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St. Clair board approves presidency appointment, honors parade winners and hears call for memorial
Summary
At its Jan. 5 meeting the St. Clair Board of Aldermen approved an appointment to the board presidency, honored holiday parade and contest winners, praised a bilingual police employee and heard a public request to dedicate a playground or memorial to parks advocate Alman Sykes.
The St. Clair Board of Aldermen on Jan. 5 approved an appointment to the board presidency after a motion and second; the meeting record alternately identifies the appointee in the transcript as "Alderman Sailing" and later as "Alderman Sing," and the audio transcript is inconsistent on the exact spelling of the name. The presiding officer announced the motion carried by roll call.
The board used the meeting to recognize community holiday events: awards were given to parade and decoration winners, including Scenic Regional Library (parade first place), Farmers & Merchants Bank (second) and First Baptist Church (third). The lights-and-decorations winners included Steve Dudley (mayor's choice), former Mayor Cozy Bailey (residential winner) and Larry's Automotive (business winner). The board thanked volunteers and partners; Aging Ahead handled judging of the coloring contest (more than 500 entries), with student winners and runners-up receiving $50 and $25 gift cards, respectively.
In departmental updates the Administrator praised police staffer Laura Ortiz, saying having a bilingual employee "has been the best thing that we've ever had" for improving communication during stops and other interactions. The Administrator also thanked Amanda for coordinating the holiday events.
During public comment, Cozy Bailey urged the board to consider dedicating a playground or a memorial to Alman Sykes, describing Sykes as a longtime parks advocate who helped secure a grant for a new playground. Bailey requested that the board and staff explore whether a dedication could be made and report back.
Procedural notes: the board announced a park-board meeting set for Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. and set its next regular meeting for Jan. 19 (noting that date falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day); the Administrator was asked to examine how the city might observe the holiday and return with options. The meeting adjourned after a motion and voice vote.
Clarifying details: the transcript inconsistently names the newly appointed board president (appearing as "Alderman Sailing" and "Alderman Sing" in different lines); to avoid misidentification the appointment is recorded here as an approved appointment to the board presidency with the appointee name left as transcribed, pending verification.
