So how are we supposed to support something that we can't review?
Between that PowerPoint and the Consolidated Plan, we offer our proposed reorganization plan.
There are certain details, Councilwoman, there are certain details that still need to be worked out. Ms. Pankey talked very articulately about the fact that we need to meet and agree 98 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 upon any changes in job specs.
So then how are we supposed to consider this stuff?
Let me finish my thought. My point was that the meet and agree is not in that document either. Relative to VPRC, in the PowerPoint that was given to City Council people back in February, we talked about VPRC and its role in conveying properties out of Public Property and out of PHDC to CDCs --
So I'm supposed to memorize the February PowerPoint?
No. I'm not saying you need to memorize it. We'll be more than happy to go back over that with you, but what I am saying is that it would be a misrepresentation to say that we've never talked to you or your colleagues about that subject, because in fact we have.
-- from February to now, do you know how many -- I mean, even reviewing all of these documents, come on now, let's be fair.
I'm sure you've been inundated with information. Not just having to do with housing, but all of the other issues that go on with a city of one and a half million people. I 100 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 don't doubt that a lot of information is passed over your desk, and what I am offering to do is, again, to sit down with you and your colleagues to talk to you about what we're proposing for VPRC and the conveyance of properties.
Mr. Hanna, what we want is for you to respond to the information the union has requested, the information that we've requested even regarding pension benefits between all the departments and all other benefits. We've written you a letter in the past. We want that. We'll take it further. If we don't get it from you, we'll go further in our City to request it. And we're also asking that -- I don't want personally and privately another briefing on that role. I want you to produce documents so that we can make them available to this Committee, to the Finance Committee and to my colleagues with regard to that. 101 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 We tried to review these documents you've given us. We tried to review it so that we could be ready for this hearing. And so I knew if I had received that -- we've tried to be prepared, and so we were pretty sure that that wasn't in it. I would remember it, because I try to do my homework. We're serious about serving these people who work here and serving our residents who elect us to do development.
And it is very unfair and disingenuous for you to tell us that you're changing things and we're just supposed to go along. We can't do that, Mr. Hanna. It's unfair for anybody in this Administration to assume that we have all these documents, all of these new documents to review -- and we've tried to do that. We've tried to be ready for this hearing today, and you still say information is considered that's not herein defined. That's not 102 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 fair, Mr. Hanna. That's not fair and that's dishonest to do that. What we're asking is that before we meet again -- we're going to ask my colleagues not to vote for this stuff now. This is the Administration's deadline as well. I have Councilwoman Juan Ramos here, who is on this Committee. We thank him for coming. (Applause.)
And we have a deadline. Tuesday, May 16th is the election. That Thursday we don't have Council. So you all have got these deadlines as well. We want the projects in our district supported, but we can't work in a vacuum with misinformation, with missing information and without a full disclosure of how people in the City who have to work in the City to work for these departments, how they're affected. You can't expect that, Mr. Hanna. We are again requesting that 103 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 you respond to those requests for the union. We're asking you to respond in a clear, concise manner the information we've asked you for with regard to who works where and how they're affected, how their pension and medical expenses are affected. And we're going to ask that this happen and that the union tell us that they have had these meetings before we meet again. And unless there is someone else who would like to testify or other concerns, we're recessing this hearing. Councilman Ramos.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Please excuse me for not being here earlier. I had a Gas Commission meeting and a subsequent meeting after that. So please accept my apologies. A different angle, but yet supportive of the Chairwoman of this Committee. I think that tomorrow is going to be a very, very crucial day for 104 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 you, Mr. Hanna, and our housing agencies in your meeting with the Mayor, and I sure hope and I pray that all of the things that have been expressed here by City employees, their representative union, that these are seriously discussed and that there is a way that we can on both sides give a little on each side so that we have a union who has represented their employees very well. Ms. Pankey to come into the leadership role during this time says a lot about her. (Applause.)
Mr. Hanna, for you to also withstand the scrutiny that you've been under, a couple sessions that I have not been able to be here I've been briefed or I've been talked to by the Chair of this Committee, and I know that you've been put under a tremendous amount of scrutiny as well, and you've held up. At the end of the day, we're all going to have to work together. So both sides are going to have to give in. 105 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 Something needs to happen at this meeting tomorrow to get us over this impasse, because at the end of the day, we'll be voting on that budget, and this is within the context of the budget. The last thing we want to do -- and I don't intend to speak for all my colleagues, but I know that we don't want to be here all summer long because we can't approve a budget because you can't reach an agreement with our housing departments and their representatives, the union in this case of the employees in those respective divisions of our housing component of government. So I sure hope that this meeting tomorrow starts to break an impasse, and I will suggest that you meet with the representatives of you, the employees, through Local 1971, subsequently to your meeting tomorrow so we can have good news, so that this next meeting will be a meeting announcing that we have reached an agreement here where 106 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 we will look out for the workers that have worked so hard, that this consolidation does not leave our people out of work and that we do make the -- because there are certain realities here. The federal government does not want to fund our cities, and that's a reality we have to deal with. It's happening across the board all over this country. It's unfortunate that we can put in billions and billions of dollars to fight a war that we don't know where is going, yet we can't find money for housing in this country. There's something wrong with that. But those are the realities nevertheless. Those are the realities. So I would just want to reemphasize how important I think this meeting is tomorrow, and I sure hope something happens, because if not, this will be a contentious point for us on whether we're going to approve a budget or not. Thank you, Madam Chair. 107 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871
Certainly the late Lucien Blackwell used to say, Leaders have to lead, and he used to say, If I have the opportunity to lead just one day, I'm going to do that. And I always say we have a moral commitment. We believe in God. We believe in trying to do the right thing. Anybody can be -- and my saying, I've added to that, is, I'm not afraid to fail. I'm only afraid not to stand up for what's right. We're going to continue to do that. (Applause.)
Having said that, now that we've had hearings on November 5th, December 8th, February 9th, March 16th, April 18th and now May the 2nd, we've had five hearings, we will have our sixth hearing and we'll hope for all those good things that my colleague 108 5/2/06 - HOUSING - RES. 050871 referred to, but our next hearing will be on 5/22, May the 22nd, at 10:00 a.m., same place, same time, and we will hope that at that time, the unions can tell us they've received a written response to their issues, we will say that we've received a written response to ours and that we can move forward on one accord so that we can pass this budget and we can do the best we can to fight this negative Administration that seeks to destroy all the issues that we fought for. Thank you very much. This hearing is recessed then until that date and time. Thank you all for being here. (Applause.) (Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless adjourned at 12:30 p.m.) - - - 109 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on May 2, 2006, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)