ask is
12 if your residence is in Tampa, are you planning on moving to?
13 Because this is a full-time position.
14 SPEAKER 31: Yes, understood. I would love to move to
15 Little Haiti if that's a possibility, because I want to be
16 entrenched in the community. I want to be here doing the
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groundwork, making sure that I'm making an impact, and I'm
not just an outsider looking in.
3 SPEAKER 32: Another question that I have for you and
4 you may think that this is comical. Have you been to Little
5 Haiti?
6 SPEAKER 31: Yes.
7 SPEAKER 32: Okay. Just wondering because you live in
8 Tampa.
9 SPEAKER 31: I'm originally from Palm Beach, but I
10 live in Tampa now.
11 SPEAKER 32: Okay. My other question is if you were
12 selected as the director, what'll be the first business?
13 SPEAKER 31: What would be the first business?
14
SPEAKER 32: The first thing that you would...
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1 SPEAKER 31: Embark upon? That master plan, because
2 that's important. You need to have that master plan and set
3 So, that you can have that framework to move forward and be
4 able to legally adopt and enforce certain policies that would
5 better or basically have an impact on redevelopment and
6 development in the community.
7 SPEAKER 32: Okay. Let's say that we put the master
8 plan together. What would your first thing be? Let's say that
9 a master plan is already in place. What would your first
10 business for the community be?
11 SPEAKER 31: Would be to... In addition to those, I...
12 Give me a second, please, while I think about your answer or
13 question. In my profession as a Senior Planner, I deal with
14 master plans and land development codes and regulations. I
15 see how they are implemented and used, So, my first business
16 would be with the master plan. But also, with how I could
17 change or improve upon the land development code regulations
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1 So, that we are ensuring affordability for the community.
2 That we're ensuring all other issues or concerns that are
3 brought up by the community residents, business owners, and
4 developers.
5 SPEAKER 32: Okay.
6 SPEAKER 30: Any other questions?
7 SPEAKER 33: Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon.
8 SPEAKER 31: Good afternoon.
9 SPEAKER 33: One of our responsibilities for the
10 Little Haiti Trust is the development of affordable housing
11 and engaging the community in home -buying programs and
12 creating home ownership in Little Haiti. How would you
13 approach this and how would you execute this duty that is
14 laid out for us?
15 SPEAKER 31: First of all,... Well, we would organize
16 a public meeting with the public and get their thoughts and
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1 the thoughts about how they could go about affording, living
2 within the community right now, as it is, will change,
3 develop, and redevelop over time.
4 SPEAKER 31: In that meeting, I would gather all the
5 information that the community residents have stated and go
6 back to the drawing board and see how we can basically ensure
7 that affordable housing will be a requirement for further
8 development and redevelopment. How affordable housing won't
9 be as much of an issue.
10 SPEAKER 31: I think one way we can implement that is
11 by basically creating some type of pot of fund where we are
12 actually assisting individuals with building their wealth.
13 Either through job training, skill building, and creating or
14 helping them start their own business or improving their
15 entrepreneurial skills within the community. Making sure that
16 the money generated remains in the community and a cycle
17 within the community, So, that they will be able to afford
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living within community that's ever redeveloping and
developing.
3 SPEAKER 33: Thank you. I have two more questions for
4 you. What is your view on large scale development coming into
5 the Little Haiti community?
6 SPEAKER 31: My view is that development and
7 redevelopment is inevitable. Can't stop it. However, the
8 individuals in the community have the right to have an impact
9 and influence on how development occurs and how development
10 impacts them. We would be able to control that to a certain
11 extent within the trust.
12 SPEAKER 33: With that being said, your education is
13 of interest to me. I took a look at your background and your
14 master's in urban and regional planning, and then your
15 bachelor's in international business is a very high interest
16 to me. Could you tell me how you see those combinations which
17 are a very interesting combination? How you see the
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combination of your education helping you in this position
and helping Little Haiti.
3 SPEAKER 31: Well, having a master's in urban and
4 regional planning... It's very vital for a certain role like
5 this because the Little Haiti Trust or Revitalization Trust
6 as the primary goal and correct me if I'm wrong, to ensure
7 redevelopment and economic development within the community,
8 right?
9 SPEAKER 30: That's correct.
10 SPEAKER 31: I have the experience. I have the
11 educational background to push that forward and having a
12 bachelor's degree in international business, I have the
13 business skills. I have the business background. I have the
14 business experience to where I am not excluding the business
15 owners from codes and regulations. I see how they are
16 implemented and used, So, my first business would be with the
17 master plan, but also with how I can change or improve upon
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1 the land development code regulations, that we are ensuring
2 affordability for the community. That we're ensuring all
3 other issues or concerns that are brought up by the community
4 residents, business owners, and developers.
5 SPEAKER 32: Okay.
6 SPEAKER 30: Any other questions?
7 SPEAKER 33: Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon.
8 SPEAKER 31: Good afternoon.
9 SPEAKER 33: One of our responsibilities for the
10 Little Haiti Trust is the development of affordable housing
11 and engaging the community in home -buying programs and
12 creating home ownership in Little Haiti. How would you
13 approach this and how would you execute this duty that is
14 laid out for us?
15 SPEAKER 31: First of all,... Well, we would organize
16 a public meeting with the public and get their thoughts and
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1 the thoughts about how they could go about affording, living
2 within the community right now, as it is, will change,
3 develop, and redevelop over time.
4 SPEAKER 31: In that meeting, I would gather all the
5 information that the community residents have stated and go
6 back to the drawing board and see how we can basically ensure
7 that affordable housing will be a requirement for further
8 development and redevelopment. How affordable housing won't
9 be as much of an issue.
10 SPEAKER 31: I think one way we can implement that is
11 by basically creating some type of pot of fund where we are
12 actually assisting individuals with building their wealth.
13 Either through job training, skill building, and creating or
14 helping them start their own business or improving their
15 entrepreneurial skills within the community. Making sure that
16 the money generated remains in the community and a cycle
17 within the community, So, that they will be able to afford
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living within the community that's ever redeveloping and
developing.
3 SPEAKER 33: Thank you. I have two more questions for
4 you. What is your view on large scale development coming into
5 the Little Haiti community?
6 SPEAKER 31: My view is that development and
7 redevelopment is inevitable. Can't stop it. However, the
8 individuals in the community have the right to have an impact
9 and influence on how development occurs and how development
10 impacts them. We would be able to control that to a certain
11 extent within the trust.
12 SPEAKER 33: With that being said, your education is
13 of interest to me. I took a look at your background and your
14 master's in urban and regional planning, and then your
15 bachelor's in international business is of very high interest
16 to me. Could you tell me how you see those combinations which
17 are a very interesting combination? How you see the
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combination of your education helping you in this position
and helping Little Haiti.
3 SPEAKER 31: Well, having a master's in urban and
4 regional planning... It's very vital for a certain role like
5 this because the Little Haiti Trust or Revitalization Trust
6 as the primary goal and correct me if I'm wrong, to ensure
7 redevelopment and economic development within the community,
8 right?
9 SPEAKER 30: That's correct.
10 SPEAKER 31: I have the experience. I have the
11 educational background to push that forward, and then having
12 a bachelor's degree in international business, I have the
13 business skills. I have the business background. I have the
14 business experience to where I am not excluding the business
15 owners from further working together with the residents, and
16 the developers, and basically ensuring that economic
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development is a vital point within the community and that
this will be a success.
3 SPEAKER 33: Thank you. Lastly, I understand that you
4 do speak Haitian Creole. Are you able to read and write also
5 and fully communicate?
6 SPEAKER 31: Yes.
7 SPEAKER 33: Thank you. I don't have anything else.
8 SPEAKER 34: Can I ask him a question?
9 SPEAKER 30: Yes, you can.
10 SPEAKER 34: If you were elected into this position,
11 what are we in action you would take to benefit the youth of
12 Little Haiti?
13 SPEAKER 31: In my past experience with the city of
14 Zephyrhills, I was a part of the Youth City Council or I was
15 part of facilitating the Youth City Council. Basically, what
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1 we were in charge of doing was getting the youth involved
2 with decisions being made for the community. I would
3 personally work with the youth to make sure that they have
4 every right, as much as every right, as older individuals
5 within the community. To have a say in the decisions that
6 will be brought to the board for adoption or approval. That
7 would be my answer to your question.
8 SPEAKER 30: Any other questions?
9 SPEAKER 32: I have one question. We talked a lot
10 about affordable housing. How do you feel about implementing
11 a role where those developers will have to dedicate 20% of
12 their property to affordable housing?
13 SPEAKER 31: While there are examples of other
14 communities doing it, why can't we do it here at least 20%?
15 There's other communities that have done at least 25%, So,
16 it's a possibility. I think that is a requirement. I believe
17 that you, as the trust forward should make a decision on
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1 making that a requirement for developers within Little Haiti.
2 It's a possibility and I've seen it work in other communities.
3 I believe it could work here in Little Haiti, too.
4 SPEAKER 30: Any other questions? Thank you very much,
5 Mr. De Funk.
6 SPEAKER 31: Thank you.
7 SPEAKER 35: Who's the [inaudible 04:28:25]?
8 SPEAKER 30: I have in front of me, Mr. Hallisey.
9 SPEAKER 35: Okay. Mr. Hallisey.
10 SPEAKER 30: I thought it was just two people.
11 SPEAKER 36: No. I'm not sure if they're all willing
12 to do it today or they will going to wait till later. But
13 those are the two people that came up.
14 SPEAKER 30: Those are the two people that said they
15 are willing to do it today.
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1 SPEAKER 35: No, I think most of them said they want
2 to do it and then come back again.
3 SPEAKER 30: Oh, okay.
4 SPEAKER 36: Oh, okay. I'm going to ask him the
5 question.
6 SPEAKER 30: Yes. All good.
7 SPEAKER 36: Oh, that's not Mr. Hallisey.
8 SPEAKER 32: You're not Mr. Hallisey?
9 SPEAKER 37: Reginald Alexis is me.
10 SPEAKER 32: Oh, I thought he meant Hacky Hallisey.
11 SPEAKER 30: That's what I said. They just brought in
12 a different person. I think it was also [crosstalk 04:29:33]
13 mistaken identity, but just to make sure that you state your
14 name So, I put my notes in the correct place.
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1 SPEAKER 37: Yes, sir. You want me to do that now?
2 SPEAKER 30: Yes, please.
3 SPEAKER 32: Yes.
4 SPEAKER 37: Reginald Alexis is my full name. I go by
5 Reggie for the most part.
6 SPEAKER 38: How do they pronounce your name in
7 Creole?
8 SPEAKER 37: Reginald Alexis.
9 SPEAKER 39: [inaudible 04:29:53]. That's what he was
10 said.
11 SPEAKER 30: Very true. Very true. All right, Mr.
12 Alexis. Can you tell us about your most recent project? Was
13 it successful? The budget? What were the challenges with that
14 budget?
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1 SPEAKER 30: Also, what comes to mind? I've worked
2 with a local private...
3 SPEAKER 31: Further working together with the
4 residents and the developers and basically ensuring that
5 economic development is a vital point within the community
6 and that this will be a success.
7 SPEAKER 33: Thank you. Lastly, I understand that you
8 do speak Haitian Creole. Are you able to read and write also
9 and fully communicate?
10 SPEAKER 31: Yes.
11 SPEAKER 33: Thank you. I don't have anything else.
12 SPEAKER 34: Can I ask him a question?
13 SPEAKER 30: Yes, you can.
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1 SPEAKER 34: If you were elected into this position,
2 what are we in action you would take to benefit the youth of
3 Little Haiti?
4 SPEAKER 31: In my past experience with the city of
5 Zephyrhills, I was a part of the Youth City Council, or I was
6 part of facilitating the Youth City Council. Basically, what
7 we were in charge of doing was getting the youth involved
8 with decisions being made for the community. I would
9 personally work with the youth to make sure that they have
10 every right, as much as every right, as older individuals
11 within the community to have a say in the decisions that will
12 be brought to the board for adoption or approval. That would
13 be my answer to your question. Thank you.
14 SPEAKER 30: Any other questions?
15 SPEAKER 32: I have one question. We talk a lot about
16 affordable housing. How do you feel about implementing a role
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where those developers will have to dedicate 200 of their
property to affordable housing?
3 SPEAKER 31: While there are examples of other
4 communities doing it, why can't we do it here at least 200?
5 There's other communities that have done at least 25%, So,
6 it's a possibility. I think that is a requirement. I believe
7 that you, as the trust board, should make a decision on making
8 that a requirement for developers within Little Haiti. It's
9 a possibility and I've seen it work in other communities. I
10 believe it could work here in Little Haiti, too.
11 SPEAKER 30: Any other questions? Thank you very much,
12 Mr. De Funk.
13 SPEAKER 31: Thank you.
14 SPEAKER 35: Who's the [inaudible 04:33:25]?
15 SPEAKER 30: I have in front of me, Mr. Hallisey.
16 SPEAKER 35: Okay. Mr. Hallisey.
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SPEAKER 30: I thought it was just two people.
2 SPEAKER 36: No. I'm not sure if they are all willing
3 to do it today or they will going to wait till later. But
4 those are the two people that came up.
5 SPEAKER 30: Those are the two people that said they
6 are willing to do it today.
7 SPEAKER 35: No. I think most of them said they want
8 to do it and then come back again.
9 SPEAKER 30: Oh, okay.
10 SPEAKER 36: Oh, okay. I'm going to ask the question.
11 SPEAKER 30: Yes. All good.
12 SPEAKER 36: Oh, that's not Mr. Alexis.
13 SPEAKER 32: You're not Mr. Hallisey?
14 SPEAKER 37: Reginald Alexis is me.
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SPEAKER 32: Oh, I thought he meant Hacky Hallisey.
2 SPEAKER 30: That's what I said. They just brought in
3 a different person. I think it was also [crosstalk 04:34:34]
4 mistaken identity, but just to make sure that you state your
5 name So, I put my notes in the correct place.
6 SPEAKER 37: Yes, sir. You want me to do that now?
7 SPEAKER 30: Yes, please.
8 SPEAKER 37: Reginald Alexis is my full name. I go by
9 Reggie for the most part.
10 SPEAKER 38: How do they pronounce your name and
11 Creole?
12 SPEAKER 37: Reginald Alexis.
13 SPEAKER 39: [inaudible 04:34:53] That's what he was
14 said.
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1 SPEAKER 30: Very true. Very true. All right, Mr.
2 Alexis. Can you tell us about your most recent project? Was
3 it successful? The budget? What were the challenges with that
4 budget?
5 SPEAKER 37: Also, what comes to mind, I've worked
6 with a local private school, a very large private school. A
7 $30 million private school in Aventura Jewish School. They
8 brought me on for the project. They were behind three audits.
9 Two independent audits, MBAF, and then they had to step up
10 which is the federal grant audit that they have. They had So,
11 many changes with staff and So, she brought me on to literally
12 just kind of... If I can use that term Pac-Man, to get the
13 audits done, and the step up audit is well done because it
14 needs to be done because of their bank issues.
15 SPEAKER 37: She brought my foot project and I had to
16 lead the concept with staff that I did not know. I had to get
17 engaged with them, get to learn the executive staff to close
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out these audits because she needed me to single-handedly
handle it.
3 SPEAKER 37: When I think of a project, because I
4 think of this will become literally, we had a short timeframe.
5 She brought me on the end of fiscal year, ended June 30. She
6 brought me on middle of June, So, it didn't have a lot of
7 back or context with it. So, I have to do a lot of work on my
8 own at home, going through the trial balance, et cetera, to
9 really be educated on it. But we actually met the goal of
10 getting those audits. That's three audits, that's a big deal.
11 SPEAKER 37: You speak of MBAF, which is one of the
12 well-known auditors here in South Florida. I completed that
13 and also the step up on it. So, when I think of the most
14 recent product, that's what jumps out to my mind.
15 SPEAKER 30: What do you think are the concerns of
16 Little Haiti and what do you see are the possibilities at
17 Little Haiti?
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1 SPEAKER 37: The concerns I see I think is struck
2 home, probably a lot of us family members have. The concern
3 is definitely the affordable housing. That's probably the
4 bigger concern. I have family that now lives in Opa Locka
5 area because they were able to afford and we're in the heart
6 of Little Haiti.
7 SPEAKER 37: When you think of the biggest concern, I
8 see affordable housing being the biggest concern. And I'll
9 add to that, losing the fabric of Little Haiti. I think that's
10 a big concern when you remove a lot of people out of the city,
11 there's a fabric of Little Haiti that I think you can't find
12 anywhere else. That's what I think my concerns.
13 SPEAKER 37: When I think of places like Little
14 Havana, there's the opportunity to create a different world
15 at Little Haiti that would just appeal to everyone. I think
16 there's a culture that is respected back in the days. It
17 wasn't respected as it was, but it has such a strong presence.
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1 Everything in entertainment and the business, everything,
2 entrepreneurship. I believe the opportunities are endless
3 when it comes to actually creating a whole little world in
4 Little Haiti and letting that be the backbone of kind of what
5 the culture presents. That's what I see opportunity. I see it
6 in that sense. I can get into mechanical, but I think at a
7 very high level, just everything Haiti's about can be
8 represented in my opinion.
9 SPEAKER 30: Next question.
10 SPEAKER 32: I have a question. When you say
11 represented, what is your vision?
12 SPEAKER 37: I would envision that to more of a
13 listening process because the people of Little Haiti would
14 really give a very good visual what that list looks like.
15 That would probably be the first process here at Little Haiti.
16 How they can be engaged, how they want to be represented. And
17 in those, I would take that from the elders, that would
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1 probably be my first process in doing so. But for a practical
2 step, it would be representing the business owners in Little
3 Haiti.
4 SPEAKER 37: In Little Haiti, they have the culture.
5 They can actually move the ball down the field as well because
6 I think they're the ones that I would give their influence to
7 within the community. But I think at a practical level, it
8 would be more of a learning, listening process. Because I
9 think in that process, there'll be some creativity that come
10 from it. Will it be some ideas. I don't even know at this
11 point that will come about, I think, and just listening to
12 the people.
13 SPEAKER 32: Another question that I have for you is,
14 how would you foresee bringing more tourism dollars into
15 Little Haiti?
16 SPEAKER 37: Yeah. I think that goes along with
17 allowing Little Haiti to be represented by the community.
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1 Because again, I do think nationally, that the Haitian
2 community, the Haitian culture is appealing to everyone. I
3 really do believe that. I believe letting that be embellished
4 within the community is how they would...
5 PART 8 OF 14 ENDS [04:40:04]
6 Mr. Alexis: ...Letting that be embellished within the
7 community is how it would really garner more tourism, in my
8 opinion. Literally letting the culture of Little Haiti be
9 represented as best. That's what I think because it's
10 nationally a thing that's appealing to everyone. And I believe
11 that's what would lead that process, in my opinion.
12 SPEAKER 40: Well, I know everybody likes [Gu Yo
13 04:40:20], that's for sure. Another question I have for you
14 is if you were selected-
15 Mr. Alexis: ... A really large private school, a $30
16 million private school in Aventura, a Jewish school. And So,
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1 they brought me on for the project of... They were behind
2 three audits, two independent artists, MBF, and then they had
3 to step up which is a federal grant audit that they have. And
4 they had So, many changes with staff. And So, she brought me
5 on to literally just, if I can use that term, Pac-Man that to
6 get the audits done. And the step up audit as well done
7 because it needs to be done because of their bank issue. So,
8 she brought my full project and I had to lead the concept
9 with staff that I did not know. So, I had to get engaged with
10 them, get to learn the executive staff to close out these
11 audits because she needed me to single-handedly handle it.
12 Mr. Alexis: So, when I think of a project recently,
13 I think of this one, because literally we had a short
14 timeframe. She brought me on... Their fifth school year ended
15 June 30th, she brought me on middle of June. So, it didn't
16 have a lot of back or context with it. So, I have to do a lot
17 of work on my own at home, going through the trial balance et
18 cetera, to really be educated on it. But we actually met the
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1 goal of getting those audits. So, that's three audits, that's
2 a big deal. And you speak of MBF, which was well known
3 auditor's here in South Florida. And So, I completed that and
4 also to step up on it. So, when I think of the most recent
5 project, that's what jumps out to my mind.
6 SPEAKER 40: Your mic is off.
7 SPEAKER 41: Sorry. What do you think are the concerns
8 of Little Haiti and what do you see are the possibilities of
9 Little Haiti?
10 Mr. Alexis: The concerns I see is something that I
11 think has struck home with probably a lot of us family members
12 I have. So, the concern is definitely the affordable housing.
13 That's probably the biggest concern. I have family that now
14 lives in Opa-locka area because they were able to afford and
15 were in the heart of little Haiti. So, when you think of the
16 biggest concern, I see affordable housing being the biggest
17 concern. And then I'll add to that, losing the fabric of
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1 Little Haiti. I think that's a big concern when you remove a
2 lot of people out of the city, there's a fabric of Little
3 Haiti that I think you can't find anywhere else. So, that's
4 what I think about concerns. Opportunity -wise I believe when
5 I think of places like Little Havana, there's an opportunity
6 to create a different world in Little Haiti that would just
7 appeal to everyone.
8 Mr. Alexis: I think there's a culture that is
9 respected. Back in the days, Haiti, it wasn't respected as it
10 was, but it has such a strong presence now in everything. In
11 entertainment, in the business, everywhere, entrepreneurship.
12 So, I believe the opportunities are endless when it comes to
13 actually creating a whole little world in Little Haiti and
14 letting that be the backbone of what the culture presents.
15 So, when I see opportunity, I see it in that sense. I can get
16 into mechanical, but I think at a very high level, just
17 everything Haiti's about can be represented in Little Haiti
18 in my opinion.
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SPEAKER 42: Next question.
2 SPEAKER 40: I have a question. When you say
3 represented, what is your vision?
4 Mr. Alexis: So, I was envisioning that to more of a
5 listening process because the people of Little Haiti would
6 really give a very good visual what that list it looks like.
7 So, that would not be the first process, hearing the people
8 of Little Haiti, how they can be engaged, how they want to be
9 represented. And those things, I would take that from the
10 elders of Haiti. That'd probably be my first process in doing
11 so, but for a practical step, it would be representing the
12 business owners in Little Haiti. Because not only are they in
13 Little Haiti, but they also have the culture of Little Haiti,
14 they can actually move the ball down the field as well because
15 I think they're the ones that I would give their influence to
16 within the community. But I think at a practical level, it
17 would be more of a listening process. I think in that process,
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1 there'll be some creativity that comes from it, will be some
2 ideas that I don't even know at this point that would come
3 about, I think in just listening to the people.
4 SPEAKER 40: Another question that I have for you is
5 how would you foresee bringing more tourism dollars into
6 Little Haiti?
7 Mr. Alexis: Yeah, I think that goes along with
8 allowing Little Haiti to be represented by the community.
9 Because again, I do think nationally, the Haitian community,
10 the Haitian culture is appealing to everyone. I really do
11 believe that. So, I believe letting that be embellished within
12 the community is how it would really garner more tourism, in
13 my opinion. Literally letting the culture of little Haiti be
14 represented as best. That's what I think because it's
15 nationally a thing that's just appealing to everyone and I
16 believe that's what would lead that process in my opinion.
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1 SPEAKER 40: Well, I know everybody likes Gu Yo that's
2 for sure. And then a question that I have for you is if you
3 were selected as the director, what would your first state of
4 business be?
5 Mr. Alexis: So, I come from an accounting background,
6 but also a leadership background. So, I think the first order
7 of business would be just order, to be honest with you.
8 There's a lot of mechanics, there's a startup environment
9 that's in play, right? And there's a lot of mechanics that
10 needs to be taken care of that you guys at your level that
11 you won't be able to take care of. So, I think as executive
12 director, there would just be a lot of order in place. A lot
13 of putting in order places where... There's an infrastructure
14 that needs to be in place because when you think about fund
15 reporting for these dollars, I put my accounting brain on,
16 you have to have the infrastructure in place So, that readily
17 available. You might say, "Hey Reggie, we needed this
18 particular kind of report."
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1 Mr. Alexis: If I don't have the infrastructure in
2 place, then I'm giving you two weeks when I can make that a
3 one day thing or maybe a 30 minute item because the
4 infrastructure is in place. So, when I think about the first
5 level, it's just the foundation of infrastructure and really
6 a level of organization where what I'll present to you guys
7 is what these priorities look like. And it'd be a collective
8 agreeing on what that looks like. But I think my first order
9 would be to present this level of order and we would make
10 what the priorities would be from there. That you guys need
11 to see it, and that would be my role, for you to see it and
12 you would say, "Okay, we're going to tackle this topic," So,
13 we're all on the same page. Order is what I see to be my
14 primary responsibility coming in.
15 SPEAKER 40: Okay, and another question that I have
16 for you is how do you envision helping the small businesses
17 that are already in Little Haiti? How would you help them
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move forward with the gentrification that's happening around
them?
3 Mr. Alexis: That's a good question. I do believe
4 again, would be by listening. I don't have a dire plan right
5 now. I don't. I don't have something that would move the ball
6 forward that I could think of. But I do believe in listening
7 process, I will be more educated in that because I think I
8 need to hear from them. I need to hear what makes the business
9 successful. I need to see what brings more traffic to their
10 business, these kinds of things, little metrics that I think
11 I need to know to develop a plan, I will need to understand
12 what they feel appeals most to those who are not patient and
13 those kinds of things. I think once I get a pallet for all
14 that, then I think I would devise a great plan, but I think
15 hearing from the business owners and I think they would have
16 a lot to say, would be how I would co-operate that plan in my
17 opinion.
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1 SPEAKER 40: Thank you.
2 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
3 ASHLEY TUSAIN : How are you doing? Ashley Tusain
4 here.
5 Mr. Alexis: Hello, Ashley.
6 ASHLEY TUSAIN : Pronounced Two -sin. I have a couple
7 of questions. One is, there are a lot of people that are
8 interested in Little Haiti and what's happening in Little
9 Haiti. What would make you an ideal candidate based on your
10 skillset, based on your education, what do you feel makes you
11 an ideal candidate to lead in these challenges that we're
12 facing?
13 Mr. Alexis: What makes me an ideal candidate I
14 believe is my background and my expertise that I provide. I
15 believe in the startup environment; I believe in the fund
16 reporting that's needed. There's a level of Oregon order that
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1 I bring. I believe for me, there's a level of innocence that
2 I bring, if I can use that term and an expertise in this
3 profession where it's just putting a business in place. Bank
4 accounts, providing the reporting functions that are needed.
5 So, I feel like I'm an ideal candidate because that falls
6 within my wheelhouse. I've been doing that since 2005 and
7 bringing that kind of order since 2005. So, I feel like with
8 this startup environment, if we can use that term, there's a
9 lot of order needs to be done that would take us long-term.
10 And So, I feel like that's what makes me stand out with any
11 of the other candidates, in my opinion.
12 ASHLEY TUSAIN : Thank you. Another question I have
13 is one of the things that we want to do, part of trust is to
14 bring resources to... Trust is a huge resource. So, what are
15 some ways that you would envision bringing resources with
16 your position as well?
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1 Mr. Alexis: Just for clarification, resources in
2 fundraising, is that what you...
3 ASHLEY TUSAIN : It could be fundraising; it could be
4 innovation. Funding, but I also want to hear from any other
5 innovative ideas you may have around bringing resources to
6 the community.
7 Mr. Alexis: Yeah. I'm an energy guy. I'll be honest
8 with you. Yeah, people say I smile all the time. I have this
9 positive ora, if you want to say, I believe this is a passion
10 of mine. I believe people will get behind this like no other,
11 in my opinion. I believe there's a lot of people waiting to
12 put Little Haiti on the map and I believe there is a movement
13 that would take place in this. And I think there just needs
14 to be a strong energy behind that, that correlates with that.
15 So, in my opinion, when I think of bringing resources,
16 obviously there'll be some practical fundraising, but I
17 believe there'll be So, many partnerships to be a part of
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this movement where there'll be some great ideas that come
from that. I've been around fundraising my whole-
3 SPEAKER 40: As the director, what would your first
4 state of business be?
5 Mr. Alexis: So, I come from an accounting background,
6 but also a leadership background. So, I think the first order
7 of business would be just order, to be honest with you.
8 There's a lot of mechanics, there's a startup environment
9 that's in play, right? And there's a lot of mechanics that
10 needs to be taken care of that you guys, at your level, that
11 you won't be able to take care of. So, I think as executive
12 director, there'd just be a lot of order in place. A lot of
13 putting in an order places where... There's an infrastructure
14 needs to be in place. Because when you think about fund
15 reporting for these dollars, I put my accounting brain on.
16 You have to have the infrastructure in place. So, that readily
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available, you might say, "Hey, Reggie, we needed this
particular kind of report."
3 Mr. Alexis: If I don't have the infrastructure in
4 place, then I'm giving you two weeks when I can make that a
5 one day thing or maybe a 30 minute item because the
6 infrastructure is in place. So, when I think about the first
7 level, it's just the foundation of infrastructure and really
8 a level of organization where what I present to you guys is
9 what these priorities look like. And it'd be a collective
10 agreeing on what that looks like. But I think my first order
11 would be to present this level of order and we would make
12 what the priorities would be from that. That you guys need to
13 see it and that's what would be my role, for you to see and
14 you would say, "Okay, we're going to tackle this topic," So,
15 we're all on the same page. Order is what I see to be my
16 primary responsibility coming in.
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1 SPEAKER 40: Okay, and another question that I have
2 for you is how do you envision helping the small businesses
3 that are already in Little Haiti? How would you help them
4 move forward with the gentrification that's happening around
5 them?
6 Mr. Alexis: That's a good question. I do believe
7 again; it'll be by listening. I don't have a dire plan right
8 now. I don't. I don't have something that would move the ball
9 forward that I could think of, but I do believe in the
10 listening process, I will be more educated in that. Because
11 I think I need to hear from them. I need to hear what makes
12 the business successful. I need to see what brings more
13 traffic to the business, these kinds of things, little metrics
14 that I think I need to know to develop a plan, I will need to
15 understand what they feel appeals most to those who are not
16 patient and those kinds of things. I think once get a palette
17 for all that, then I think I would devise a great plan, but
18 I think hearing from the business owners and I think they
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1 would have a lot to say, would be how I would co-operate that
2 plan in my opinion.
3 SPEAKER 40: Thank you.
4 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
5 ASHLEY TUSAIN : How are you doing? Ashley Tusain
6 here.
7 Mr. Alexis: Hello Ashley.
8 ASHLEY TUSAIN : Last name pronounced Two -sin. I have
9 a couple of questions. One is, So, there are a lot of people
10 that are interested in Little Haiti and what's happening in
11 Little Haiti. What would make you an ideal candidate based on
12 your skillset, based on your education, what do you feel makes
13 you an ideal candidate to lead in these challenges that we're
14 facing?
15 Mr. Alexis: What makes me an ideal candidate I
16 believe is my background and my expertise that I provide. I
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1 believe in the startup environment, I believe in the fund
2 reporting that's needed. There's a level of Oregon order that
3 I bring. I believe for me, there's a level of innocence that
4 I bring, if I can use that term, and an expertise in this
5 profession where it's just putting a business in place.
6 Mr. Alexis: Bank accounts, providing the reporting
7 functions that are needed. So, I feel like I'm an ideal
8 candidate because that falls within my wheelhouse. I've been
9 doing that since 2005 and bringing that kind of order since
10 2005. So, I feel like with this startup environment, if we
11 can use that term, there's a lot of order that needs to be
12 done that would take us long term. And So, I feel like that's
13 what makes me stand out with any of the other candidates, in
14 my opinion.
15 ASHLEY TUSAIN : Thank you. Another question I have
16 is, one of the things that we want to do, part of the trust
17 is to bring resources to... The trust is a huge resource. So,
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what are some ways that you would envision bringing resources
with your position as well?
3 Mr. Alexis: Just for clarification, resources in
4 fundraising, is that what you...
5 ASHLEY TUSAIN : It can be fundraising, it can be
6 innovation. Funding, but I also want to hear from any other
7 innovative ideas you may have around bringing resources to
8 the community.
9 Mr. Alexis: I'm an energy guy, I'll be honest with
10 you. Yeah, people say I smile all the time. I have this
11 positive ora, if you want to say, I believe this is just a
12 passion of mine. I believe people will get behind this like
13 no other, in my opinion. I believe there's a lot of people
14 waiting to put Little Haiti on the map and I believe there is
15 a movement that would take place in this. And I think there
16 needs to be a strong energy behind that, that correlates with
17 that. So, in my opinion, when I think of bringing resources,
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Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 obviously there'll be some practical fundraising, but I
2 believe there'll be So, many partnerships to be a part of
3 this movement where there'll be some great ideas that come
4 from that.
5 Mr. Alexis: I've been around fundraising my whole
6 life. I understand what that needs to be, I understand what
7 that looks like. So, that's not something that I'm not
8 unfamiliar but because of, I guess my background, I like to
9 think of revenue generating ideas, and I would get that from
10 the community. And I would get that from ideas from just
11 working with the community. But I do believe this movement,
12 the biggest marketing is just the movement of what's taking
13 place with this revitalization, in my opinion.
14 ASHLEY TUSAIN : And lastly, what is your track
15 record or what is your experience of working or leading within
16 Little Haiti specifically?
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1 Mr. Alexis: So, I don't have any specific workings in
2 Little Haiti, to be honest. I was a football star here. I
3 grew up here. I was born in Little Haiti, moved to Opa-locka
4 but outside of my roots, I've worked in Little Haiti, I have
5 family in Little Haiti that I frequent. Obviously I've been
6 to restaurants in Little Haiti but that's as far as it goes.
7 ASHLEY TUSAIN : Okay, all right. Thank you.
8 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
9 SPEAKER 41: Any other questions?
10 SPEAKER 43: Yes, thank you. Hi, good afternoon. Since
11 your background and most of your professional experience is
12 in finance, one of our duties, one of our responsibilities
13 with the Little Haiti trust is to develop affordable housing
14 and engage the community and create home ownership, home
15 buying opportunities. How would you approach this?
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1 Mr. Alexis: So, again, from my accounting background,
2 I think I would... There's a market rent rate, right? There's
3 the market rent us in the community and that's what's pushing
4 people out of the community or... To be honest with you, is
5 that market rate. So, what I would look at is ways to either
6 provide affordable housing around that concept. For me
7 personally, I also do real estate on a personal. And So, I
8 understand what home ownership looks like. I understand what
9 renting looks like and how sometimes it's just more of a
10 temporary thing. So, I think me hearing what the needs of the
11 community in regards to home ownership would be my first role
12 of step. I don't have a particular plan of how that would
13 take place, but addressing the market rent would be the first
14 place to look at, in my opinion.
15 SPEAKER 43: Thank you. And my last question, how do
16 you feel and what is your opinion on the large scale
17 developments that are coming into the Little Haiti area?
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1 Mr. Alexis: So, my opinion, I think it's a catch 22,
2 to be honest with you. I believe it'll be a beautiful thing
3 on the end product if it meets both needs, but I do believe
4 it's a catch 22. The fact is it will move people out of the
5 community. That is just the fact, there'll be people who don't
6 like to change. And So, those are some of the challenges with
7 it. And So, that's what I say it's a catch 22. But then on
8 the other end, there's jobs that'll be created. It's just a
9 beautiful area to be a part of.
10 Mr. Alexis: I live in Broward now I make the commute
11 down here to Wynnewood and Little Haiti because of what I've
12 heard about and what I've seen about it. So, my opinion on
13 it, is a catch 22. And I want to be real in that, I think
14 with the community and everyone involved and do my best foot
15 forward with that. And I think the end product of meeting
16 those needs as best possible would be the win in my opinion.
17 And I think we'll navigate that as we come across that, but
18 I don't think there's a formula of what makes us the perfect.
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1 I do believe there's just some ideas that we have to address
2 as, just being real with it, address with our community and
3 then put our best foot forward with that.
4 SPEAKER 43: Thank you. I appreciate it.
5 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
6 SPEAKER 41: Any other questions?
7 SPEAKER 44: I have two questions. I see that you
8 listed some of your strengths. Where would you consider some
9 of your weaknesses?
10 Mr. Alexis: Great question. I would say one of my
11 weaknesses, I'm a big visionary individual and I'm a big, big
12 picture guy because of my upbringing and that's what got me
13 into numbers. I would say a weakness of mine has been to make
14 sure everyone in the room comprehends what I'm envisioning.
15 And sometimes, I could throw the paint on the wall and I'm
16 not making sure that the person is making a picture with me.
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1 So, sometimes I can throw the paint on the wall and we'd do
2 that great creative sense, but I have to make sure that
3 everyone is seeing what I'm seeing. And sometimes it takes
4 another levels of communication. So, I would say that'd be my
5 weaknesses. And I've been able to address it just through
6 another level of communication, hearing what they said,
7 hearing what I said, hearing how they comprehended that. But
8 I think that would be my weakness.
9 SPEAKER 44: And my last question, if you would be
10 elected for this position, what would be an action or a
11 project that you would take on to benefit the youth of Little
12 Haiti?
13 Mr. Alexis: That's a great question. So, I'm a kid at
14 heart and for some apparent reason, I identify with the youth
15 and the community. I look like them and then it looked like
16 me. So, I think what I would do to... If I understand what
17 that needs to be, understand what that looks like, So, that's
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1 not something that I'm not unfamiliar with, but because I
2 guess my background, I like to think of revenue generating
3 ideas, and I would get that from the community. And I would
4 get that from ideas from just working with the community. But
5 I do believe this movement is one of the biggest marketing is
6 just the movement of what's taking place with this
7 visualization, in my opinion.
8 ASHLEY TUSAIN : And lastly, what is your track
9 record or what is your experience of working or leading within
10 Little Haiti specifically?
11 Mr. Alexis: So, I don't have any specific working in
12 Little Haiti, to be honest with you. I was a football star
13 here. I grew up here. I was born in little Haiti, moved to
14 Opa-locka but outside of my roots, I've worked in Little
15 Haiti, I have family in Little Haiti that I frequent.
16 Obviously I've been to restaurants and little Haiti, but
17 that's as far as it goes.
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1 ASHLEY TUSAIN : Okay, all right. Thank you.
2 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
3 SPEAKER 41: Any other questions?
4 SPEAKER 43: Yes. Thank you. Hi, good afternoon. Since
5 your background and most of your professional experience is
6 in finance, one of our duties, one of our responsibilities
7 with the Little Haiti trust is to develop affordable housing
8 and engage the community and create home ownership, home
9 buying opportunities. How would you approach this?
10 Mr. Alexis: So, again, from my accounting background,
11 there's a market rent rate, right? There's the market rent
12 that's in the community. And that's what's pushing people out
13 of the community or... To be honest with you, is that market
14 rate. So, what I would look at is ways to either provide
15 affordable housing around that concept. For me personally, I
16 also do real estate on a personal. And So, I understand what
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1 home ownership looks like. I understand what renting looks
2 like and how sometimes that's just more of a temporary thing.
3 So, I think me hearing what the needs of the community in
4 regards to home ownership, would be my first role of step. I
5 don't have a particular plan of what, how that would take
6 place, but addressing the market rent would be the first place
7 to look at, in my opinion.
8 SPEAKER 43: Thank you. And my last question, how do
9 you feel and what is your opinion on the large scale
10 developments that are coming into the little Haiti area?
11 Mr. Alexis: So, my opinion, I think it's a catch 22,
12 to be honest with you. I believe it'll be a beautiful thing
13 on the end product if it meets both needs, but I do believe
14 it's a catch 22. The fact is it will move people out of the
15 community. That is just a fact. There'll be people who don't
16 like to change. And So, those are some of the challenges with
17 it. And So, that's why I say it's a catch 22, but then on the
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other end, jobs, they'll be created. There's just a beautiful
area to be a part of.
3 Mr. Alexis: I live in Broward now, I make the commute
4 down here to Wynnewood in Little Haiti because of what I've
5 heard about and what I've seen about it. So, my opinion on it
6 is a catch 22. And I want to be real in that I think with the
7 community and everyone involved and do my best foot forward
8 with that. And I think the end product of meeting those needs
9 as best would be the win in my opinion. And I think we'll
10 navigate that as we come across that, but I don't think
11 there's a formula of what makes us... I do believe there's
12 just some ideas that we have to address as, just being real
13 with it, address with our community and then put our best
14 foot forward with that.
15 SPEAKER 43: Thank you. I appreciate it.
16 Mr. Alexis:
You're welcome.
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SPEAKER 41: Any other questions?
2 SPEAKER 44: I have two questions. I see that you
3 listed some of your strengths. What would you consider some
4 of your weaknesses?
5 Mr. Alexis: I would say one of my weaknesses, I'm a
6 big visionary individual and I'm a big, big picture guy
7 because of my upbringing. So, that's what got me into numbers.
8 I would say a weakness of mine has been to make sure everyone
9 in the room comprehends what I'm envisioning. And sometimes,
10 I could throw the paint on the wall and I'm not making sure
11 that the person is making the picture with me. So, sometimes
12 I can throw the paint on the wall and we do that great creative
13 sense, but I have to make sure that everyone is seeing what
14 I'm seeing. And sometimes it takes another levels of
15 communication. So, I would say that's been my weaknesses and
16 I've been able to address it just through another level of
17 communication, hearing what they said, hearing what I say,
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hearing how they comprehended that. But I think that would be
my weakness.
3 SPEAKER 44: And my last question, if you would be
4 elected for this position, what would you or be an action or
5 a project that you would take on to benefit the youth of
6 Little Haiti?
7 Mr. Alexis: That's a great question. So, I'm a kid at
8 heart and for some apparent reasons I identify with the youth
9 in the community. I looked like them and they looked like me
10 So, I think what I would do to... Getting around the sports
11 would be a lot of that, to really get around the community,
12 the youth would be around the sports and also the executive
13 in our youth. Because we have So, many entrepreneurs. I see
14 the youth being more risk tolerant than any demographic in my
15 life. They'll come up with a business idea and run with it
16 tomorrow and fail. And I think that's beautiful. So, I think
17 aligning with that, with the movement, their executive minds,
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1 their sports appeal, I think those kinds of things is what I
2 would align with. And in that, I think there'd be some great
3 ideas that come from it, but I think they genuinely see that
4 alignment, I think they'd be a part of this as well.
5 SPEAKER 44: Thank you.
6 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
7 SPEAKER 41: Any other questions? Mr. Alexis, thank
8 you for your time.
9 Mr. Alexis: Thank you. (silence). I think we're
10 taking an informal break, Mr. Mensah.
11 Mr. Mensah: That's what it looks so, so...
12 Mr. Alexis: You got to read between the lines, sign
13 language. (silence).
14 Mr. Alexis: ...Get around the sports would be a lot
15 of that, to really get around the community, the youth would
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1 be around the sports and also the executive in our youth,
2 because we have So, many entrepreneurs. I see the youth being
3 more risk tolerant in any demographic in my life. They'll
4 come up with a business idea and run with it tomorrow and
5 fail. And I think that's beautiful. So, I think aligning with
6 that, with the movement is their executive minds, their sports
7 appeal. I think those kinds of things what I would align with
8 and in there, I think there'd be some great ideas that come
9 from it, but I think they genuinely see that alignment, I
10 think they'd be a part of this as well.
11 SPEAKER 44: Thank you.
12 Mr. Alexis: You're welcome.
13 SPEAKER 41: Any other questions? Mr. Alexis, thank
14 you for your time.
15 Mr. Alexis: Thank you. (silence). I think we're
16 taking an informal break, Mr. Mensah.
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Mr. Mensah: That's what it looks so, so...
2 Mr. Alexis: You got read between the lines, sign
3 language. (silence).
4 PART 9 OF 14 ENDS [05:15:04]
5 HAKI HALISI: I've been on the other side before.
6 SPEAKER 45: I see. [foreign language 05:15:56].
7 SPEAKER 46: Oh, wow.
8 SPEAKER 45: [foreign language 05:15:59]. Haki
9 Halisi, where is your name from?
10 HAKI HALISI: It's Swahili.
11 SPEAKER 45: Swahili.
12 HAKI HALISI: Yeah, West Africa.
13 SPEAKER 45: You're from-
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1 HAKI HALISI: I'm from Haiti, but the name is from West
2 Africa, Swahili.
3 SPEAKER 45: Are your parents of West African origin?
4 HAKI HALISI: I legally changed my name in 1990.
5 SPEAKER 45: Oh. What was your name before that?
6 HAKI HALISI: Fritz Louis -Charles.
7 SPEAKER 45: Fritz Louis -Charles.
8 HAKI HALISI: Fritz Louis -Charles.
9 SPEAKER 45: Louis -Charles. Fritz Louis -Charles.
10 Why'd you change your name?
11 HAKI HALISI: I have my father's first name and my
12 mom's last name by virtue of them never being married. When
13 I did that, my father and I weren't on the best of terms. So,
14 I changed my name.
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1 SPEAKER 45: My son wanted to do that a couple years
2 ago. I'm sorry, I have the [inaudible 05:16:52] in my mouth
3 now. I told him that that's something he would have to do on
4 his own.
5 HAKI HALISI: I understand.
6 SPEAKER 45: I'm going to assume that you were raised
7 by a single mom?
8 HAKI HALISI: I'm sorry? I didn't hear-
9 SPEAKER 45: You were raised by a single mom?
10 HAKI HALISI: Single mom and a stepfather, yeah.
11 SPEAKER 45: Yeah. My son went through that as well.
12 HAKI HALISI: We're all cool now though. Everyone's
13 happy.
14
SPEAKER 45: Yeah.
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HAKI HALISI: But that's part of the experience.
2 SPEAKER 45: I told him, I said [foreign language
3 05:17:24]. They were like, "Do not get me involved in this."
4 HAKI HALISI: Absolutely.
5 SPEAKER 45: I like that. Anyone else read? Oh, did
6 you guys eat your cookie yet? That's pretty clever.
7 SPEAKER 47: Good afternoon, Mr. Halisi.
8 HAKI HALISI: Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
9 SPEAKER 47: Did I pronounce it correctly?
10 HAKI HALISI: You did a great job.
11 SPEAKER 47: Thank you for coming. All right. First
12 question that I have for you is, is there a project that you
13 have already accomplished that would be relative to taking
14 over in directing a Little Haiti trust board project that
15 you're applying for?
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1 HAKI HALISI: So, I've been involved in numerous
2 projects over the years by virtue of my positions as a
3 development director and fundraising executive at various
4 institutions. The project that comes to mind, that speaks to
5 my qualifications to be the CEO of Little Haiti Revitalization
6 Trust, is the example that I give in the packet with reference
7 to the case of Deamonte Driver. When I was working at Howard
8 University at-
9 SPEAKER 47: Speak a little bit-
10 HAKI HALISI: I'm sorry. Can you hear me?
11 SPEAKER 47: I can hear you now.
12 HAKI HALISI: Yeah. When I was working at Howard
13 university in 2007, Deamonte Driver was a young man, I believe
14 he was 13 years old at the time, who had a toothache. He went
15 and sought out about 70 or 80 different dentists, but they
16 didn't take his Medicaid at the time and he didn't have other
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1 insurance. His mom was also busy trying to help his brother
2 who had numerous teeth decaying in his mouth. So, long story
3 short, Mr. Driver's toothache turned into an abscess, abscess
4 migrated to his brain, and he eventually died in 2007. In
5 response to that, working with the School of Dentistry at
6 Howard University, Dean Leo Rouse was friends with the late
7 great Elijah Cummings. We did our pub... I've been on the
8 other side before.
9 SPEAKER 45: I see. [foreign language 05:20:56].
10 SPEAKER 46: Oh, wow.
11 SPEAKER 45: [foreign language 05:20:59] Haki Halisi,
12 where is your name from?
13 HAKI HALISI: It's Swahili.
14 SPEAKER 45: Swahili.
15 HAKI HALISI: Yeah, West Africa.
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SPEAKER 45: You're from-
2 HAKI HALISI: I'm from Haiti, but the name is from West
3 Africa, Swahili.
4 SPEAKER 45: Are your parents of West African origin?
5 HAKI HALISI: I legally changed my name in 1990.
6 SPEAKER 45: Oh. What was your name before that?
7 HAKI HALISI: Fritz Louis -Charles.
8 SPEAKER 45: Fritz Louis -Charles.
9 HAKI HALISI: Fritz Louis -Charles.
10 SPEAKER 45: Louis -Charles. Fritz Louis -Charles.
11 Why'd you change your name?
12 HAKI HALISI: I have my father's first name and my
13 mom's last name by virtue of them never being married. When
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I did that, my father and I weren't on the best of terms. So,
I changed my name.
3 SPEAKER 45: My son wanted to do that a couple years
4 ago. I'm sorry, I have the [inaudible 05:21:52] in my mouth
5 now. I told him that that's something he would have to do on
6 his own.
7 HAKI HALISI: I understand.
8 SPEAKER 45: I'm going to assume that you were raised
9 by a single mom?
10 HAKI HALISI: I'm sorry? I didn't hear-
11 SPEAKER 45: You were raised by a single mom?
12 HAKI HALISI: Single mom and a stepfather, yeah.
13 SPEAKER 45: Yeah. My son went through that as well.
14 HAKI HALISI: We're all cool now though. Everyone's
15 happy.
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1 SPEAKER 45: Yeah.
2 HAKI HALISI: But that's part of the experience.
3 SPEAKER 45: I told him, I said [foreign language
4 05:22:24]. They were like, "Do not get me involved in this."
5 HAKI HALISI: Absolutely.
6 SPEAKER 45: I like that. Anyone else read? Oh, did
7 you guys eat your cookie yet? That's pretty clever.
8 SPEAKER 47: Good afternoon, Mr. Halisi.
9 HAKI HALISI: Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
10 SPEAKER 47: Did I pronounce it correctly?
11 HAKI HALISI: You did a great job.
12 SPEAKER 47: Thank you for coming. All right. First
13 question that I have for you is, is there a project that you
14 have already accomplished that would be relative to taking
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over and directing a Little Haiti trust board project that
you're applying for?
3 HAKI HALISI: So, I've been involved in numerous
4 projects over the years by virtue of my positions as a
5 development director and fundraising executive at various
6 institutions. The project that comes to mind, that speaks to
7 my qualifications to be the CEO of Little Haiti Revitalization
8 Trust, is the example that I give in the packet with reference
9 to the case of Deamonte Driver. When I was working at Howard
10 University at-
11 SPEAKER 47: Speak a little bit-
12 HAKI HALISI: I'm sorry. Can you hear me?
13 SPEAKER 47: I can hear you now.
14 HAKI HALISI: Yeah. When I was working at Howard
15 University in 2007, Deamonte Driver was a young man, I believe
16 he was 13 years old at the time, who had a toothache. He went
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1 and sought out about 70 or 80 different dentists, but they
2 didn't take his Medicaid at the time and he didn't have other
3 insurance. His mom was also busy trying to help his brother
4 who had numerous teeth decaying in his mouth. So, long story
5 short, Mr. Driver's toothache turned into an abscess, abscess
6 migrated to his brain, and he eventually died in 2007. In
7 response to that, working with the School of Dentistry at
8 Howard University, Dean Leo Rouse was friends with the late
9 great Elijah Cummings. We did a public private partnership
10 with UnitedHealthcare, and we created a pediatric clinic at
11 Howard University Dental School to support cases like Mr.
12 Driver, God bless you, who would eventually subside to a
13 treatment that was about $80.
14 HAKI HALISI: So, we created that clinic with an
15 initial investment of $300,000 to Howard University. We got
16 other partners to come in. The clinic opened in the evenings
17 from about six to 10 o'clock, which allowed people to
18 crossover in from Maryland, which is where Mr. Driver was,
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1 into Washington D.C. and get service for free at the clinic.
2 I think those kinds of wraparound services are relevant to
3 the position at Little Haiti, because as we're trying to
4 revitalize this area, we need to be thinking about the
5 community and what those needs are that will get them to a
6 better space where they can then also think about upward
7 mobility, social health, and social... Just health, in
8 general, promotes upward mobility. So, we need to be thinking
9 about those kinds of things as we try to revitalize the
10 community. I wanted to share a brief, short presentation. I
11 don't know if you have time.
12 SPEAKER 47: Sure.
13 HAKI HALISI: Just in terms of framing the
14 conversation, in terms of what I'd like to bring to the
15 position, one, I don't know if it's on both monitors, but if
16 you'll take a look at the monitor, if you could just take a
17 gander at this number that's on the screen. Don't write it
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1 down, but just try to remember it. It's a pretty big number.
2 It's not the number that I'm proposing to raise for the Little
3 Haiti Revitalization Trust, but it is a number that I'd like
4 for you to take a look at and then keep that in mind. This is
5 a video that some of you may have been privy to in the past.
6 It's called Shift Happens. I think this is something that we
7 need to consider as we try to revitalize Little Haiti. Let me
8 play that for you.
9 HAKI HALISI: private partnership with
10 UnitedHealthcare, and we created a pediatric clinic at Howard
11 University Dental School to support cases like Mr. Driver,
12 God bless you, who would eventually subside to a treatment
13 that was about $80. So, we created that clinic with an initial
14 investment of $300,000 to Howard University. We got other
15 partners to come in. The clinic opened in the evenings from
16 about six to 10 o'clock, which allowed people to crossover in
17 from Maryland, which is where Mr. Driver was, into Washington
18 D.C. and get service for free at the clinic. I think those
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1 kinds of wraparound services are relevant to the position at
2 Little Haiti, because as we're trying to revitalize this area,
3 we need to be thinking about the community and what those
4 needs are that will get them to a better space where they can
5 then also think about upward mobility, social health, and
6 social... Just health, in general, promotes upward mobility.
7 So, we need to be thinking about those kinds of things as we
8 try to revitalize the community. I wanted to share a brief,
9 short presentation. I don't know if you have time.
10 SPEAKER 47: Sure.
11 HAKI HALISI: Just in terms of framing the
12 conversation, in terms of what I'd like to bring to the
13 position, one, I don't know if it's on both monitors, but if
14 you'll take a look at the monitor, if you could just take a
15 gander at this number that's on the screen. Don't write it
16 down, but just try to remember it. It's a pretty big number.
17 It's not the number that I'm proposing to raise for the Little
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1 Haiti Revitalization Trust, but it is a number that I'd like
2 for you to take a look at and then keep that in mind. This is
3 a video that some of you may have been privy to in the past.
4 It's called Shift Happens. I think this is something that we
5 need to consider as we try to revitalize Little Haiti. Let me
6 play that for you. I'm sorry.
7 HAKI HALISI: I present the video... Obviously, it's
8 from 2009, we're in 2021, So, all of these sites have probably
9 tripled and exceeded some of the projections that were made
10 in the video. I present that to say that we need to shift how
11 we're looking at the Little Haiti revitalization. What's
12 going on in the world internationally in this global community
13 that we now live in the 21st century, we need to be thinking
14 about positioning Little Haiti in such a way that students
15 coming out of Little Haiti, people growing up in Little Haiti,
16 are competitive in this dynamic new world that we all exist
17 in. Again, this video is an old video. It doesn't take into
18 account things like global pandemics and the need for
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healthcare workers and things of that nature that we're
responding to now. It's all about shifting your perspective.
3 HAKI HALISI: The number that I presented at the
4 beginning of the conversation... If you try to remember that
5 number without writing it down, I would imagine, unless we
6 have some mathematicians or geniuses on the board, none of
7 you can recite that number that I posed at the beginning of
8 the presentation. Does anybody remember it? I'm sorry, does
9 anybody remember the number from the first line?
10 SPEAKER 47: No.
11 SPEAKER 45: No, it just started with a three. That's
12 it. That's all I remember.
13 SPEAKER 46: A gazillion.
14 HAKI HALISI: If you try to shift the conversation,
15 that number is my wife's cell phone number, the number to my
16 house and my mom's home number. If you asked me what that
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1 number is, I can recite it easily, but to the naked eye, it's
2 a huge number that no one could possibly remember. I have a
3 different context for that number. So, I think we need to
4 position Little Haiti in such a way that the goal is to create
5 generational wealth within the community, the goal is to
6 anchor the community members to that community, as well as
7 anchoring the culture and the ties to the Haitian culture to
8 that community. I had a short amount of time, So, I have some
9 more observations, but I think that... I'm sorry.
10 HAKI HALISI: I present the video... Obviously, it's
11 from 2009, we're in 2021, So, all of these sites have probably
12 tripled and exceeded some of the projections that were made
13 in the video. I present that to say that we need to shift how
14 we're looking at the Little Haiti revitalization. What's
15 going on in the world internationally in this global community
16 that we now live in the 21st century, we need to be thinking
17 about positioning Little Haiti in such a way that students
18 coming out of Little Haiti, people growing up in Little Haiti,
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are competitive in this dynamic new world that we all exist
in. Again, this video is an old video. It doesn't take into
account things like global pandemics and the need for
healthcare workers and things of that nature that we're
responding to now. It's all about shifting your perspective.
6 HAKI HALISI: The number that I presented at the
7 beginning of the conversation... If you try to remember that
8 number without writing it down, I would imagine, unless we
9 have some mathematicians or geniuses on the board, none of
10 you can recite that number that I posed at the beginning of
11 the presentation. Does anybody remember it? I'm sorry, does
12 anybody remember the number from the first line?
13 SPEAKER 47: No.
14 SPEAKER 45: No, it just started with a three. That's
15 it. That's all I remember.
16 SPEAKER 46: A gazillion.
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1 HAKI HALISI: If you try to shift the conversation,
2 that number is my wife's cell phone number, the number to my
3 house and my mom's home number. If you ask me what that number
4 is, I can recite it easily, but to the naked eye, it's a huge
5 number that no one could possibly remember. I have a different
6 context for that number. So, I think we need to position
7 Little Haiti in such a way that the goal is to create
8 generational wealth within the community, the goal is to
9 anchor the community members to that community, as well as
10 anchoring the culture and the ties to the Haitian culture to
11 that community. I had a short amount of time, So, I have some
12 more observations, but I think that's where we need to be
13 framing our conversation about revitalizing Little Haiti,
14 bringing in innovation, bringing in Internet access to the
15 community, bringing in entrepreneurship and those kinds of
16 things to help revitalize Little Haiti.
17
SPEAKER 45: I have a question.
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1 SPEAKER 47: Hold on. I think your presentation was
2 very, very impressive. I think it's on a level of maybe from
3 a world attention, but this is an interview. So, we definitely
4 want to move on with the interview.
5 HAKI HALISI: Absolutely.
6 SPEAKER 45: My question for you is... You talk about
7 generational wealth and moving the youth of Little Haiti on
8 a competitive level, which I think that's very important. I
9 wanted to know what that looks like to you.
10 HAKI HALISI: I think, in my experience, providing
11 opportunities for education and making that education
12 convenient. We have several high schools in Little Haiti.
13 Propositioning them with community partners that are willing
14 to go into those schools and create programs where students
15 have the opportunity to learn about investing, have the
16 opportunity to learn about digital cybersecurity, have the
17 opportunity to learn about banking and savings. First-time
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1 home buyers. We have programs within the city now that provide
2 first-time home buyer opportunities, So, we can position
3 those partnerships within Little Haiti, at the Little Haiti
4 Cultural Center possibly, to give people opportunities to
5 learn how to buy a home, what are the processes, what they
6 need to do to put themselves in a position where they come up
7 with the program in housing and urban development. I think
8 it's $500 and then you can help to buy a home. So, how do
9 they find that? Do we create a program where we provide that
10 $500 if that's the only thing missing from an applicant's
11 pool?
12 SPEAKER 45: Okay. If you were pick as director, what
13 would be your first state of business?
14 HAKI HALISI: I'm sorry, could you repeat that?
15 SPEAKER 45: What would the first thing that will be
16 on your list that you would take care of, if you were
17 appointed director?
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1 HAKI HALISI: Well, I think that, in a position such as
2 this, you never want to be the smartest person in the room.
3 You have to be listening to the constituents. You have to be
4 listening to your board. So, obviously, I would set up
5 meetings with the community to hear what their perspectives
6 are about the revitalization, where they want to see us go to
7 help them help themselves. Of course, meetings with
8 individual board members, and the board itself, to see what
9 the five-year goal is, what the vision is for this
10 revitalization. Obviously, we're still in the works of
11 deciding what the master plan will include, So, engaging those
12 constituents that may have sued the revitalization and
13 finding out what it is that they oppose and how we can
14 coalesce and bring them into the fold to help this
15 revitalization be a success.
16 SPEAKER 45: Okay. That's all for me.
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1 ASHLEY TOUSSAIN: [crosstalk 05:49:03] Hi, Ashley
2 Toussaint here. Couple of questions I have for you. One is,
3 what... You have a plethora of expertise, but what brings you
4 to Little Haiti with that leadership? Why do you feel like
5 you're the person to be part of this change and to help
6 revitalize Little Haiti?
7 HAKI HALISI: Thank you for that question, Mr.
8 Toussaint. I think, for me, the best way to answer that
9 question... I was at a presentation by Desmond Meade. He's a
10 voting rights activist here in South Florida. He talked about
11 contribution versus commitment. He said that, when you talk
12 about contribution versus commitment, you have to think about
13 the egg and cheese ham omelet. We all make an egg and cheese
14 ham omelet. We know that the chicken contributed the eggs.
15 PART 10 OF 14 ENDS [05:50:04]
16 SPEAKER 48: So, that the chicken contributed the
17 eggs. The cow contributed the milk, if you put milk in your
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1 omelet. The cow contributed the milk and some other things,
2 but the pig contributed the ham and that contribution required
3 a major sacrifice. It required the pig to be killed. And So,
4 that pig is committed to that omelet versus the chicken and
5 the cow who may have, can swear we need to be framing our
6 conversation about revitalizing Little Haiti, bringing in
7 innovation, bringing in internet access to the community,
8 bringing in entrepreneurship and those kinds of things to
9 help revitalize Little Haiti.
10 SPEAKER 49: I have a question.
11 SPEAKER 53: Hold on. I think your presentation was
12 very, very impressive. And I think it's on a level of maybe
13 from a world attention, but this is an interview. So, we
14 definitely want to move on with the interview.
15 SPEAKER 48: Absolutely.
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1 SPEAKER 49: My question for you is you talked about
2 generational wealth and moving the youth of Little Haiti on
3 a competitive level, which I think that's very important. I
4 wanted to know what that looks like to you.
5 SPEAKER 48: So, I think in my experience, providing
6 opportunities for education and making that education
7 convenient. So, we have several high schools in Little Haiti,
8 propositioning them with community partners that are willing
9 to go into those schools and create programs where students
10 have the opportunity to learn about investing, have the
11 opportunity to learn about digital cybersecurity, have the
12 opportunity to learn about banking and savings, even programs
13 within the first time home buyers, we have programs within
14 the city now that provide first-time home buyer
15 opportunities. So, we can position those partnerships within
16 Little Haiti at the Little Haiti Cultural Center possibly to
17 give people opportunities to learn how to buy a home, what
18 are the processes, what they need to do to put themselves in
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1 a position where they come up with the program in housing and
2 urban development, I think it's like $500 and then you can
3 help to buy a home. So, how do they find that? Do we create
4 a program where we provide that $500 if that's the only thing
5 missing from an applicant's pool?
6 SPEAKER 49: Okay. And if you were picked as director,
7 what will be your first date of business?
8 SPEAKER 48: I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?
9 SPEAKER 49: What would the first thing that would be
10 on your list that you would take care of if you were appointed
11 director?
12 SPEAKER 48: While I think that in a position such as
13 this, you never want to be the smartest person in the room.
14 You have to be listening to the constituents, you have to be
15 listening to your board. So, obviously I would set up meetings
16 with the community to hear what their perspectives are about
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1 the revitalization, where they want to see us go to help them
2 help themselves. Of course, meetings with individual board
3 members and the board itself to see what the five-year goal
4 is, what the vision is for this revitalization. Obviously
5 we're still in the works of deciding what the master plan
6 will include. So, engaging those constituents that may have
7 sued the revitalization and finding out what it is that they
8 oppose and how we can coalesce and bring them into the fold
9 to help this revitalization be a success.
10 SPEAKER 49: Okay. That's all for me.
11 SPEAKER 51: Oh, hi, [inaudible 05:54:06] here. A
12 couple of questions I have for you. One is you have a plethora
13 of expertise, but what brings you to Little Haiti with that
14 leadership? Why do you feel like you're the person to be part
15 of this change and to help revitalize Little Haiti?
16 SPEAKER 49:
Thank you for that question, Mr.
17 [inaudible 05:54:30]. I think for me the best way to answer
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1 that question, I was at a presentation by Desmond Meade. He's
2 a voting rights activist here in south Florida, and he talked
3 about contribution versus commitment. And he said that when
4 you talk about contribution versus commitment, you have to
5 think about the egg and cheese ham omelet. So, we all make an
6 egg and cheese ham omelet.
7 SPEAKER 49: We know that the chicken contributed the
8 eggs. The cow contributed the milk, if you put milk in your
9 omelet. The cow contributed the milk and some other things,
10 but the pig contributed the ham and that contribution required
11 a major sacrifice. It required the pig to be killed. And So,
12 that pig is committed to that omelet versus the chicken and
13 the cow who may have contributed. They didn't have to die for
14 it. And I feel that I come to Little Haiti by virtue of my
15 favorite Haitian proverb, which says, [foreign language
16 05:55:42] It's a proverb that talks about destiny and how
17 when God writes something that it cannot be erased. And I
18 feel that this was written for me. This is where I belong.
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1 This is the commitment that I can make to my people, albeit
2 in the diaspora that really reflects something that I'm
3 willing to die for.
4 SPEAKER 49: And So, I think that outside of
5 experience, expertise in various things, particularly
6 fundraising and some others, I think the commitment that I
7 bring to this position is my most valued asset.
8 SPEAKER 51: Thank you. You talked a little bit about
9 fundraising. One of the things that the trust is about is
10 obviously bringing resources to Little Haiti. What are some
11 ideas or innovation that you have that would bring resources
12 to the community?
13 SPEAKER 48: I think first week we need to view the
14 current state of the trust as a starting point. Generally,
15 with developers and development projects, if you judge it
16 from one to five, we may be at a two in terms of the
17 development. They've made a commitment to us, but based on
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what I've read, that commitment is about $31 million, but
it's over time. It's during segregated sections as the
development progresses, but they could have easily given us
that 31 million outright.
5 SPEAKER 48: And So, we know that we have to take 3
6 million with a grain of salt. So, obviously we have to bring
7 in other invested partners to the community that will help us
8 grow that pool of money. There are several potential partners
9 that I think in this space of diversity and inclusion that we
10 can get money from and help to grow the trust. Off the top of
11 my head, the Western Union foundation does a lot of things
12 related to community development, related to education that
13 we can approach. The Digicel Foundation is also someone that
14 we could approach to partner because we are their
15 constituents. We are their funders, if you will. And So,
16 having them give back to the Little Haiti community is
17 something that we should definitely make a premium looking
18 nationally.
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1 SPEAKER 48: McKenzie Scott has made some serious
2 donations within the past two years, and I think promoting
3 diversity has been part of her platform. I think that's
4 somewhere that we can approach. But more tangibly, I think we
5 partner with people that already exist that are invested
6 within the community. We partner with the universities that
7 are in the community and create partnerships with them, for
8 our youth. We partner with people like the One Community, One
9 Goal beacon council who already has a platform for innovation
10 education, key industries, partnering with those kinds of
11 community leaders to bring that knowledge and that resource
12 into Little Haiti is something that I think we could greatly
13 benefit from.
14 SPEAKER 51: Thank you. And I have one final question
15 for you. What is your track record, or what is your experience
16 of working in the Little Haiti community?
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1 SPEAKER 48: So, I've been 10 tangentially involved
2 with various programs within Little Haiti. I've always tried
3 to participate in the community agenda programs where we try
4 to come up with a white paper that discusses the progress of
5 Little Haiti. I was involved with some hurricane relief
6 efforts and I've worked directly with Sandy Dawsonville, as
7 I mentioned before on a sports project. It was a volleyball
8 tournament that we did in 2014 that was sponsored by the
9 center as well as the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors
10 Bureau, and some other partners where we brought teams from
11 Canada, from Port-au-Prince, from Jacmel, from Boston to come
12 and play in a volleyball tournament at FIU's arena. And that
13 gave students, well, nonprofessional athletes the opportunity
14 to come play in a tournament here in South Florida. And we
15 also situated it such that coaches would be able to see them
16 play and give them the opportunity for scholarships and what
17 have you.
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1 SPEAKER 48: Attributed. They didn't have to die for
2 it. And I feel that I come to Little Haiti by virtue of my
3 favorite Haitian proverb, which says, [foreign language
4 06:00:42] it's a proverb that talks about destiny and how
5 when God writes something that it cannot be erased. And I
6 feel that this was written for me. This is where I belong.
7 This is the commitment that I can make to my people, albeit
8 in the diaspora that really reflects something that I'm
9 willing to die for. And So, I think that outside of
10 experience, expertise in various things, particularly
11 fundraising and some others, I think the commitment that I
12 bring to this position is my most valued asset.
13 SPEAKER 51: Thank you. You talked a little bit about
14 fundraising. One of the things that the trust is about is
15 obviously bringing resources to Little Haiti. What are some
16 ideas or innovation that you have that would bring resources
17 to the community?
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1 SPEAKER 48: I think first week we need to view the
2 current state of the trust as a starting point. Generally,
3 with developers and development projects, if you judge it
4 from one to five, we may be at a two in terms of the
5 development. They've made a commitment to us, but based on
6 what I've read, that commitment is about $31 million, but
7 it's over time. It's during segregated sections as the
8 development progresses, but they could have easily given us
9 that 31 million outright.
10 SPEAKER 48: And So, we know that we have to take 3
11 million with a grain of salt. So, obviously we have to bring
12 in other invested partners to the community that will help us
13 grow that pool of money. There are several potential partners
14 that I think in this space of diversity and inclusion that we
15 can get money from and help to grow the trust. Off the top of
16 my head, the Western Union foundation does a lot of things
17 related to community development, related to education that
18 we can approach. The Digicel Foundation is also someone that
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1 we could approach to partner because we are their
2 constituents. We are their funders, if you will. And So,
3 having them give back to the Little Haiti community is
4 something that we should definitely make a premium looking
5 nationally.
6 SPEAKER 48: McKenzie Scott has made some serious
7 donations within the past two years, and I think promoting
8 diversity has been part of her platform. I think that's
9 somewhere that we can approach. But more tangibly, I think we
10 partner with people that already exist that are invested
11 within the community. We partner with the universities that
12 are in the community and create partnerships with them, for
13 our youth. We partner with people like the One Community, One
14 Goal beacon council who already has a platform for innovation
15 education, key industries, partnering with those kinds of
16 community leaders to bring that knowledge and that resource
17 into Little Haiti is something that I think we could greatly
18 benefit from.
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1 SPEAKER 51: Thank you. And I have one final question
2 for you. What is your track record, or what is your experience
3 of working in the Little Haiti community?
4 SPEAKER 48: So, I've been 10 tangentially involved
5 with various programs within Little Haiti. I've always tried
6 to participate in the community agenda programs where we try
7 to come up with a white paper that discusses the progress of
8 Little Haiti. I was involved with some hurricane relief
9 efforts and I've worked directly with Sandy Dawsonville, as
10 I mentioned before on a sports project. It was a volleyball
11 tournament that we did in 2014 that was sponsored by the
12 center as well as the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors
13 Bureau, and some other partners where we brought teams from
14 Canada, from Port-au-Prince, from Jacmel, from Boston to come
15 and play in a volleyball tournament at FIU's arena. And that
16 gave students, well, nonprofessional athletes the opportunity
17 to come play in a tournament here in South Florida. And we
18 also situated it such that coaches would be able to see them
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1 play and give them the opportunity for scholarships and what
2 have you. And So, those are the programs that I've been
3 involved with directly in Little Haiti.
4 SPEAKER 51: Thank you.
5 SPEAKER 48: My pleasure. Any other questions?
6 SPEAKER 52: Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon. How are
7 you?
8 SPEAKER 48: Good afternoon.
9 SPEAKER 52: One of our duties and responsibilities
10 for the Little Haiti trust is the development of affordable
11 housing and engaging the community in home -buying and home-
12 buying assistance programs. How do you plan to implement this?
13 How do you see this taking off in the Little Haiti community?
14 SPEAKER 48: As I mentioned, Mr. Meneses office has a
15 first-time home buyers' program. So, I think we make use. We
16 don't try to reinvent the wheel, as someone said before,
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1 looking to the Little Havana trust master plan. So, I think
2 we don't try to reinvent the wheel. When I looked at the
3 website, I saw that there were about 15 different banks that
4 were partnered with that first time home buyers' program. So,
5 going to them since they're already engaged with the city of
6 Miami. Going to them and pursuing an opportunities for home
7 buying development courses. Going to them and presenting to
8 them opportunities to come in Little Haiti and represent their
9 bank, but also creating workshops for the community about
10 home buying, similar to when we were in the 2008 crisis, where
11 you had a lot of these workshops talking to people about loan
12 practices and things like that. Creating opportunities for
13 those banks who are already engaged through the first time
14 home buyers' program, bringing them into Little Haiti and
15 creating opportunities for our constituents to partner with
16 them and to benefit from their knowledge.
17 SPEAKER 52: Thank you. In your professional travels,
18 could you tell me what kind of experience you've had with
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construction and construction management, redevelopment,
project management, and things of that nature?
3 SPEAKER 48: So, construction and construction
4 management. I have very little experience in that arena, but
5 again, you never want to be the brightest person in the room.
6 So, I would defer to those members within the city community
7 that are experts in that and partner with them to get the
8 knowledge from them, but I'm a quick learner. And So, I
9 believe that it's something that I could take on and manage
10 rather well.
11 SPEAKER 52: Thank you. What is your opinion on
12 further large scale development and in specific of the special
13 area plans that are occurring in the Little Haiti area in the
14 city of Miami?
15 SPEAKER 48: So, in terms of personal opinion, I don't
16 see this position as reflecting my personal opinion about the
17 development. I think in answering that question, I would have
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1 to research what the community sees about those development
2 and see what the community would like to happen within those
3 development. I have seen what has happened. I've looked at
4 zoning laws, environmental effects, and I can tell you from
5 a personal standpoint, I think the Little Haiti
6 revitalization trust needs to be heavily involved in whatever
7 large scale development that occurs moving forward So, that
8 we can advocate for the Little Haiti community. But I think
9 if the community seeks to partner with these developers in an
10 effort to be able to get jobs or other opportunities, we can
11 guide that relationship and be an advocate for them. But I
12 would never presume to give my opinion and talk down to the
13 community about what's best for them. I can only present what
14 I believe is in their best interest.
15 SPEAKER 52: Thank you. Thank you for the concise
16 answer. And I have one last question. You have a very long
17 and accomplished professional history that you've presented
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here for us. Why do you want to be the executive director of
the Little Haiti revitalization trust?
3 SPEAKER 48: So, I don't want to repeat, but I think
4 it goes back to... I think this is something I've had the
5 luxury of always working for minority serving institutions,
6 Hispanic serving institutions, large-scale institutions that
7 promote minorities, upward mobility by virtue of working at
8 Howard University. I've worked at FIU. I've worked at Miami
9 Dade county. I've never directly worked for Haitians in my
10 career. And I think for me, that's something that's very
11 important in terms of one's contribution. You don't leave
12 life after you die with anything but your reputation. And So,
13 I would love for my... My pleasure.
14 SPEAKER 48: Any other questions?
15 SPEAKER 52: Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon. How are
16 you?
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SPEAKER 48: Good afternoon.
2 SPEAKER 52: One of our duties and responsibilities
3 for the Little Haiti trust is the development of affordable
4 housing and engaging the community in home -buying and home-
5 buying assistance programs. How do you plan to implement this?
6 How do you see this taking off in the Little Haiti community?
7 SPEAKER 48: As I mentioned, Mr. Meneses office has a
8 first-time home buyers' program. So, I think we make use. We
9 don't try to reinvent the wheel, as someone said before,
10 looking to the Little Havana trust master plan. So, I think
11 we don't try to reinvent the wheel. When I looked at the
12 website, I saw that there were about 15 different banks that
13 were partnered with that first time home buyers' program. So,
14 going to them since they're already engaged with the city of
15 Miami. Going to them and pursuing an opportunities for home
16 buying development courses. Going to them and presenting to
17 them opportunities to come in Little Haiti and represent their
341
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1 bank, but also creating workshops for the community about
2 home buying, similar to when we were in the 2008 crisis, where
3 you had a lot of these workshops talking to people about loan
4 practices and things like that. Creating opportunities for
5 those banks who are already engaged through the first time
6 home buyers' program, bringing them into Little Haiti and
7 creating opportunities for our constituents to partner with
8 them and to benefit from their knowledge.
9 SPEAKER 52: Thank you. In your professional travels,
10 could you tell me what kind of experience you've had with
11 construction and construction management, redevelopment,
12 project management, and things of that nature?
13 SPEAKER 48: So, construction and construction
14 management. I have very little experience in that arena, but
15 again, you never want to be the brightest person in the room.
16 So, I would defer to those members within the city community
17 that are experts in that and partner with them to get the
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knowledge from them, but I'm a quick learner. And So, I
believe that it's something that I could take on and manage
rather well.
4 SPEAKER 52: Thank you. What is your opinion on
5 further large scale development and in specific of the special
6 area plans that are occurring in the Little Haiti area in the
7 city of Miami?
8 SPEAKER 48: So, in terms of personal opinion, I don't
9 see this position as reflecting my personal opinion about the
10 development. I think in answering that question, I would have
11 to research what the community sees about those development
12 and see what the community would like to happen within those
13 development. I have seen what has happened. I've looked at
14 zoning laws, environmental effects, and I can tell you from
15 a personal standpoint, I think the Little Haiti
16 revitalization trust needs to be heavily involved in whatever
17 large scale development that occurs moving forward So, that
343
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1 we can advocate for the Little Haiti community. But I think
2 if the community seeks to partner with these developers in an
3 effort to be able to get jobs or other opportunities, we can
4 guide that relationship and be an advocate for them. But I
5 would never presume to give my opinion and talk down to the
6 community about what's best for them. I can only present what
7 I believe is in their best interest.
8 SPEAKER 52: Thank you. Thank you for the concise
9 answer. And I have one last question. You have a very long
10 and accomplished professional history that you've presented
11 here for us. Why do you want to be the executive director of
12 the Little Haiti revitalization trust?
13 SPEAKER 48: So, I don't want to repeat, but I think
14 it goes back to... I think this is something I've had the
15 luxury of always working for minority serving institutions,
16 Hispanic serving institutions, large-scale institutions that
17 promote minorities, upward mobility by virtue of working at
344
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1 Howard University. I've worked at FIU. I've worked at Miami
2 Dade county. I've never directly worked for Haitians in my
3 career. And I think for me, that's something that's very
4 important in terms of one's contribution. You don't leave
5 life after you die with anything but your reputation. And So,
6 I would love for my reputation to be that I made a significant
7 contribution to my people, and my heritage.
8 SPEAKER 51: Thank you. Thank you for your candid
9 answer. I appreciate it.
10 SPEAKER 48: My pleasure.
11 SPEAKER 49: Thank you very much.
12 SPEAKER 53: Hold on. One last question.
13 SPEAKER 48: Yes, sir.
14 SPEAKER 53: The Little Haiti that you know today is
15 not the Little Haiti you knew yesterday. Little Haiti right
16 now is very diverse.
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SPEAKER 48: Yes, sir.
2 SPEAKER 53: What is one of the things that you would
3 do to help the old Little Haiti to transition into the Haiti
4 that is going to become?
5 SPEAKER 48: That's an interesting question. I think
6 in general, we're facing a situation in this country that the
7 baby boomers are not the significant population anymore. So,
8 when you look at voting in the past elections, baby boomers
9 weren't the significant voters for the various parties. It
10 was a younger generation, it was generation X and So, on and
11 So, forth. And So, while I would definitely create
12 opportunities and programs for boomers and the older
13 generation, I think what we need to focus on is innovation
14 and access for the youth of Little Haiti. Creating
15 opportunities for them to thrive and be competitive within a
16 21st century global economy.
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1 SPEAKER 48: As the video alluded to India and China
2 have more honors students than we have students. And So, if
3 we're talking about creating a competitive America, if we're
4 talking about elevating our student population, our youth
5 populations, such that we remain competitive globally, we
6 have to talk about minority participation in that movement.
7 My president, President Barack Obama set a goal of creating
8 1 million new STEM graduates within 10 years. STEM of course,
9 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students.
10 If we're going to create 1 million of those students, it can't
11 just be the majority population. It has to be the Little Haiti
12 population. It has to be the Little Havana population. It has
13 to be the Hispanic students that are within this community.
14 And my role would be to focus on those youth within Little
15 Haiti and give them the opportunity to participate in that
16 growth.
17 SPEAKER 48: Another anecdote, I've worked in higher
18 education my entire career. When I was working at FIU, we
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1 provided a scholarship for a student named Maria. Her family
2 was from [inaudible 06:18:20]. She lived there and she lived
3 in a multi -generational home. We provided her with a
4 scholarship and we provided her with an internship and I try
5 to be a hands-on administrator. So, she called me one day and
6 she said, Mr. [inaudible 06:18:35] I got my first paycheck
7 and I don't want to get in any trouble, but I think
8 something's wrong. So, I just want to bring it to you if you
9 can help me return it because I think they made a mistake.
10 Mistake, I don't think they made a mistake. She was working
11 20 hours in a student position. She said, yes, yes. I think
12 they made a mistake. They paid me too much. I said, why do
13 you think they paid you too much?
14 SPEAKER 48: She said her 20 hour two week internship
15 was the largest check that had ever come into the household.
16 It was higher than her entire family. And I'm talking to a
17 multi -generational family of aunts, uncles, mother, father,
18 and So, on and So, forth. Her two week part-time internship
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1 was the largest check that had come into the home. If we're
2 talking about real change, we need to change that perspective
3 for students like Maria. And those students and those people
4 exist in Little Haiti. The median income is $18,000 in Little
5 Haiti. That's not even the $15 an hour that we're talking
6 about raising the minimum wage. So, we need to give people a
7 different point of view as to what the possibilities are
8 within this country, within the Little Haiti community.
9 SPEAKER 53: Any other questions? Thank you very much,
10 Mr. [inaudible 06:19:56].
11 SPEAKER 48: It's my pleasure. I'm really excited that
12 I got the opportunity to do this. Thank you for the
13 opportunity.
14 SPEAKER 53: Thank you.
15 SPEAKER 49: Thank you for your time
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1 SPEAKER 54: Mr. [inaudible 06:20:16] they (sic)
2 asking if they have to go back to their room. I don't think
3 there's anything going to discuss that will require them to
4 be on the other side of the...
5 SPEAKER 53: No. I think once we interview them,
6 they're good to go.
7 SPEAKER 54: Okay.
8 SPEAKER 53: Well, we can go if you want to. Yes. Thank
9 you again.
10 SPEAKER 48: Mutation to be that I made a significant
11 contribution to my people and my heritage.
12 SPEAKER 50: Thank you. Thank you for your candid
13 answer. I appreciate it.
14 SPEAKER 48: My pleasure.
15 SPEAKER 49: Thank you very much.
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1 SPEAKER 53: Hold on. One last question.
2 SPEAKER 48: Yes, sir.
3 SPEAKER 53: The Little Haiti that you know today is
4 not the Little Haiti you knew yesterday. Little Haiti right
5 now is very diverse.
6 SPEAKER 48: Yes, sir.
7 SPEAKER 53: What is one of the things that you would
8 do to help the old Little Haiti to transition into the Haiti
9 that is going to become?
10 SPEAKER 48: That's an interesting question. I think
11 in general, we're facing a situation in this country that the
12 baby boomers are not the significant population anymore. So,
13 when you look at voting in the past elections, baby boomers
14 weren't the significant voters for the various parties. It
15 was a younger generation, it was generation X and So, on and
16 So, forth. And So, while I would definitely create
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opportunities and programs for boomers and the older
generation, I think what we need to focus on is innovation
and access for the youth of Little Haiti. Creating
opportunities for them to thrive and be competitive within a
21st century global economy.
6 SPEAKER 48: As the video alluded to India and China
7 have more honors students than we have students. And So, if
8 we're talking about creating a competitive America, if we're
9 talking about elevating our student population, our youth
10 populations, such that we remain competitive globally, we
11 have to talk about minority participation in that movement.
12 My president, President Barack Obama set a goal of creating
13 1 million new STEM graduates within 10 years. STEM of course,
14 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students.
15 If we're going to create 1 million of those students, it can't
16 just be the majority population. It has to be the Little Haiti
17 population. It has to be the Little Havana population. It has
18 to be the Hispanic students that are within this community.
352
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1 And my role would be to focus on those youth within Little
2 Haiti and give them the opportunity to participate in that
3 growth.
4 SPEAKER 48: Another anecdote, I've worked in higher
5 education my entire career. When I was working at FIU, we
6 provided a scholarship for a student named Maria. Her family
7 was from [inaudible 06:23:20]. She lived there and she lived
8 in a multi -generational home. We provided her with a
9 scholarship and we provided her with an internship and I try
10 to be a hands-on administrator. So, she called me one day and
11 she said, Mr. [inaudible 06:23:35] I got my first paycheck
12 and I don't want to get in any trouble, but I think
13 something's wrong. So, I just want to bring it to you if you
14 can help me return it because I think they made a mistake.
15 Mistake, I don't think they made a mistake. She was working
16 20 hours in a student position. She said, yes, yes. I think
17 they made a mistake. They paid me too much. I said, why do
18 you think they paid you too much?
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1 SPEAKER 48: She said her 20 hour two week internship
2 was the largest check that had ever come into the household.
3 It was higher than her entire family. And I'm talking to a
4 multi -generational family of aunts, uncles, mother, father,
5 and So, on and So, forth. Her two week part-time internship
6 was the largest check that had come into the home. If we're
7 talking about real change, we need to change that perspective
8 for students like Maria. And those students and those people
9 exist in Little Haiti. The median income is $18,000 in Little
10 Haiti. That's not even the $15 an hour that we're talking
11 about raising the minimum wage. So, we need to give people a
12 different point of view as to what the possibilities are
13 within this country, within the Little Haiti community.
14 SPEAKER 53: Any other questions? Thank you very much,
15 Mr. [inaudible 06:24:56].
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1 SPEAKER 48: It's my pleasure. I'm really excited that
2 I got the opportunity to do this. Thank you for the
3 opportunity.
4 SPEAKER 53: Thank you.
5 PART 11 OF 14 ENDS [06:25:04]
6 SPEAKER 48: ...is this. Thank you for the
7 opportunity.
8 Phil: Thank you.
9 Ashley: Thank you for your time.
10 Mr. Mensah: Mr. Chair, is it they asking if they have
11 to go back to their room? I don't think it's anything going
12 to discuss that will require them to be on the other side of
13 the...
14 Board Chair: No. I think once we interview them,
15 they're good to go.
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1 Mr. Mensah: Okay. Well, you can go if you want to.
2 Yes.
3 SPEAKER 48: Well, thank you again.
4 Mr. Mensah: Mr. Chair. Okay.
5 Board Chair: Yes, Mr. Mensah.
6 Mr. Mensah: I have the unpleasant experience of
7 letting you know that it's not a discussion that we have to
8 revisit the dates of July 9th, because I went back to the
9 clerks and spoke to the Deputy City Clerk. And the appointment
10 for the replacement is on the July 22nd. She indicated to me
11 that, and I think the Senior Attorney is aware with the fact
12 that the sequence of events that resulted in the resignation.
13 And the vacancy is such that it was impossible to have the 10
14 days required notice. The resignation came in on 28th. And
15 So, according to the deputy clerk, the 28th means that that
16 person was, even though it came on the 28th, that person was
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1 still part of the board on the 28th. So, the following day is
2 when it became vacant. So, they declared the position vacant
3 on the 29th. And when they declared it vacant on the 29th,
4 the office was made aware. The Commissioner's Office was made
5 aware of the vacancy and they preferred a new person on the
6 30th.
7 Mr. Mensah: So, it's all one day, one day, one day.
8 Now, the procedure per appointment of members, which is part
9 of the Little Haiti ordinance, says that at least 10 days
10 prior to the making of any appointment, the appointing party
11 shall call the City Clerk to have available to the public.
12 And the City Clerk shall publicly make announcements of the
13 fact that the list of names that's submitted together with a
14 short statement of the qualifications of each nominee is
15 prepared and made available for public inspection and
16 consideration. In reaching a decision, the appointing party
17 shall give [inaudible 06:28:03] to the names submitted. So,
18 basically it has to be advertised for the 10... It has to be
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put out public notice for the 10 days. And because of the
fact that the names are submitted on June 30th, it doesn't
give the 10 days needed for the consideration of that
appointment on July 8th. So, that appointment will therefore
be on the July 22nd.
6 Mr. Mensah: Now, the two choices that the board has
7 is one, you go ahead and decide to make your appointment of
8 the CEO based on the four members. And if you want to have a
9 full member on the board to be able to make an appointment,
10 you can't do it until after July 22nd. Now, what that also
11 means is that after July 22nd, once you make the appointment,
12 the City Commission doesn't meet until September 1st week in
13 September. So, which means that you can't technically have a
14 CEO on board until after the first meeting in September.
15 That's the reason why I said that unpleasant experiences
16 indicate this, but this is where we are. And So, you have a
17 decision to make.
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1 Board Chair: So, we interviewed today four candidates,
2 right?
3 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
4 Board Chair: If we were to make a decision, I would
5 definitely want to interview more candidates. And that being
6 the case. Go ahead.
7 Natalie: Just keep in mind that you do have those two
8 dates available for next week, the 6th and the 7th, depending
9 on whatever you guys choose. So, if you need to bring the
10 other candidates who were absent today, if you guys want to
11 extend the offer for them to come next week. Those two dates
12 are still available on the calendar.
13 Board Chair: Let me ask the board members. How do you
14 feel with the candidates that we interviewed today?
15 Phil: I think we still have, what, we have three
16 more candidates that we need to see?
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1 Mr. Mensah: Mr. Chair.
2 Board Chair: Yes, Mr. Mensah.
3 Mr. Mensah: I have the unpleasant experience of
4 letting you know that it's not a discussion that we have to
5 revisit the dates of July 9th, because I went back to the
6 clerks and spoke to the deputy City Clerk. And the appointment
7 for the replacement is on the July 22nd. She indicated to me
8 that, and I think the Senior Attorney is aware with the fact
9 that the sequence of events that resulted in the resignation.
10 And the vacancy is such that it was impossible to have the 10
11 days required notice. The resignation came in on 28th. And
12 So, according the deputy clerk, the 28th means that that
13 person was, even though it came on the 28th, that person was
14 still part of the board on the 28th. So, the following day is
15 when it became vacant. So, they declared the position vacant
16 on the 29th. And when they declared it vacant on the 29th,
17 the Commissioner's Office was made aware of the vacancy and
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they preferred a new person on the 30th. So, it's all one
day, one day, one day.
3 Mr. Mensah: Now, the procedure of appointment of
4 members, which is part of the Little Haiti ordinance, says
5 that at least 10 days prior to the making of any appointment,
6 the appointing party shall call the City Clerk to have
7 available to the public. And the city collects are publicly
8 make announcement of the fact that the list of names that's
9 submitted together with a short statement of the
10 qualifications of each nominee is prepared and made available
11 for public inspection and consideration. In reaching a
12 decision, the appointing party shall give [inaudible
13 06:33:04] and names submitted. So, basically it has to be
14 advertised for the 10... It has to put out public notice for
15 the 10 days. And because of the fact that the names are
16 submitted on June 30th, it doesn't give the 10 days needed
17 for the consideration of that appointment on July 8th. So,
18 that appointment will be therefore be on July 22nd.
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1 Mr. Mensah: Now, the two choices that the board has
2 is one, you call you, go ahead and decide to make your
3 appointment of the CEO based on the four members. And if you
4 want to have a fourth member on the board, to make the
5 appointment you can't do it after July 22nd. Now, what that
6 also means is that after July 22nd, once you make the
7 appointment, the City Commission doesn't meet until first
8 week in September. So, which means that you can't technically
9 have a CEO on board until after the first meeting in
10 September. That's the reason why I said that unpleasant
11 experiences indicate this, but this is where we are. And So,
12 you have a decision to make.
13 Board Chair: So, we interviewed today for candidates,
14 right?
15 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
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1 Board Chair: If we were to make a decision, I would
2 definitely want to interview more candidates. And that being
3 the case... Go ahead.
4 SPEAKER 55: Just keep in mind that you do have those
5 two dates available for next week, the 6th and the 7th,
6 depending on whatever you guys choose. So, if you need to
7 bring the other candidates who were absent today, if you guys
8 want to extend the offer for them to come next week, those
9 two dates are still available on the calendar.
10 Board Chair: Let me ask the board members. How do you
11 feel with the candidates that we interviewed today?
12 Phil: I think we still have three more candidates
13 that we need to see. I mean, I'm personally not ready to make
14 a decision today.
15 Board Chair: We have more candidates?
16 Ashley: We have three that did not make it today.
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1 Board Chair: They're not present.
2 Ashley: No, no, no. They did not make it today.
3 Phil: They're not here today.
4 Board Chair: Oh, they are not here.
5 Ashley: So, we were planning on seeing them next week,
6 along with our new member of the board. But Mr. Mensah just
7 informed us that the new member of the board cannot be
8 appointed until the 28th. Correct?
9 Mr. Mensah: 22nd.
10 Ashley: 22nd. So, we need to decide if we're going to
11 move forward without that new member of the board. That's one
12 thing. And then I also think that we need to move forward
13 with meeting the community with [inaudible 06:36:27] CEO at
14 hand. Because it seems that things can be dragged out,
15 especially if the commission is going to be closed for the
16 month of August. I don't want us to miss out on that time.
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1 Perhaps we should schedule something with the Little Haiti
2 Cultural Center around that time. Maybe twice in the month of
3 August to meet with the different businesses and homeowners
4 to see what they may want and have something tangible that we
5 can present when they come back. And I mean, those are my two
6 cents.
7 Phil: I'm trying to work out the timeline and make
8 sure that as we meet we are not overlapping or missing
9 opportunities. And I'm speaking to Mr. Mensah and counsel,
10 just for clarity. So, on the 8th, we're still looking to get
11 our budget approved by the commission on July the 8th,
12 correct?
13 Mr. Mensah: It's on the agenda. Yes.
14 Phil: So, that's one step that we need to make sure
15 is at hand. Also, when we are thinking about the executive
16 position, we got to make sure that... Because in the event
17 that that is not approved then, what is our next recourse?
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1 SPEAKER 56: Excuse me. Yes, much like your budget,
2 the executive director position, whoever it is you may
3 ultimately appoint, they need to be approved by commission.
4 Phil: I understand that. My question is, let's just
5 say if the, because it's not a guarantee that the budget will
6 be passed and we won't even be able to hire an executive if
7 the budget isn't approved.
8 SPEAKER 56: Presuming that, yes, you're correct. It's
9 entirely up to the will of the commission. And that said,
10 it's also entirely possible that they could reject your budget
11 for unforeseen reasons. But presuming they don't, then you
12 would still have to present them with a name for your CEO,
13 ultimately. They would need to approve that person before
14 they can start.
15 Phil: Okay. And then moving forward, the 22nd will
16 be the next time that the commission meets. At that time we
17 could possibly have selected our CEO and we could possibly
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have, and by that time, a board member will be appointed by
then?
3 SPEAKER 56: Yes. Your replacement board member, that
4 wouldn't happen until then.
5 Phil: Until then. All right. So, then it still
6 leaves it open to us. And then after that, they're on break
7 until September.
8 SPEAKER 56: Right. And in September you have the
9 budget hearings apart from the two regular commission
10 meetings.
11 Phil: Okay. So, technically we wouldn't be able to
12 have our CEO approved until they meet again in September,
13 timeline would not permit it to happen on July the 22nd? I
14 just want to set expectations from when we meet that the
15 agenda reflects what can get done.
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1 Mr. Mensah: If you meet, let's say if you make your
2 selection before July 8th, we have an item on the agenda,
3 July 8th, to approve the CEO and the benefits. It's on the
4 agenda. All we need is that day we give the name and the
5 benefits, that's what is required. Which means that as Natalie
6 said, if you meet me on the...
7 Phil: I'm not ready to make it. I'm personally not
8 ready to make a decision today.
9 Board Chair: We have more candidates?
10 Ashley: We have three that did not make it today.
11 Phil: They're not present.
12 Ashley: No, no, no, no. They did not make it today.
13 Phil: They're not here today.
14 Board Chair: Oh, they're not here.
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1 Ashley: So, we were planning on seeing them next week,
2 along with our new member of the board. But Mr. Mensah just
3 informed us that the new member of the board cannot be
4 appointed until the 28th, correct?
5 Mr. Mensah: 22nd.
6 Ashley: 22nd. So, we need to decide if we're going to
7 move forward without that new member of the board. That's one
8 thing. And then I also think that we need to move forward
9 with meeting the community with [inaudible 06:41:27] CEO at
10 hand. Because it seems that things can be dragged out,
11 especially if the commission is going to be closed for the
12 month of August. I don't want us to miss out on that time.
13 Perhaps we should schedule something with the Little Haiti
14 Cultural Center around that time. Maybe twice in the month of
15 August to meet with the different businesses and homeowners
16 to see what they may want and have something tangible that we
17 can present when they come back. I mean, those are my 2 cents.
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Phil:
I'm trying to work out the timeline and make
sure that as we meet we are not overlapping or missing
opportunities. And I'm speaking to Mr. Mensah and counsel,
just for clarity. So, on the 8th we're still looking to get
our budget approved by the commission on July the 8th,
correct?
Mr. Mensah:
Phil:
It's on the agenda, yes.
So, that's one step that we need to make sure
is at hand. Also when thinking about the executive position
we got to make sure that... Because in the event that that is
not approved then, what is our next recourse?
SPEAKER 56: Excuse me. Yes,
the executive director position,
much like your budget,
whoever it is you may
ultimately appoint, they need to be approved by commission.
15 Phil: I understand that. My question is, let's just
16 say if the, because it's not a guarantee that the budget will
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be passed and we won't even be able to hire an executive if
the budget isn't approved.
3 SPEAKER 56: Presuming that, yes, you're correct. It's
4 entirely up to the will of the commission. And that said,
5 it's also entirely possible that they could reject your budget
6 for unforeseen reasons. But presuming they don't, then you
7 would still have to present them with a name for years in the
8 CEO, ultimately. And they would need to approve that person
9 before they can start.
10 Phil: Okay. And then moving forward, the 22nd will
11 be the next time that the commission meets. At that time, we
12 could possibly have selected our CEO and we could possibly
13 have, and by that time, a board member will be appointed by
14 then.
15 SPEAKER 56: Yes, your replacement board member that
16 wouldn't happen until then.
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1 Phil: Until then. All right. So, then it still
2 leaves it open to us. And then after that they're on break
3 until September.
4 SPEAKER 56: Right. And in September you have the
5 budget hearings apart from the two regular commission
6 meetings.
7 Phil: Okay. So, technically we wouldn't be able to
8 have our CEO approved until they meet again in September,
9 timeline would not permit it to happen on July the 22nd. I
10 just want to set expectations for when we meet that the agenda
11 reflects what we can get done.
12 Mr. Mensah: Let's say if you make your selection
13 before July 8th, we have an item on the agenda, July 8th to
14 approve the CEO and the benefits. It's on the agenda. All we
15 need, is that day we give the name and the benefits, that's
16 what is required now. Which means that as Natalie said, if
17 you meet on the 6th or the 7th, you can do that. That is if
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1 you decide to go ahead and do it without the four members,
2 then you can do that on the 6th, on the 7th. And then that
3 will there to be approved by a commission in July 8th. Now in
4 relation to the budget, the only reason why the budget might
5 not be approved, because I don't think that budget includes
6 a lot of frivolous items the commission might decide not to
7 approve it.
8 Mr. Mensah: I am almost sure that the commission will
9 approve it. However, there is a requirement that will include
10 the master plan, which is what I said I will try and draft
11 something and after that I will show it to all of you.
12 Something very simple, which will be just a way of how these
13 funds is going to be used, including the things... So, that's
14 what I was going to do So, that in case we are not able to
15 get a deferment of the master plan requirement, that at least
16 there is something that will be in place of it. And that will
17 be a subsidized item that will proffer on the day of the
18 meeting. So, those two things are there now. I think the
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critical issue is how you guys move forward, how the trust
move forward with respect to the CEO position.
3 Mr. Mensah: Are you going to meet on the 6th or 7th
4 and decide and get appointed on the 8th, or you want to wait
5 until July 22nd when you have a full board. If you do that,
6 then you cannot appoint a CEO until the first meeting in
7 September.
8 Ashley: I have a question. [crosstalk 06:47:19]
9 SPEAKER 56: I'm sorry.
10 Ashley: No. Go ahead.
11 SPEAKER 56: Through the chair, just So, that you're
12 aware, right now there are two items on the commission meeting
13 agenda for Thursday. One to approve your budget and one to
14 approve whoever you may appoint for your CEO. That's currently
15 part of the agenda for Thursday's commission meeting.
16 Ashley: For the 8th.
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1 SPEAKER 56: Yes. For the 8th.
2 Ashley: So, we will have to meet before that?
3 SPEAKER 56: If you were to, conceivably, you could
4 already have your CEO by the 8th when commission meets.
5 Presuming of course, they approve your appointment and they
6 pass your budget. That would be set by the 8th.
7 Ashley: I have a silly question. Since we're one
8 member short for the board and we don't get to have that
9 person approved until the 22nd. Is there a possibility to
10 have an interim board person, which can be either one of you
11 guys?
12 SPEAKER 56: Unfortunately not. It's only what the
13 code provides for. And the code does not allow for that.
14 Mr. Mensah: The code provides for the city manager to
15 appoint someone in the interim to do the affairs of the trust.
16 Whereas, unfortunately, I personally, I have too much work
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1 right now, working on. So, what you guys can do is that you
2 can maybe direct me to talk to the Commissioner and the City
3 Manager to see if that's a possibility. Then the City Manager
4 can appoint one of the City Manager's staff, from anywhere in
5 the city who can play the role of the Little Haiti [inaudible
6 06:49:16] until such a time that you have your CEO. That is...
7 Ashley: I would like to do that. If that's okay with
8 you guys. This way we have five people to vote.
9 SPEAKER 55: I'm not a hundred percent...
10 Board Chair: No, I'm not.
11 SPEAKER 55: ...on board with that.
12 Board Chair: I'm not a hundred percent on board with
13 that one.
14 SPEAKER 55: I think we have a primary question of...
15 Let me preface what I'm going to say with that. I think in
16 the spirit of continuing to be positive, this board has had
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1 a wonderful rapport So, far. So, I'm confident that unless we
2 get into a very sticky situation that I'm not too concerned
3 with a tie vote at this point. And in the effort to move this
4 along and do what we are all here to do to help our community,
5 to help Little Haiti. I think that maybe it would be okay if
6 you guys are okay with it to move forward with the four of us
7 and let the process be and get a budget and a CEO on board to
8 assist us formally. And Mr. Mensah is very taxed at this point
9 with his department in his...
10 Mr. Mensah: 6th or the 7th, you can do that. That is
11 if you decide to go ahead and do it without the full members,
12 then you can do that on the 6th on the 7th. And that then
13 will be there to be approved by a commission in July 8th.
14 Now, touch on the budget, the only reason why the budget might
15 not be approved, because I don't think that budget includes
16 a lot of frivolous items the commission may decide not to
17 approve it. I am almost sure that the commission will approve
18 it. However, there's a requirement that we include the master
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1 plan. Which is what I said I will try and draft something and
2 after that I will show it to all of you. Something very
3 simple, which will be just a way of how these funds is going
4 to be used, including the things... So, that's what I was
5 going to do.
6 Mr. Mensah: So, that in case we are not able to get
7 a deferment of the master plan requirement, that at least
8 there is something that will be in place of it. And that will
9 be a subsidized item that I will proffer on the day of the
10 meeting. So, those two things are there. Now, I think the
11 critical issue is how you guys move forward, how the trust
12 move forward with respect to the CEO position. Are you going
13 to meet on the 6th or the 7th and decide and get appointed on
14 the 8th, or you want to wait until July 22nd. When you have
15 a full board. If you do that, then you cannot appoint a CEO
16 the first meeting in September.
17
Ashley: I have a question.
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1 SPEAKER 56: I'm sorry.
2 Ashley: No, go ahead.
3 SPEAKER 56: Through the chair. Just So, that you're
4 aware. Right now, there are two items on the commission
5 meeting agenda for Thursday. One to approve your budget and
6 one to approve whoever you made a point for your CEO. That's
7 currently part of your agenda for Thursday's commission
8 meeting.
9 Ashley: For the 8th?
10 SPEAKER 56: Yes. For the 8th.
11 Ashley: So, we'll have to meet before that.
12 SPEAKER 56: If you were to, conceivably, you could
13 already have your CEO by the 8th when commission meets,
14 presuming of course, they approve your appointment and that
15 they pass your budget. That would be set by the 8th.
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1 Ashley: I have a silly question. Since we're one
2 member short for the board and we don't get to have that
3 person approved until the 22nd. Is there a possibility to
4 have an interim board person, which can be either one of you
5 guys?
6 SPEAKER 56: Unfortunately not. It's only what the
7 code provides for and the code does not allow for that.
8 Mr. Mensah: The code provides for the City Manager to
9 appoint someone in the interim to do the affairs of the trust.
10 Whereas, unfortunately, I personally, I have too much work
11 right now working on. So, what you guys can do is that you
12 can maybe direct me to talk to the Commissioner and the City
13 Manager to see if that's a possibility. Then the City Manager
14 can appoint on of the City Manager's staff, from anywhere in
15 the city who can play the role of the Little Haiti [inaudible
16 06:54:17] until such time that you have your CEO. That is...
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Ashley: I would like to do that, if that's okay with
you guy. This way we'll have five people to vote.
3 SPEAKER 55: I'm not a hundred percent on board with
4 that.
5 Board Chair: I'm not a hundred percent on board on
6 that one.
7 SPEAKER 55: I think we have a primary question of...
8 Let me preface what I'm going to say with that. I think in
9 the spirit of continuing to be positive, this board has had
10 a wonderful rapport So, far. So, I'm confident that unless we
11 get into a very sticky situation that I'm not too concerned
12 with a tie vote at this point. And in the effort to move this
13 along and do what we are all here to do to help our community,
14 to help Little Haiti. I think that maybe it would be okay if
15 you guys are okay with it to move forward with the four of us
16 and let the process be and get a budget and a CEO on board to
17 assist us formally. And Mr. Mensah is very taxed at this point
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1 with his department and his existing responsibilities. So,
2 I'm very concerned with the amount of time that is going to
3 pass until September or possibly October, because the city
4 budget is something that can't... I mean, it's a specific
5 day, a specific time. It has to be dealt with.
6 SPEAKER 55: So, our items, at least in my experience
7 will be kicked to the bottom rung of those meetings. It's not
8 going to be of high importance to the entire city budget. So,
9 if we can, could we revisit moving forward with the four of
10 us since the City Attorney has told us that we have quorum
11 and we can do that. Would you guys be okay considering the
12 time that is going to have to be waited? Would you revisit
13 that and consider moving forward with the four of us?
14 Ashley: That means that we would have to meet on the
15 6th or the 7th and not the 9th because the commission is
16 meeting on the 8th. So, we'll have to make a decision before.
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1 SPEAKER 55: So, if we are okay, the four of us are
2 okay with the four of us, we would then have to pick the 6th
3 or the 7th. We would need to speak to the two additional
4 candidates or anyone else for that matter that was of the 42
5 people that submitted their qualifications. And then we would
6 be good to go for the commission meeting for the person that
7 we select as a CEO and for our budget approval. And this would
8 allow us to at least move forward the month of August, the
9 month of September and possibly into the month of October,
10 until they can get to us. We would have this person hopefully
11 approved on the 22nd and be completed. I'm concerned that
12 that we're going to be without a budget and without a CEO,
13 possibly till October, if we don't move this now in the July
14 8th commission meeting. I'm very worried that we're going to
15 get kicked all the way to October.
16 SPEAKER 55: So, if we can handle that primary
17 question, if the four of us are okay with the four of us for
18 right now, I think then that dictates how we address the other
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items that are out there. So, I give it back to you a Chair
to kind of circle back on that.
3 Board Chair: Yeah. It's sticky, but I think it's going
4 to be a calculated risk. I think we should move forward with
5 trying to get somebody by the 6th or the 7th, whatever date's
6 available, the four of us.
7 SPEAKER 55: So, I guess we then need to make a
8 decision for the four of us. What is better than the 6th or
9 the 7th? If you guys agree, if Ashley and Phil you agree to
10 the four of us, we need to make a decision on those two dates
11 and the three candidates that didn't come today to speak. And
12 if there's anyone else we'd like to hear from.
13 Ashley: Here's my question for you. So, let's say that
14 we have a tie, what then?
15 SPEAKER 55: It's a possibility, but that's how I kind
16 of opened in that I feel that we've had a very good working
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1 relationship up here on this board. We have a very good
2 rapport and I am hopeful that we're all over the same mindset,
3 it seems like, and that that won't occur. As the Chair stated,
4 it's a calculated risk at this point, but I'm more concerned
5 about the getting pushed all the way to October than I am a
6 possibility of a tie.
7 Ashley: Okay.
8 SPEAKER 55: I think we can work that out and we can
9 be flexible on whittling down the candidate and coming up
10 with a person that we can all... We know what we want for
11 Little Haiti. We know where we want to see it go. It's
12 important and it's in all of our hearts. We all live there,
13 we all interact with this community. So, I think we can
14 accomplish that and not get kicked all the way to October.
15 Ashley: I agree with you on that part. And my other
16 question is why are you opposed to an interim person to help
17 with the voting process?
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1 SPEAKER 55: That to me muddies the waters even
2 further. It's the interim part that I'm concerned with. I'm
3 not opposed to another person, but you're bringing someone in
4 to make critical decisions and they're only going to be...
5 PART 12 OF 14 ENDS [07:00:04]
6 SPEAKER 57: the person, but you're bringing
7 someone in to make critical decisions and they're only going
8 to be around for a month, So, to speak. So, I'm just concerned
9 about muddying the waters further, the interim nature of it
10 is what I'm struggling with, not the other person, So, to
11 speak, just the interim nature.
12 SPEAKER 58: Okay.
13 SPEAKER 59: I think this is our third meeting and I
14 think this third meeting we've invested enough synergy,
15 harmony, that we understand exactly the direction we want to
16 go with-
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1 SPEAKER 57: existing responsibilities. So, I'm
2 very concerned with the amount of time that is going to pass
3 until September or possibly October, because the city budget
4 is something that can't... I mean, it's a specific day, a
5 specific time. It has to be dealt with. So, our items, at
6 least in my experience, will be kicked to the bottom rung of
7 those meetings. It's not going to be of high importance to
8 the broader, the entire city budget. So, if we can, could we
9 revisit moving forward with the four of us since the city
10 attorney has told us that we have quorum and we can do that,
11 would you guys be okay considering the time that is going to
12 have to be weighted? Would you revisit that and consider
13 moving forward with the four of us?
14 SPEAKER 58: That means that we would have to meet on
15 the 6th or the 7th, and not the 9th, because the commission
16 is meeting on the 8th. So, we'll have to make a decision
17 before-
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1 SPEAKER 57: So, if we are okay, the four of us are
2 okay with the four of us, we would then have to pick the 6th
3 or the 7th. We would need to speak to the two additional
4 candidates or anyone else for that matter that was of the 42
5 people that submitted their qualifications. And then we would
6 be good to go for the commission meeting for the person that
7 we select as a CEO and for our budget approval. And this would
8 allow us to at least move forward the month of August, the
9 month of September, and possibly into the month of October,
10 until they can get to us.
11 SPEAKER 57: We would have this person hopefully
12 approved on the 22nd and be completed. I'm concerned that
13 we're going to be without a budget and without a CEO, possibly
14 till October, if we don't move this now in the July 8th
15 commission meeting. I'm very worried that we're going to get
16 kicked all the way to October. So, if we can handle that
17 primary question, if the four of us are okay with the four of
18 us for right now, I think then that dictates how we address
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the other items that are out there. So, I give it back to you
a, Chair to circle back on that.
3 SPEAKER 59: It's sticky, but I think is going to be
4 a calculated risk. I think we should move forward with trying
5 to get somebody by the 6th or the 7th, whatever date is
6 available for the four of us.
7 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, I guess we then need to make a
8 decision. For the four of us, what is better, the 6th or the
9 7th? If you guys agree, if Ashley feel that you agree to the
10 four of us, we need to make a decision on those two dates,
11 and the three candidates that didn't come today to speak. And
12 if there's anyone else we'd like to hear from.
13 SPEAKER 58: Here's my question for you. So, let's say
14 that we have a tie, what then?
15 SPEAKER 57: It's a possibility, but that's how I kind
16 of opened. In that, I feel that we've had a very good working
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1 relationship up here on this board. We have a very good
2 rapport, and I am hopeful that we're all over the same
3 mindset, it seems like, and that that won't occur. And as the
4 chair stated, it's a calculated risk at this point, but I'm
5 more concerned about the getting pushed all the way to October
6 than I am a possibility of a tie.
7 SPEAKER 58: Okay.
8 SPEAKER 57: I think we can work that out and we can
9 be flexible on whittling down the candidate and coming up
10 with a person that we can all ... , We know what we want for
11 Little Haiti. We know where we want to see it go. It's
12 important, and it's in all of our hearts. We all live there,
13 we all interact with this community. So, I think we can
14 accomplish that and not get kicked all the way to October.
15 SPEAKER 58: I agree with you on that part. And my
16 other question is why are you opposed to an interim person to
17 help with the voting process?
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1 SPEAKER 57: That, to me, muddies the waters even
2 further. It's the interim part that I'm concerned with. I'm
3 not opposed to another person, but you're bringing someone in
4 to make critical decisions, and they're only going to be
5 around for a month, So, to speak. So, I'm just concerned about
6 muddying the waters further. The interim nature of it is what
7 I'm struggling with, not the other person, So, to speak, just
8 the interim nature.
9 SPEAKER 58: Okay.
10 SPEAKER 59: I think this is our third meeting. And I
11 think this third meeting we've invested enough synergy,
12 harmony, that we understand exactly the direction we want to
13 go with. And we understand the compatibility that we need to
14 put in place to make good decisions. So, bringing someone in
15 for a short period of time is just like telling someone, can
16 you do this for me? Can you do me a favor? And I think we're
17 at the point right now where we've gotten enough invested
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1 that we don't need any favors. We just need the right people
2 to make decisions. And at the end of the day, we come to a
3 tie, that's a good possibility. And guess what? I guess the
4 best case scenario didn't pan out, but we're still back at
5 where-
6 SPEAKER 57: Where we started.
7 SPEAKER 59: ... where we started. So, at the end of
8 the day, I don't think that there's anything really lost. Of
9 course, there is something to gain if we all agree on the
10 candidate, but if we don't, we're back at square one anyway.
11 SPEAKER 58: Okay. So, in the case that we have a tie,
12 would we then wait for the 22nd with a new member?
13 SPEAKER 60: I believe that's... Yeah. So, I believe
14 there needs to be a motion to be able to vote without full
15 membership.
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1 SPEAKER 57: Chair, may I ask? Okay, So, I am not 1000
2 sure what you're saying.
3 SPEAKER 60: I think the issue is well, based on the
4 conversation, I think that the concern is us not being able
5 to vote because we're not full membership.
6 SPEAKER 57: I think the city attorney needs to weigh
7 in on that. He touched on it, but could you expand on that?
8 You had told us that we have quorum, but are we okay with the
9 four people moving forward or do we need to pass something?
10 What is your advice on handling this So, that we make sure
11 we're-
12 SPEAKER 60: We just have to make a motion as a body
13 to decide that. It's not up to them, it's up to us to decide
14 if that's how we want to move as a body. We are in quorum
15 now. We can make decisions as we stand, but the concern was
16 making sure that we had a full membership. We don't have a
17 full membership and won't have one until the final week of
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1 July, which will push us into October before we can even
2 possibly be a full membership. So, the issue, I believe in
3 what I've internalized that are we fine with moving forward
4 with a four member voting body? Because then from that point,
5 we can make decisions. If not, then we have to wait for other
6 things that are out of our control So, it falls on us at this
7 moment.
8 SPEAKER 61: Through the chair, per the code, as long
9 as you have quorum, you can conduct official city business,
10 which means you can also decide upon. You can vote upon
11 matters and exercise your authority as the body for Little
12 Haiti Revitalization Trust. Now, in this particular case,
13 since you've been very sensitive to making certain that it's
14 a decision that's made by the whole of the board, and
15 obviously right now, due to the one absence, you don't have
16 a whole board. I don't think there's any harm in there being
17 a motion and a vote being taken. Just to memorialize that you
18 have a common mind in moving forward, in light of the fact
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1 that you don't have a whole board right now. Even though the
2 code, like I said, it does allow you to So, long as you have
3 quorum, you're definitely within your right to motion and to
4 memorialize.
5 SPEAKER 57: So, since it's a good idea. I think then
6 Ashley should make the motion So, we all... There's no
7 questions. So, that makes him comfortable. You're suggesting
8 that. So, I think he should make the motion that he suggested
9 then.
10 SPEAKER 60: All right. A motion to vote with a four
11 member body.
12 SPEAKER 59: I second.
13 SPEAKER 58: Okay.
14 SPEAKER 57: I'm good. I'm okay with that.
15 SPEAKER 59: Any oppositions? Motion passed.
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1 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, we've addressed that. So,
2 either July 6th or July 7th, we need to, both of those dates
3 are available, correct?
4 Mr. Mensah: Yes. Natalie, can you give her the times
5 for July 6th and July 7th?
6 SPEAKER 61: Just want to interject. I won't be
7 available on the 6th. The 7th is the best day for me.
8 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, let's stick to the [crosstalk
9 07:10:08].
10 SPEAKER 62: Just for the record, July 6th, the time
11 slot is from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. And for July 7th, the time
12 slot is from 12:00 to 4:00. And again, those time blocks we're
13 anticipating you guys still needing more time to interview
14 more candidates and, or make a decision. So, even if you're
15 only using the one hour, you still have the four hours
16 available to you.
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SPEAKER 57: I'm good with this-
2 SPEAKER 59: We understand the compatibility that we
3 need to put in place to make good decisions. So, bringing
4 someone in for a short period of time is just like telling
5 someone, can you do this for me? Can you do me a favor? And
6 I think we're at the point right now where we've gotten enough
7 invested that we don't need any favors. We just need the right
8 people to make decisions. And at the end of the day, we come
9 to a tie, that's a good possibility. And guess what? I guess
10 the best case scenario didn't pan out, but we're still back
11 at where-
12 SPEAKER 57: Where we started.
13 SPEAKER 59: . ... where we started. So, at the end
14 of the day, I don't think that there's anything really lost.
15 Of course, there is something to gain if we all agree on the
16 candidate, but if we don't, we're back at square one anyway.
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1 SPEAKER 58: Okay. So, in the case that we have a tie,
2 would we then wait for the 22nd with a new member?
3 SPEAKER 60: I believe that's... Yeah. So, I believe
4 there needs to be a motion to be able to vote without full
5 membership.
6 SPEAKER 57: Chair, may I ask? Okay, So, I am not 1000
7 sure what you're saying.
8 SPEAKER 60: I think the issue is well, based on the
9 conversation, I think that the concern is us not being able
10 to vote because we're not full membership.
11 SPEAKER 57: I think the city attorney needs to weigh
12 in on that. He touched on it, but could you expand on that?
13 You had told us that we have quorum, but are we okay with the
14 four people moving forward or do we need to pass something?
15 What is your advice on handling this So, that we make sure
16 we're-
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1 SPEAKER 60: We just have to make a motion as a body
2 to decide that. It's not up to them, it's up to us to decide
3 if that's how we want to move as a body. We are in quorum
4 now. We can make decisions as we stand, but the concern was
5 making sure that we had a full membership. We don't have a
6 full membership and won't have one until the final week of
7 July, which will push us into October before we can even
8 possibly be a full membership. So, the issue, I believe in
9 what I've internalized that are we fine with moving forward
10 with a four member voting body? Because then from that point,
11 we can make decisions. If not, then we have to wait for other
12 things that are out of our control So, it falls on us at this
13 moment.
14 SPEAKER 61: Through the chair, per the code, as long
15 as you have quorum, you can conduct official city business,
16 which means you can also decide upon. You can vote upon
17 matters and exercise your authority as the body for Little
18 Haiti Revitalization Trust. Now, in this particular case,
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1 since you've been very sensitive to making certain that it's
2 a decision that's made by the whole of the board, and
3 obviously right now, due to the one absence, you don't have
4 a whole board. I don't think there's any harm in there being
5 a motion and a vote being taken. Just to memorialize that you
6 have a common mind in moving forward, in light of the fact
7 that you don't have a whole board right now. Even though the
8 code, like I said, it does allow you to So, long as you have
9 quorum, you're definitely within your right to motion and to
10 memorialize.
11 SPEAKER 57: So, since it's a good idea. I think then
12 Ashley should make the motion So, we all... There's no
13 questions. So, that makes him comfortable. You're suggesting
14 that. So, I think he should make the motion that he suggested
15 then.
16 SPEAKER 60: A motion to vote with a four member body.
17 SPEAKER 59: I second.
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1 SPEAKER 58: Okay.
2 SPEAKER 57: I'm good. I'm okay with that.
3 SPEAKER 59: Any oppositions? Motion passed.
4 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, we've addressed that. So,
5 either July 6th or July 7th, both of those dates are
6 available, correct?
7 Mr. Mensah: Yes. Natalie, can you give her the times
8 for July 6th and July 7th?
9 SPEAKER 61: Just want to interject. I won't be
10 available on the 6th. The 7th is the best day for me.
11 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, let's stick to the [crosstalk
12 07:15:09].
13 SPEAKER 62: Just for the record, July 6th, the time
14 slot is from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. And for July 7th, the time
15 slot is from 12:00 to 4:00. And again, those time blocks we're
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1 anticipating you guys still needing more time to interview
2 more candidates and, or make a decision. So, even if you're
3 only using the one hour, you still have the four hours
4 available to you.
5 SPEAKER 57: I'm good with the 7th, and anybody else
6 have any conflicts?
7 SPEAKER 61: I'm fine with the 7th.
8 SPEAKER 58: I'm fine with the 7th. It cannot run over
9 though because that's my daughter's birthday.
10 SPEAKER 57: Okay. We'll make sure that we are
11 efficient on that day. Because I don't want an angry
12 [crosstalk 07:15:58].
13 SPEAKER 62: To that point. There's another meeting
14 after, So, it can't run over, as well as today. Just So, you
15 guys have to note, the current time is 3:55. There is another
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meeting at 5:00. So, I would say just to give you some tips
about another 20 minutes or so.
3 SPEAKER 57: We'll get to the rest of this and we'll
4 get moving.
5 SPEAKER 62: You don't have to go for five minutes,
6 but just about 20 minutes or So, to allow the proper
7 transition.
8 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, we're going to hear the other
9 candidates, the three that were left. Is there anybody that
10 wants any other process, any other thing? We're going to ask
11 the other three candidates to come on 7/7 to hear them and to
12 hopefully make a decision at that point.
13 SPEAKER 58: Yes. And, gosh, my mind just went blank.
14 Oh, I wanted to know if the coming member is going to have
15 these resumes available to him or her?
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1 Mr. Mensah: Well, we can't give it to that person
2 until they've been approved by commission. So, once they're
3 approved by a commission, which is 22nd. You guys are making
4 a decision before that time.
5 SPEAKER 58: But just in case we have a tie and it
6 runs over.
7 Mr. Mensah: So, I'll wait until that happens. And
8 then if that's the case, then we can stop.
9 SPEAKER 58: Okay. Thank you.
10 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, nothing else. We're going to
11 meet on 7/7, from 12:00 to 4:00 with the three other
12 candidates that were already selected. The 7/8 commission
13 meeting will approve our budget and hopefully approve our
14 CEO, if we can come to a decision. Do you need anything else
15 from us, Mr. Mensah, for that meeting?
16 Mr. Mensah:
No, I need a name and benefits package.
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1 SPEAKER 57: Okay. Do you need us to approve anything
2 else or is the benefits package in the budget?
3 Mr. Mensah: I put some stuff in the budget as benefit
4 package, but you guys have to decide on it. Health insurance,
5 retirement, and things like that.
6 SPEAKER 57: We'll take that up in the next meeting
7 after we make the selection then.
8 Mr. Mensah: Yes. That is the reason why the agenda
9 item says selection of CEO and approval of CEO and benefits
10 package.
11 SPEAKER 57: Okay. And then the 7/22 commission
12 meeting, the other person will be appointed?
13 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
14 SPEAKER 57: I have one last question for you guys. Do
15 we want to make a motion as [inaudible 07:18:23] had suggested
16 to have the possibility of two community meetings in the month
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1 of August? Do we want to take that up? Do we want to put a
2 motion forward So, we can start to plan for that? Or how do
3 we want to handle that?
4 SPEAKER 59: No, I think we should leave that for the
5 next meeting.
6 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, that can go on the next agenda.
7 I think I don't have any other concerns? I'm clear now.
8 SPEAKER 59: Okay. Any other business? So, let me
9 introduce... Captain Haiti is in the house.
10 SPEAKER 63: Okay. All right. So, I think we known
11 each other, we crossed path in Little Haiti. And then may I
12 introduce you officially the Little Haiti quorum. By me
13 entering into this board meeting I've just welcomed the world
14 into Little Haiti-
15 SPEAKER 59: Speak into the mic.
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1 SPEAKER 63: So, as I was saying, me entering with the
2 Little Haiti [Quain 07:19:33] and this board's meeting, I've
3 just introduced the world and into Little Haiti's affair. So,
4 if you give me a few seconds, I'll set up now, I'll show you
5 what I mean by that.
6 SPEAKER 59: How long is your presentation, by the
7 way?
8 SPEAKER 63: Five, seven [tap 07:19:52].
9 SPEAKER 59: So, you'll tell me when you have it on
10 your monitor. Give it a few seconds.
11 SPEAKER 63: Perfect. All right. So, members of the
12 board, first of all, I want to congratulate you for your
13 dedication. I know you're all very busy in your personal life
14 and also businesses, your implication in the community. I
15 commend it. And my goal now is to contribute to your
16 contribution. As you know me as Captain Haiti-
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1 SPEAKER 57: And anybody else have any conflicts or
2 SPEAKER 61: I'm fine with the 7th.
3 SPEAKER 58: I'm fine with the 7th. It cannot run over
4 though because that's my daughter's birthday.
5 SPEAKER 57: Okay. We'll make sure that we are
6 efficient on that day. Because I don't want an angry
7 [crosstalk 07:20:59].
8 SPEAKER 62: To that point, there's another meeting
9 after, So, it can't run over, as well as today. Just So, you
10 guys have to note, the current time is 3:55. There is another
11 meeting at 5:00. So, I would say just to give you some tips
12 about another 20 minutes or so.
13 SPEAKER 57: We'll get to the rest of this and we'll
14 get moving.
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1 SPEAKER 62: You don't have to go for five minutes,
2 but just about 20 minutes or So, to allow the proper
3 transition.
4 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, we're going to hear the other
5 candidates, the three that were left. Is there anybody that
6 wants any other process, any other thing? We're going to ask
7 the other three candidates to come on 7/7 to hear them and to
8 hopefully make a decision at that point.
9 SPEAKER 58: Yes. And, gosh, my mind just went blank.
10 Oh, I wanted to know if the coming member is going to have
11 these resumes available to him or her?
12 Mr. Mensah: Well, we can't give it to that person
13 until they've been approved by commission. So, once they're
14 approved by a commission, which is 22nd. You guys are making
15 a decision before that time.
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1 SPEAKER 58: But just in case we have a tie and it
2 runs over.
3 Mr. Mensah: So, I'll wait until that happens. And
4 then if that's the case, then we can stop.
5 SPEAKER 58: Okay. Thank you.
6 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, nothing else. We're going to
7 meet on 7/7, from 12:00 to 4:00 with the three other
8 candidates that were already selected. The 7/8 commission
9 meeting will approve our budget and hopefully approve our
10 CEO, if we can come to a decision. Do you need anything else
11 from us, Mr. Mensah, for that meeting?
12 Mr. Mensah: No, I need a name and benefits package.
13 SPEAKER 57: Okay. Do you need us to approve anything
14 else or is the benefits package in the budget?
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1 Mr. Mensah: I put some stuff in the budget as benefit
2 package, but you guys have to decide on it. [crosstalk
3 07:22:54] Health insurance, retirement, and things like that.
4 SPEAKER 57: We'll take that up in the next meeting
5 after we make the selection then.
6 Mr. Mensah: Yes. That is the reason why the agenda
7 item says selection of CEO and approval of CEO and benefits
8 package.
9 SPEAKER 57: Okay. And then the 7/22 commission
10 meeting, the other person will be appointed?
11 Mr. Mensah: Yes.
12 SPEAKER 57: I have one last question for you guys. Do
13 we want to make a motion as [inaudible 07:23:23] had suggested
14 to have the possibility of two community meetings in the month
15 of August? Do we want to take that up? Do we want to put a
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motion forward So, we can start to plan for that? Or how do
we want to handle that?
3 SPEAKER 59: No, I think we should leave that for the
4 next meeting.
5 SPEAKER 57: Okay. So, that can go on the next agenda.
6 I think I don't have any other concerns? I'm clear now.
7 SPEAKER 59: Okay. Any other business? So, let me
8 introduce... Captain Haiti is in the house.
9 SPEAKER 63: All right. So, I think we known each
10 other, we crossed path in Little Haiti. And then may I
11 introduce you officially the Little Haiti quorum. By me
12 entering into this board meeting I've just welcomed the world
13 into Little Haiti-
14 SPEAKER 59: Speak into the mic.
15 SPEAKER 63: So, as I was saying, me entering with the
16 Little Haiti [Quain 07:24:34] in this board's meeting, I've
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Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 just introduced the world and into Little Haiti's affair. So,
2 if you give me a few seconds, I'll set up now, I'll show you
3 what I mean by that.
4 SPEAKER 59: How long is your presentation by the way.
5 SPEAKER 63: Five, seven [tap 07:24:53].
6 SPEAKER 59: So, you'll tell me when you have it on
7 your monitor. Give it a few seconds.
8 SPEAKER 63: Perfect. All right. So, members of the
9 board, first of all, I want to congratulate you for your
10 dedication. I know you're all very busy in your personal life
11 and also businesses, your implication in the community. I
12 commend it. And my goal now is to contribute to your
13 contribution. As you know me as Captain Haiti, what I'm doing
14 is being an innovator and a visionaire and to what is most
15 important to us, Haiti. So, if what is important to the
16 Haitian society is Haiti why not start with Little Haiti? So,
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1 let me show you how we can do it. Are you accustomed to
2 bitcoin crypto? Everybody's accustomed to bitcoin here,
3 crypto?
4 SPEAKER 59: Yes.
5 SPEAKER 63: Perfect. So, let's proceed. So, I've
6 created Little Haiti coin. Why have I created a Little Haiti
7 coin? Is to find people that are worthy of holding Captain
8 Haiti's shield. No, it's not a typo. In the crypto world when
9 you hold on for dear life on a crypto, that's because you
10 believe in a project and you know it's going to prosper. So,
11 our goal is to showcase the crypto power of Cardano. Actually,
12 I'll talk to you later about Cardano. As you can see here,
13 Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano that represents 43
14 billion market cap have tweeted Captain Haiti when he came
15 here in the city hall to introduce the Little Haiti coin
16 project to his sphere. Now, as you can see, I'm going to show
17 you exactly what Little Haiti coin have already done in Little
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Haiti, with a very short video that's barely a minute. Just
a second. Bear with me.
3 Video: [inaudible 07:27:23] they only get by
4 investing in Little Haiti, to increase [crosstalk 07:27:23].
5 Little Haiti coin is a socioeconomic coin that you can only
6 get by investing in Little Haiti to increase the quality of
7 life of all the residents of the area.
8 Video: We want to now integrate collaboration with
9 solid waste department, So, that we can now go around and
10 clean up some dumps, beautify the neighborhood.
11 Video: So, investing in Little Haiti to clean up one
12 square foot of Little Haiti. That way you receive one Little
13 Haiti coin in return.
14 Video: So, at this stage in technology, first thing
15 we want to do is heighten awareness of what citizenship do to
16 be a part of beautifying their own community. So, in
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1 conjunction with Little Haiti and Captain Haiti [inaudible
2 07:28:12] So, that the citizens know exactly what they should
3 be doing and how we can keep Little Haiti clean.
4 Video: Invest in Little Haiti, and get your reward
5 for it.
6 SPEAKER 63: All right. So, what I do, I mean by gets
7 your reward for it. Investing in Little Haiti. One of the
8 biggest challenge that I have with Little Haiti is to get
9 other Haitian descent to come and invest in Little Haiti.
10 They don't see what we see. They don't see what other cultures
11 see in Little Haiti. The potential of economic development.
12 So, the best way to do it is to create a coin and distribute
13 that coin. So, by receiving a reward, what we mean is receive
14 one Little Haiti coin for every square foot that you help
15 clean up in Little Haiti. So, I'm going to break it down for
16 you. Very simple. You sponsor one square foot. You receive
17 one coin in reward. And then with the coin in reward, you get
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1 to come in Little Haiti and discover Haitian food, Haitian
2 dance, Haitian music at Chef Creole, at Mary's, at Cuisine
3 Lakai, at the market place, at Monsieur Louie.
4 SPEAKER 63: So, what we have here, I'll give you an
5 example. We have already products that are accepting Little
6 Haiti coin as a crypto asset in exchange for their goods. So,
7 we have Valmas Cremas, well respected brand in the Haitian
8 culture. We have Zacos from Bon Gout BBQ that have been
9 featured in Times Magazine and all around the country,
10 represented the culture very well. We have Haven Natural, the
11 first brand to be on the shelf of Whole Food. We have Mepal
12 Hot Sauce that have won international contest, representing
13 the culture. All these brands have decided to participate to
14 this pilot with Little Haiti coin. So, what is my goal as
15 Captain Haiti? It's pretty simple. Is to get people as Charles
16 Hoskinson, as Vitalik, the founder of Ethereum, $163 billion
17 of market cap.
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1 SPEAKER 63: Is to get Michael Sarasti, the CIO of
2 City of Miami, and also the mayor of Coral Gable, to all wear
3 proudly the shield of Little Haiti that represents us entering
4 into a new era... doing is being an innovator and a visionary
5 and to what is most important to us, Haiti. So, if what is
6 important to the Haitian society is Haiti why not start with
7 Little Haiti? So, let me show you how we can do it. Are you
8 accustomed to bitcoin crypto? Everybody's accustomed bitcoin
9 here, crypto?
10 SPEAKER 59: Yes.
11 SPEAKER 63: Perfect. So, let's proceed. So, I've
12 created Little Haiti coin. Why have I created a Little Haiti
13 coin? Is to find people that are worthy of holding Captain
14 Haiti's shield. No, it's not a typo. In the crypto world when
15 you hold on for dear life on a crypto, that's because you
16 believe in a project and you know it's going to prosper. So,
17 our goal is to showcase the crypto power of Cardano. Actually,
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1 I'll talk to you later about Cardano. As you can see here,
2 Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, that represents 43
3 billion market cap, have tweeted Captain Haiti when he came
4 here in the city hall to introduce the Little Haiti coin
5 project to his sphere. Now, as you can see, I'm going to show
6 you exactly what Little Haiti coin have already done in Little
7 Haiti, with a very short video that's barely a minute. Just
8 a second. Bare with me.
9 Video: [inaudible 07:27:21] coin that you can only
10 get by investing in Little Haiti, to increase [crosstalk
11 07:27:28].
12 Video: Little Haiti coin is a socioeconomic coin that
13 you can only get by investing in Little Haiti to increase the
14 quality of life of all the residents of the area.
15 Video: We want to now integrate collaboration with
16 solid waste department, So, that we can now go around and
17 clean up some dumps, beautify the neighborhood.
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1 Video: So, investing in Little Haiti to clean up. One
2 square foot of Little Haiti, that way you receive one Little
3 Haiti coin in return.
4 Video: So, at this stage in technology, first thing
5 we want to do is heighten awareness of what citizenship do to
6 be a part of beautifying their own community. So, in
7 conjunction with Little Haiti and Captain Haiti [inaudible
8 07:28:12] So, that the citizens know exactly what they should
9 be doing and how we can keep Little Haiti clean.
10 Video: Invest in Little Haiti, and get your reward
11 for it.
12 SPEAKER 63: All right. So, what I do, I mean by gets
13 your reward for it. Investing in Little Haiti. One of the
14 biggest challenge that I have with Little Haiti is to get
15 other Haitian descent to come and invest in Little Haiti.
16 They don't see what we see. They don't see what other cultures
17 see in Little Haiti. The potential of economic development.
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Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 So, the best way to do it is to create a coin and distribute
2 that coin. So, by receiving a reward, what we mean is receive
3 one Little Haiti coin for every square foot that you help
4 clean up in Little Haiti. So, I'm going to break it down for
5 you. Very simple. You sponsor one square foot. You receive
6 one coin in reward. And then with the coin in reward, you get
7 to come in Little Haiti and discover Haitian food, Haitian
8 dance, Haitian music at Chef Creole, at Mary's, at Cuisine
9 Lakai, at the marketplace, at Monsieur Louie.
10 SPEAKER 63: So, what we have here, I'll give you an
11 example. We have already products that are accepting Little
12 Haiti coin as a crypto asset in exchange for their goods. So,
13 we have Valmas Cremas, well respected brand in the Haitian
14 culture. We have Zacos from Bon Gout BBQ that have been
15 featured in Times Magazine and all around the country,
16 represented the culture very well. We have Haven Natural, the
17 first brand to be on the shelf of Whole Food. We have Mepal
18 Hot Sauce that have won...
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1 PART 13 OF 14 ENDS [07:35:04]
2 CAPTAIN HAITI: We have Mepal Hot Sauce that have won
3 international contest, representing the culture. All these
4 brands have decided to participate to this pilot with Little
5 Haiti Coin. So, what is my goal as Captain Haiti? It's pretty
6 simple. Is to get people as Charles Hoskinson, as Vitalik,
7 the founder of Ethereum, $163 billions of market cap. Is to
8 get Michael Serasti, the CIO of City of Miami, and also the
9 mayor of Coral Gables to all wear proudly the shield of Little
10 Haiti that represent us entering into a new era of DiFi. So,
11 very simple. I'm going to show you a pilot that I'm inviting
12 you to consider participate with us. And this pilot is simply
13 to learn how crypto could very officially, change the life
14 and have an impact in Little Haiti. So, we're going to use
15 the power of crypto to keep Little Haiti red and blue by
16 trading littering for goods.
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1 CAPTAIN HAITI: Little Haiti is unbanked. We all know it.
2 There's no branch bank in Little Haiti. So, our solution is
3 to install a Little Haiti Coin ATM in Little Haiti. Now,
4 Little Haiti as well, have a living problem. It's not clean.
5 It's underserved when it comes to cleaning of the street.
6 Well, what are we going to do? What we've done in the past.
7 Partnering up with La Fleur Cleaning & Removal Services,
8 partnering up with Solid Waste Department that have been
9 collaborating with us for the past three months to remove the
10 trash in Little Haiti, and operating a cleanup. Now we go
11 back to our main principle, every square foot cleaned up in
12 Little Haiti equals to one Little Haiti Coin. So, how do we
13 do that? The way we did it in the past is to organize a
14 caravan party. We had a route where everybody was invited to
15 party and to enjoy, celebrate the Haitian Flag Day. The most
16 important day in the Haitian culture.
17
CAPTAIN HAITI: So, what did we do? We cleaned up 100,000
18 square feet of Little Haiti from May 15. So, as you can see,
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1 we did it in partnership with the commissioner, Jeffrey
2 Watson, Briscon, La Fleur and Solid Waste Department. As you
3 can see by the picture, I'm pretty sure you can recognize the
4 marketplace. You can recognize [inaudible 07:37:39], next
5 door to Monsieur Louise etc. Little Haiti Coin have had an
6 impact in the quality of life of Little Haiti. As the
7 residents, we also had a lot of fun with the mommies and the
8 pappies. Now on May 15, this is what we've done. We gathered
9 everybody, families. We had the major, we had the commander,
10 commissioner, everybody coming to Little Haiti and enjoy the
11 fruit of our work, which was a cleaner Little Haiti to
12 celebrate Haitian Flag Day. The commissioner had the
13 opportunity to meet with the resident of Little Haiti and
14 also the people that are enjoying the [inaudible 07:38:21]
15 Park that we've been cleaning up as well.
16 CAPTAIN HAITI: So, what have happened since then? On
17 June 2nd, I met with Charles. We call him Charles within the
18 crypto community, because he's the founder of Cardano and we
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1 believe in him. We believe in him and his vision that he has
2 and his mission statement of Cardano, which is, making the
3 world work better for all. So, if I can read it real fast,
4 the description. Cardano is a blockchain platform for change
5 makers, innovators, and visionaries, with the tools and
6 technologies required to create possibility for the many as
7 well as the few, and bring about positive global change. We're
8 talking about $43.1 billion of market cap available right now
9 to change the world. Why not start it in Little Haiti, the
10 same way that the world has changed in the past in 1804 with
11 Haiti. What I'm inviting this board to do is to reconnect
12 with our tradition to changing the world, starting right here.
13 CAPTAIN HAITI: So, how are we going to do it? It's very
14 simple. To receive the Haiti Coin, every square foot that you
15 help clean up in Little Haiti. That's our message to the
16 world. We're giving you something back. You sponsor, you get
17 rewarded and you get to come and shop in Little Haiti. So,
18 our goal is to emit 300,000 token, add up to 1 million Little
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1 Haiti Coin that exists. There won't be more Little Haiti Coin.
2 There's only 1 million that had been mentored on the Cardano
3 network. And we attached the value of $3 per square foot. So,
4 our goal, right now, is to raise $300,000 to clean up Little
5 Haiti. $300,000, that's going to go to the Little Haiti Trust
6 and also $300,000 that will help for the ICO. I'll spare you
7 the details of what is an ICO. Is to better propose, to better
8 push the crypto into the well and increase its value.
9 CAPTAIN HAITI: Now the sponsors. What are the sponsors?
10 They are credited to their... They receive a Little Haiti
11 Coin to their Cardano wallet. The shops trade their Little
12 Haiti Coin by participating to local businesses for their
13 food and good. And then these shops owners, these vendors,
14 Monsieur Louise and everybody... Era of DiFi. So, very simple.
15 I'm going to show you a pilot that I'm inviting you to
16 consider participate with us. And this pilot is simply to
17 learn how crypto could very officially, change the life and
18 have an impact in Little Haiti. So, we're going to use the
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power of crypto to keep Little Haiti red and blue by trading
littering for goods.
3 CAPTAIN HAITI: Little Haiti is unbanked. We all know it.
4 There's no branch bank in Little Haiti. So, our solution is
5 to install a Little Haiti Coin ATM in Little Haiti. Now,
6 Little Haiti as well, have a living problem. It's not clean.
7 It's underserved when it comes to cleaning of the street.
8 Well, what are we going to do? What we've done in the past.
9 Partnering up with La Fleur Cleaning & Removal Services,
10 partnering up with Solid Waste Department that have been
11 collaborating with us for the past three months to remove the
12 trash in Little Haiti, and operating a cleanup. Now we go
13 back to our main principle, every square foot cleaned up in
14 Little Haiti equals to one Little Haiti Coin. So, how do we
15 do that? The way we did it in the past is to organize a
16 caravan party. We had a route where everybody was invited to
17 party and to enjoy, celebrate the Haitian Flag Day. The most
18 important day in the Haitian culture.
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1 CAPTAIN HAITI: What did we do? We cleaned up 100,000
2 square feet of Little Haiti from May 15. So, as you can see,
3 we did it in partnership with the commissioner, Jeffrey
4 Watson, Briscon, La Fleur and Solid Waste Department. As you
5 can see by the picture, I'm pretty sure you can recognize the
6 marketplace. You can recognize [inaudible 07:42:40], next
7 door to Monsieur Louise etc. Little Haiti Coin have had an
8 impact in the quality of life of Little Haiti. As the
9 residents, we also had a lot of fun with the mommies and the
10 pappies. Now on May 15, this is what we've done. We gathered
11 everybody, families. We had the major, we had the commander,
12 commissioner, everybody coming to Little Haiti and enjoy the
13 fruit of our work, which was a cleaner Little Haiti to
14 celebrate Haitian Flag Day. The commissioner had the
15 opportunity to meet with the resident of Little Haiti and
16 also the people that are enjoying the [inaudible 07:43:21]
17 Park that we've been cleaning up as well.
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1 CAPTAIN HAITI: So, what have happened since then? On
2 June 2nd, I met with Charles. We call him Charles within the
3 crypto community, because he's the founder of Cardano and we
4 believe in him. We believe in him and his vision that he has
5 and his mission statement of Cardano, which is, making the
6 world work better for all. So, if I can read it real fast,
7 the description. Cardano is a blockchain platform for change
8 makers, innovators, and visionaries, with the tools and
9 technologies required to create possibility for the many as
10 well as the few, and bring about positive global change.
11 CAPTAIN HAITI: We're talking about $43.1 billion of
12 market cap available right now to change the world. Why not
13 start it in Little Haiti, the same way that the world has
14 changed in the past in 1804 with Haiti. What I'm inviting
15 this board to do is to reconnect with our tradition to
16 changing the world, starting right here.
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1 CAPTAIN HAITI: So, how are we going to do it? It's very
2 simple. To receive the Haiti Coin, every square foot that you
3 help clean up in Little Haiti. That's our message to the
4 world. We're giving you something back. You sponsor, you get
5 rewarded and you get to come and shop in Little Haiti. So,
6 our goal is to emit 300,000 token, add up to 1 million Little
7 Haiti Coin that exists. There won't be more Little Haiti Coin.
8 There's only 1 million that had been mentored on the Cardano
9 network. And we attached the value of $3 per square foot. So,
10 our goal, right now, is to raise $300,000 to clean up Little
11 Haiti. $300,000, that's going to go to the Little Haiti Trust
12 and also $300,000 that will help for the ICO. I'll spare you
13 the details of what is an ICO. Is to better propose, to better
14 push the crypto into the well and increase its value.
15 CAPTAIN HAITI: Now, the sponsors. What are the sponsors?
16 They are credited to their... They receive a Little Haiti
17 Coin to their Cardano wallet. The shops trade their Little
18 Haiti Coin by participating to local businesses for their
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1 food and good. And then these shops owners, these vendors,
2 Monsieur Louise and everybody. They go to the ATM machine to
3 exchange their crypto assets for dollar. One Little Haiti
4 Coin, $1. One square foot, $1. It's that simple. Now, I've
5 already told you about the partners we already have. Now,
6 what is it that we want to contribute to the board, to the
7 Little Haiti Revitalization Trust? Is to give 50,000 Little
8 Haiti Coin to be distributed to the resident of Little Haiti.
9 10 years ago, if I had given each one of you one bitcoin,
10 today you will have $30,000 at least in your pocket right
11 now.
12 CAPTAIN HAITI: My bet is that by working with you, we're
13 going to increase the value of the digital asset, that is a
14 Little Haiti Coin, So, the resident of Little Haiti have a
15 wealth increased just by holding the coin. So, that's why I
16 trust you by giving you a 50,000 Little Haiti Coin that have
17 to be distributed to the resident of the area. And also donate
18 300,000 US to be distributed to local vendors in Little Haiti.
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1 So, how it's going to be distributed? How it works to the
2 vendors? $300,000 donated one per coin issue to the trust,
3 the ATM that we want to place in Little Haiti. We also have
4 a restaurant that is interested to host the ATM and also the
5 Little Haiti Coin for businesses can trade at the ATM.
6 SPEAKER 64: Captain, one second. Sorry to interrupt
7 you.
8 CAPTAIN HAITI: Yes.
9 SPEAKER 64: How much more longer are you going to
10 need? Because, we have to wrap this up.
11 CAPTAIN HAITI: I'm about to finish it up.
12
SPEAKER 64: All right.
13 CAPTAIN HAITI: But, before I finish up, what is it that
14 what I said previously, that have caught your interest?
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1 SPEAKER 64: Everything you said kept my interest,
2 because we're going into that era of the coins. So, it's just
3 a matter of being educated about the coins in order for it to
4 be beneficial to everyone.
5 CAPTAIN HAITI: To answer the education part, as you're
6 talking about, and then I'll wrap it up. Most of us don't
7 know the technology behind an email, but we use it every day.
8 And that's the mistake that most of us do. We try to
9 understand the technology of the coin and how it works, et
10 cetera. Just use the coin by coming to Little Haiti, enjoy
11 some Haitian food, enjoy the culture, enjoy the music. And
12 then after that, you'll see that the value of the coin is in
13 enjoyment of the Haitian culture. So, who wins? Everybody
14 wins. The residents of Little Haiti win. The local vendor
15 win. The property owner win, because it's cleaner and the
16 Little Haiti cultural destination for crypto enthusiasts. I
17 have to tell you that crypto people, the Cardano community,
18 they are waiting for you to say, yes, we will like to
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1 participate to this pilot with Little Haiti Coin. So, we will
2 have a Cardano ATM, in Little Haiti, and invite the world to
3 help clean up Little Haiti and support our vendors, and plan
4 to come to Haiti and discover the tastes of your beautiful,
5 tasty food.
6 CAPTAIN HAITI: Now, when I'm talking about the world, I
7 already have high influentials, a total of at least of 5
8 million people that are following them, that have already
9 hold the shield and already promoting Little Haiti. The only
10 key missing is you. So, now, we even have Mike Sarasti,
11 posting our initiative, Mike Sarasti is the CIO / Director of
12 Innovation and Technology of City of Miami. And to put it in
13 context, was casually chatting about the possibility of
14 identifying as the City of Miami city coin and with Charles
15 and Captain Haiti shows up with a Little Haiti Coin and a
16 freaking shield brought to you by the [Alison Momen 07:49:50]
17 and crypto.
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1 CAPTAIN HAITI: What I'm telling you right now, what he's
2 telling you right now is that you're ahead. Captain Haiti and
3 Little Haiti Coin is positioning Little Haiti ahead of
4 anything happening with crypto right now in Miami. Now my
5 suggestion to you to take advantage of this is to create a
6 committee that the only focus is to how to integrate this
7 program, how to bring this pilot to life. So, if you guys may
8 put a motion to establish a crypto committee, that I will be
9 delighted to work with even as a consultant. So, you guys
10 don't miss this huge opportunity that all the Cardano sphere
11 $43.1 billion in market cap. They go to the ATM machine to
12 exchange their crypto assets for dollar. One Little Haiti
13 Coin, $1. One square foot, $1. It's that simple.
14 CAPTAIN HAITI: Now, I've already told you about the
15 partners we already have. Now, what is it that we want to
16 contribute to the board, to the Little Haiti Revitalization
17 Trust? Is to give 50,000 Little Haiti Coin to be distributed
18 to the resident of Little Haiti. 10 years ago, if I had given
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1 each one of you one bitcoin, today you will have $30,000 at
2 least in your pocket right now. My bet is that by working
3 with you, we're going to increase the value of the digital
4 asset, that is Little Haiti Coin, So, the resident of Little
5 Haiti have a wealth increased just by holding the coin. So,
6 that's why I trust you by giving you a 50,000 Little Haiti
7 Coin that have to be distributed to the resident of the area.
8 And also donate 300,000 US to be distributed to local vendors
9 in Little Haiti.
10 CAPTAIN HAITI: So, how it's going to be distributed? How
11 it works to the vendors? $300,000 donated one per coin issue
12 to the trust, the ATM that we want to place in Little Haiti,
13 we also have a restaurant that is interested to host the ATM,
14 and also the Little Haiti Coin for businesses can trade at
15 the ATM.
16 SPEAKER 64: Captain, one second. Sorry to interrupt
17 you.
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'/ Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 CAPTAIN HAITI: Yes.
2 SPEAKER 64: How much more longer are you going to
3 need? Because, we have to wrap this up.
4 CAPTAIN HAITI: I'm about to finish it up.
5
6
7
SPEAKER 64: All right.
CAPTAIN HAITI: But, before I finish up, what is it that
what I said previously, that have caught your interest?
8 SPEAKER 64: Everything you said kept my interest,
9 because we're going into that era of the coins. So, it's just
10 a matter of being educated about the coins in order for it to
11 be beneficial to everyone.
12 CAPTAIN HAITI: To answer the education part, as you're
13 talking about, and then I'll wrap it up. Most of us don't
14 know the technology behind an email, but we use it every day.
15 And that's the mistake that most of us do. We try to
16 understand the technology of the coin and how it works, et
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Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 cetera. Just use the coin by coming to Little Haiti, enjoy
2 some Haitian food, enjoy the culture, enjoy the music. And
3 then after that, you'll see that the value of the coin is in
4 enjoyment of the Haitian culture. So, who wins? Everybody
5 wins. The residents of Little Haiti win. The local vendor
6 win. The property owner win, because it's cleaner, and the
7 Little Haiti cultural destination for crypto enthusiasts. I
8 have to tell you that crypto people, the Cardano community,
9 they are waiting for you to say, yes, we will like to
10 participate to this pilot with Little Haiti Coin. So, we will
11 have a Cardano ATM, in Little Haiti, and invite the world to
12 help clean up Little Haiti and support our vendors, and plan
13 to come to Haiti and discover the tastes of your beautiful,
14 tasty food.
15 CAPTAIN HAITI: Now, when I'm talking about the world, I
16 already have high influentials, a total of at least of 5
17 million people that are following them, that have already
18 hold the shield and already promoting Little Haiti. The only
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Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 key missing is you. So, now, we even have Mike Sarasti,
2 posting our initiative, Mike Sarasti is the CIO / Director of
3 Innovation and Technology of City of Miami. And to put it in
4 context, was casually chatting about the possibility of
5 identify as the City of Miami City coin and with Charles and
6 Captain Haiti shows up with a Little Haiti Coin and a freaking
7 shield brought to you by the [Alison Momen 07:49:49] and
8 crypto.
9 CAPTAIN HAITI: What I'm telling you right now, what he's
10 telling you right now is that you're ahead. Captain Haiti and
11 Little Haiti Coin is positioning Little Haiti ahead of
12 anything happening with crypto right now in Miami. Now my
13 suggestion to you to take advantage of this, is to create a
14 committee that the only focus is to how integrate this
15 program, how to bring this pilot to life. So, if you guys may
16 put a motion to establish a crypto committee, that I will be
17 delighted to work with even as a consultant. So, you guys
18 don't miss this huge opportunity that all the Cardano sphere
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Translations I Interpretations I Transcriptions
1 $43.1 billion in market cap are ready to inject in Little
2 Haiti. If we just a get fraction of it, we will push back
3 gentrification. We will keep Little Haiti red and blue. We
4 will invite other Haitians to come and establish themselves
5 in Little Haiti. We will increase the value of the Little
6 Haiti Coin, and then the next destination will be Haiti. Thank
7 you for your time.
8 SPEAKER 64: Thank you, Captain Haiti. Okay. Any
9 further business? Safe to say meeting is adjourn.
10 SPEAKER 65: You need a motion to adjourn-
11 SPEAKER 64: Motion to adjourn meeting.
12 SPEAKER 66: Second.
13 SPEAKER 67: Okay.
14 SPEAKER 68: Any oppose?
15 SPEAKER 64: Anybody opposes?
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1 SPEAKER 69: No. Thank you.
2 SPEAKER 67: I oppose. Just kidding.
3 SPEAKER 64: Thank you So, much, guys. Thank you So,
4 much. It's been a long day.
5
6
CAPTAIN HAITI: Can I have a picture of all the board
with the shield?
7 PART 14 OF 14 ENDS [07:57:02]
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Little Haiti Trust
July 1st, 2021 to September 30th, 2021 Budget
Revenue
Revenues
Annual
3-month Budget
Special Revenue
$ 180,000.00
$ 56,000.00
Other $ -
Total
$ 180,000.00
$ 56,000.00
Expenditures
Capital
Furniture (Desks, Chairs etc)
Office Equipment (Computers, phones, copiers printerA
Miscellaneous
$ 4,000.00
$ 6,000.00
$ 1,000.00
$ 11,000.00
Total
Salaries and Fringes
Regular Salary and Wages
$ 129,000.00
$ 32,250.00
Fringe Benefits
$ -
$ -
FICA Taxes - 7 . 65 0
$ 9,868.50
$ 2,467.13
Retirement Contributions - 8.00%
$ 10,320.00
$ 2,580.00
Life and Health Insurance - 6.50%
$ 8,385.00
$ 2,096.25
Workers' Compensation - 1.09%
$ 1,406.10
$ 351.53
Total
$ 158,979.60
$ 39,744.90
Operating Expenses
Professional Services - Legal
Professional Services
$ 8,500.00
$ 2,125.00
Accounting and Auditing
$ 4,000.00
$ 1,000.00
Other Contractual Services
$ 1,500.00
$ 375.00
Travel and Per Diem
$ 1,500.00
$ 375.00
Communications and Related Services
$ -
$ -
Postage
$ 125.00
$ 31.25
Utility
$ -
$ -
Rentals and Leases
$ 850.00
$ 212.50
Repair and Maintenance Services
$ -
$ -
Printing and Binding
$ 250.00
$ 62.50
Advertising and Related Costs
$ 500.00
$ 125.00
Other Current Charges and Obli
$ 250.00
$ 62.50
Office Supplies
$ 500.00
$ 125.00
Insurance - General Liability
$ 2,100.00
$ 525.00
Operating Supplies
$ 500.00
$ 125.00
Clothing Uniform
$ -
Motor Fuel
$ -
$ -
Public Safety Supplies
$ -
$ -
Subscriptions, Memberships, and Licenses
$ 150.00
$ 37.50
Interfund Transfer
$ -
$ -
Capital Projects and Purchases
$
All Other Expenditures
$ 295.40
$ 73.85
Budget Reserve
$ -
Total Operating
$ 21,020.40
$ 5,255.10
Expenditure Grant Total $ 180,000.00
$56,000.00
Revenues Grand Total
$ 180,000.00
$ 56,000.00
Expenditures Grand Total
$ 180,000.00
$ 56,000.00
Revenues Minus Expenditures
$ -
SUBSTITUTED.
Approve 3 Month Budget - Little Haiti Revitalization rust
File N . 9310
Composite Exhibit "A"
Little Haiti Revitalization Trust Resolutio Adopting Budget
Little Haiti Revitalization T st Budget
(To be distri. ted)
SUBSTITUTED.
Little Haiti Trust
July 1st, 2021 to September 30th, 2021 Budget
Revenue
Revenues
Annual
-month Budget
$ 56,000.00
Special Revenue
$ 180,000.00
Other $
Total
$ 180,00 .00
$ 56,000.00
Expenditures
Capital
Furniture (Desks, Chairs etc)
Office Equipment (Computers, phones, copiers printerA
Miscellaneous
$ 4,000.00
$ 6,000.00
$ 1,000.00
Total
$ 11,000.00
Salaries and Fringes
Regular Salary and Wages
$ 129,000.00
$ 32,250.00
Fringe Benefits
$ -
$ -
FICA Taxes - 7 . 65 0
$ 9,868.50
$ 2,467.13
Retirement Contributions - 8.00%
$ 10,320.00
$ 2,580.00
Life and Health Insurance - 6.50%
$ 8,385.00
$ 2,096.25
Workers' Compensation - 1.09%
$ 1,406.10
$ 351.53
Total
$ 158,979.60
$ 39,744.90
N. Operating Expenses
Professional Services - Legal
Professional Services
$ 8,500.00
$ 2,125.00
Accounting and Auditing
$ 4,000.00
$ 1,000.00
Other Contractual Services
$ 1,500.00
$ 375.00
Travel and Per Diem
$ 1,500.00
$ 375.00
Communications and Relat-d Services
$ -
$ -
Postage
$ 125.00
$ 31.25
Utility
$ -
$ -
Rentals and Leases
$ 850.00
$ 212.50
Repair and Maint- ance Services
$ -
$ -
Printing and Bi ding
$ 250.00
$ 62.50
Advertising a..d Related Costs
$ 500.00
$ 125.00
Other Curre Charges and Obli
$ 250.00
$ 62.50
Office Su..lies
$ 500.00
$ 125.00
Insuranc- - General Liability
$ 2,100.00
$ 525.00
Operating Supplies
$ 500.00
$ 125.00
Clot ng Uniform
$ -
Mo .r Fuel
$ -
$ -
P..lic Safety Supplies
$ -
$ -
Subscriptions, Memberships, and Licenses
$ 150.00
$ 37.50
Interfund Transfer
$ -
$ -
Capital Projects and Purchases
$
All Other Expenditures
$ 295.40
$ 73.85
Budget Reserve
$ -
Total Operating
$ 21,020.40
$ 5,255.10
Expenditure Grant Total $ 180,000.00
$56,000.00
Revenues Grand Total
$ 180,000.00
$ 56,000.00
Expenditures Grand Total
$ 180,000.00
$ 56,000.00
Revenues Minus Expenditures
$ -