Orange County NC Website
28 <br /> VOTE: Ayes, 6 (Chair Rich, Commissioner Greene, Commissioner Marcoplos, <br /> Commissioner Dorosin, Commissioner McKee, Commissioner Bedford) <br /> Commissioner Price is present but did not vote. <br /> John Roberts said when members of the Board are physically present for a vote, and <br /> choose to abstain, the vote is counted as a "yes". He said the rules of procedure, and the new <br /> law, are unclear as to whether a person, who is participating remotely, can abstain. He said the <br /> minutes should reflect that Commissioner Price was present, and did not vote, unless she <br /> would like to ask the Board to excuse her from voting, in which case the Board would need to <br /> vote to allow her to do so. <br /> Commissioner Price asked the Board to excuse her from voting. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner McKee to excuse Commissioner Price from <br /> voting. <br /> No Second. <br /> MOTION FAILS <br /> Commissioner Price said she will not vote. She reiterated her reason being that she <br /> finds a resolution about racial injustice, that does not include the mention of partnering with <br /> people of color, to be concerning. She said she was not sure what is the best adjective to <br /> describe her feelings. <br /> Chair Rich said the public forum should occur, and needs to happen soon. She said <br /> she has also heard from many community members that want to speak about these issues. <br /> She asked if the intent is to have this forum presented by the entire BOCC. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said one way to do this is like a public hearing, with a short <br /> presentation by the Sheriff and the HRC. He said the bulk of the time should be for the public <br /> to speak. <br /> Chair Rich said the Board can do it that way, having the BOCC take time to listen and <br /> then perhaps collaborative respond to all of the questions that are asked. <br /> Sheriff Blackwood said it is important to keep in mind that, if there are a lot of people, a <br /> facilitator may be wise to take input from the public and then have panel respond. He said he <br /> would recommend having Caitlin Fenhagen, someone from the courts, the District Attorney, <br /> faith community, etc. He said it needs to happen soon, and zoom works well for this format to <br /> allow greater numbers and more access. <br /> Commissioner Greene said the Sheriff's comments are in line with what she was <br /> thinking. She said people should be able to express freely, with the facilitator keeping the flow <br /> organized and moving. She said including representatives from the National Association for the <br /> Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) would be good as well. <br /> Commissioner McKee said in these early planning stages, the Board must make sure to <br /> involve leaders of color. He said he has not been impacted by issues of race and equity, and <br /> does not pretend to know how the conversation should go. He said people of color must be <br /> involved at every stage, and the community should be the driver. <br /> Commissioner Marcoplos said these are straightforward ideas. He said the idea of a <br /> facilitator will be helpful. He asked if this can be done quickly, and he would like to aim for 3 <br /> weeks. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said the Board/panel should not presume it will have answers, <br /> and this is a time to be open to hearing all of the ideas. <br /> Chair Rich said the Board does not need to hear from a panel, but to hear from the <br /> public voicing concerns, ideas for change, etc. <br />