Resident urges council to respect public speakers and offers vendor-permit study; another speaker praises Chobani jobs

During the public-comment period of the April 23 Rome Common Council meeting, two residents addressed the council on different topics.

Serena Ruiz of Turn Road said she had returned to comment on two issues and criticized what she called a decline of decorum in the chamber. "I'm not talking about the way the proceedings go where you can't respond to them. I'm talking about the way that the issue is addressed," Ruiz said, adding that members of the public are sometimes treated in a way that deters others from speaking.

Ruiz said she had previously presented a free study about the city's vendor-permit structure and that the laws-and-rules committee had requested to hear her thoughts. She said she had offered additional consultation for a fee and would be willing to provide further advice for $99. "I consider myself an expert in the vendor business and a well seasoned entrepreneur," Ruiz said. She urged councilors and staff to apply respect when addressing constituents and noted she did not receive follow-up after offering her input.

Dennis Perfetti of West Thomas Street spoke afterward and praised what he called recent wins under the Lanigan administration, including the announced Chobani plant and the jobs it is expected to bring. "A thousand new jobs, and they're complaining," Perfetti said, urging residents who oppose the project to reconsider and praising the economic activity contractors and tradespeople will bring to the city.

The public-comment period closed after Perfetti's remarks; no formal council action resulted directly from either comment during the meeting.