My public comment to the JC Commission at their Meeting on Thursday, August 7, 2025
I wanted to start by thanking Commissioner Brock for bringing back my tax rate question from last month, and Mayor Hunter for addressing 2 of my 3 Horizon 2045 questions, and thanks to the staff for their responses.
Vice Mayor Cox: All of this is politics, in the purest sense of what it ought to be, from the Greek, “the affairs of the city.”
So, let’s be political!! So, I’m making this comment as Chair of the Washington County Democratic Party, a party that fights for reclaiming people’s power and stands with our community. We fought last year to keep 3 readings. And we won. If we hadn’t, you’d be voting on final approval tonight.
Again with three parts.
First, on the process of amending the ordinance for second reading. When we discussed bitcoin and the noise ordinance, we were assured that no changes could occur between readings. Yet, it seems there was a will, here, to find a way to make changes.
So, my first question is: What is the Commission’s process for deciding when to push for ordinance amendments between readings and when not to do that?
Second, there are a lot of mentions of safety as the end goal justifying the means. Although… How does that still hold with an extension citywide and the sheriff’s statements?
There is no discussion of other meaningful measures, particularly to address the proliferation of weapons.
From what Vice Mayor Cox said earlier, how about a real discussion on preventing people who shouldn’t have access to guns, like minors, violent people, or recidivists on no flight lists, from getting their hands on weapons? The good news is that close to 80% of people, republicans and democrats here, favor these common-sense rules.
So, my second question is whether the commission will flex its political muscle with the state again, as it has demonstrated it can, to demand ERPOs and other bipartisan measures that will protect our neighborhoods? Commissioner Fowler, as a State Executive Committee member of the Republican Party, will you work against your party’s blockage of any safety measures? I think that’d be a better use of time than the current dysfunction of my Republican colleagues’ county party.
Third, should this ordinance pass, how is the Commission planning to evaluate its effectiveness? If this doesn’t work, will you commit to returning to the current law and push other safety measures?
Johnson City residents are closely watching both your decisions and your decision-making process. This does not have to be adversarial: there are a lot of people in this room who want collaboration. Please leverage these community resources.
Thank you.
