Manassas citizens will have the chance to vote to select three out of four Democrats running for City Council in a June 23 Primary.
Polls in the city will open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
The vote will occur before they head to the general election in November. There are four candidates, including the incumbents Mark Wolfe and Vice Mayor Pamela Sebesky. Two newcomers, Helen Zurita and Tom Osina, also have thrown their hats in the ring. Only three will win and head to the November election.
Potomac Local recently reached out to all four Democrat candidates. Here are some of the answers provided to us from Tom Osina.
Why are you running for office?
An impetus for my candidacy is that those who live in low income housing, like me for the last 20 years, need to have input at the highest levels of decision making in the City. We need advocates who understand firsthand what these challenges are so that when decisions are made, especially those which impact these communities, there is someone who had experience to shape them directly.
How long have you lived in the city of Manassas?
20 years
What is the most important issue for you as you seek political office?
Growing economic prosperity throughout the City of Manassas.
What are your ideas to help the city government operate in the midst of the coronavirus?
There is no question that as the City moves into FY 21 it needs to keep a close eye on revenue and expenditures during these uncertain times. That is why I am a supporter of the Council’s decision to hold quarterly reviews of the budget in conjunction with the City Manager and staff so that appropriate adjustments may be made.
How has your campaign been affected by the coronavirus?
It has required me to find innovative ways of reaching voters to discuss issues.
Why should citizens of the City of Manassas elect you?
As a 20-year homeowner in Manassas, I appreciate strong neighborhoods & housing opportunities. As a parent, I have seen the impact that public education has on the future of our children. As small business owner, I know the value of jobs & a sound transportation system towards building overall economic prosperity.
Tell us something about you that’s not political.
My husband is Ed Mattison. I have one son and one daughter. For fun, I ride motorcycles, collect old political paraphernalia, and rescue Weimaraners. Coffee ice cream is the best.
Manassas City has become a coronavirus hotspot with a higher density of cases compared to its surrounding localities.
Manassas his hit over 1,300 cumulative cases of coronavirus, according to the Virginia Department of Health, with 89 hospitalized and 16 dead.
The city is seeing a dense ratio of cases at a little over 3,246 cases per 100,000 people. There have been little more than 213 hospitalizations per 100,000 and roughly 38 deaths per 100,000.
The CDC is working with Manassas to conduct a house-to-house, 30-question survey with questions related to healthcare and the coronavirus.
The press release states:
In an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in zip codes with more positive cases, i.e., 20109, 20110 and 20111, and targeted communities, the Hispanic/Latino community, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) will conduct a survey, beginning Monday, June 22, 2020, in the Cities of Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County. The team will go house-to-house with the 30-question survey, which will be administered in Spanish.
Questions will be related to healthcare and COVID-19. The information collected will help the health professionals at the Prince William Health District and the CDC understand what resources are most needed by the community. The survey is completely voluntary and no
personally identifiable data will be collected.The CDC may also reach out by telephone as they are looking for some participants who have tested positive in the past.
Manassas’ coronavirus case density ratio is a sharp contrast to neighboring Prince William County, which has more cases and reported hospitalizations and deaths, but much less of a dense caseload to population ratio.
Prince William Health District Director Dr. Alison Ansher explained that the 100,000 statistic is used “… so you are able to compare apples to apples.”
According to VDH, Prince William County has 6,756 total cases, 629 hospitalized, and 131 deaths, but close to 1,443 cases per 100,000. The hospitalization ratio is 134.4 to 100,000 and the death ratio is 28 to 100,000.
Manassas’ case density ratio also surpasses neighboring Manassas Park, which has 2,322.8 cases per 100,000.
The ratio for the City of Manassas is also noticeably higher than its northern neighbors of Fairfax County (1,150.9 cases to 100,000), Alexandria (1,369.2 per 100,000), and Arlington (1,008.8 per 100,000).
The 1,300 benchmark number of cases comes as the CDC has named Manassas a hotspot.
“The seven day rolling average of new cases for the City of Manassas has continued to decline from a high on [May] 31 of about 40 new cases per day to just under 10 new cases per day as of June 15. Residents should continue to follow the general guidelines of staying six feet apart and wearing face coverings,” City Manager Patrick Pate told Potomac Local in an e-mail.
“We are working with the Virginia Department of Health and the Prince William Health District to hold testing sites so that those who feel sick or who have been exposed can get tested and then self-quarantine and in that way help to stop the spread of this awful virus,” said city spokeswoman Patty Prince.
Why does Manassas have such a high number of cases of coronavirus when compared to its population? Potomac Local News has received no clear answers from the city or health officials.
“The entire Northern Virginia area has been on the high side of cases and that is why Governor Northam delayed opening to phase 1 and now phase 2 for this area,” Prince said in an e-mail to Potomac Local News.
“It could be that there is access to testing in the community. It could be that there may be conditions that decrease the ability to social distance or isolate or quarantine appropriately,” Prince William Health District Director Alison Ansher said.
Ansher also said that cases are attributed by resident address, not by the location of the test site.
Following Manassas’ announcement noting the CDC is going door to door to take a survey to “targeted communities” – namely, the Hispanic community. Ansher said that this being done because:
“We are trying to understand why that ethnicity has the greatest number of cases and hospitalizations, and are there preventive measures that can be improved or implemented to limit transmission. It is a targeted survey to that population.”
The data available on the VDH website shows that the Hispanic community is the largest reported demographic affected by COVID-19 in the Prince William Health District, which includes Prince William County, Manassas Park, and Manassas.
There still isn’t a confirmed date of when full library operations will resume for the Prince William Public Library System.
Phase one of reopening will start on Monday, June 15, according to an email from Rachel Johnson, Communication Services Division Chief.
In this phase, contact-free pickup will take place in all libraries except Central Community Library located at 8601 Mathis Ave that has been closed for renovations. People will be able to start reserving items, and phones will be opening up again.
A 15 item limit on requests will be in place through concierge services, and emails will go out to notify people when their item on hold is ready for pickup.
Summer reading will also take place from June 15 to August 15.
“Summer Reading is going digital! Our Summer Reading Program has something for all ages! To participate, register online or through the Beanstack Tracker app on your smartphone. You can also pick up a game card while picking up your materials at Contact-Free Pick Up. Track your progress digitally by checking off activities on the app or on the game card. There’s also an Adult Bucket List Challenge,” said Johnson in an eamil.
Johnson also noted that all library programs are virtual this summer and will be available online at pwcgov.org/library.
The news comes as Manassas recently voted to renew their agreement with the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to stay in the Prince William Library System. The vote on the County side will occur next week on Tuesday, June 16.
The Manassas City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to approve an agreement with the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for library services.
The agreement will now head to the Board of County Supervisors on June 16. If signed, it would provide a library branch, run by the Prince William Library System, in Manassas at 10104 Dumfries Road in the Wellington shopping center.
The Prince William library services cost the city $1.2 million annually with a three percent escalator, according to a press release from the city.
The Manassas branch is expected to open by Feb. 1, 2021. It will cost the city $500,000 to purchase furniture and shelving for the new library.
“Libraries are an essential way that communities ensure access to materials and free educational resources for all residents,” said City Manager William Patrick Pate. “Having a branch in the city limits will provide city residents enhanced opportunities to take advantage of these resources as well as provide a great space for community activities.”
The City of Manassas had previously considered breaking with Prince William County and using the private firm Library Systems and Services (LS&S) to manage a city library.
The vote comes as Central Library, located on 8601 Mathis Avenue, has been closed for renovations. The work was only supposed to take six months and was slated to re-open this month, but that was “before COVID,” Manassas Community Development Director Liz Via-Gossman noted at the council meeting.
Manassas has participated in the Prince William Library System since 1976. When the service agreement was updated in 2015, councilmembers looked at different options including looking at getting a branch in the City.
Right now, none of the branches are actually in the city, just close by, Via-Gossman noted.
A week after Manassas City Police Chief Douglas Keen had told Manassas City Council that he was chased by 200 protestors during a riot on Sunday, May 31, he’s clarified his earlier statement.
“So I said chased, I own those words, I said ‘em. Retreated and moving back would be a better description. We were not chased down the street, being chased by a bully with rocks being thrown at us. We were pushed backwards and continued to move into Battery Heights,” Keen said during a meeting of the Manassas City Coucnil on Monday, June 8.
On June 1, Keen told the city council he and three other officers became pinned down in the Battery Heights neighborhood, an apartment complex across the street from where the peaceful protest had begun about six hours earlier. He described protestors that threw rocks and bottles at him and other officers, damaging police cruisers.
He credited the help of the additional officers from his department, from Prince William police, and Virginia State Police, who arrived on the scene and helped him and his officers to safety, as well as protected the nearby police headquarters building after rioters threatened to “takedown” the police department, he said during this initial testimony on June 1.
“As you know, I spoke with emotion and my [June 1] briefing may need some clarity,” Keen said on June 8.
During the June 8 meeting, Keen shared a Google map of a section of Liberia Avenue where he said rioters took over, between a Chick-fil-A on Liberia Avenue and Signal Hill Road. On Monday, Keen estimated the crowd to be about 150 people, about 50 fewer people than what he described on June 1.
The next slide showed where three police officers were placed to protect the Chick-fil-A restaurant on Liberia Avenue and an adjacent shopping center where glass windows on multiple businesses were shattered.
All the while, Keen said on Monday, rioters continued to chant and throw rocks and glass bottles.
Keen showed a photo taken by an officer’s body camera that depicted objects being hurled at officers. The red circle on the image below is an object, tossed by a rioter, flying toward officers, Keen said.
As more objects were tossed at police, Keen said this is when they called for backup from the civil disturbance unit — a mix of officers from Manassas, Prince William County, and state police.
After help arrived, the rioters moved away from Keen and his officers in Battery Heights and began marching toward the police station down Richmond Avenue, toward Signal Hill Road, which would have led them to the station.
The civil disturbance unit intercepted the rioters and stopped them before they could get to the station.
Keen showed the city council images of the damage done to police cruisers that night. 
Keen said that this demonstrates some heavy items were thrown at their direction and at vehicles, adding that he was thankful no equipment was taken out of the vehicles or any personal belongings of the officers.
Keen then shared a slide of graffiti on a trashcan of circled “A” and a flag that appears to be a symbol for ANTIFA, a well-organized group of anti-government protesters that have led violent marches in cities in the Pacific Northwest for the past two years, and last summer in Washington, D.C.
On the night before Manassas police engaged the rioters, they had assisted Prince William police with a riot that took place five miles outside the city at the intersection of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive. There, five people were arrested and four police officers were injured during the melee that saw Virginia State Police deploy pepper spray on residents, including Delegate Lee Carter (D-Bristow, Manassas) who chose to confront police at the scene.
Manassas Councilwoman Michelle Davis Younger asked Chief Keen for some clarification about being chased.
“I did use the word ‘chased,’ we need to own what we say. That was less than 24 hours after the event,the picture of the group coming at us was what we saw, what we experienced from our view. As that group came toward us, we retreated backwards.” Chief Keen said.
“I tried to put my staff members to protect them between the group and my vehicle and we retreated up towards Metcalf Boulevard towards Tapok. That group continued to push us backwards until we retreated all the way into Battery Heights,” Keen said.
Keen’s testimony comes as the police department has to request public comment for the Department’s CALEA re-accreditation, a national organization that upholds struck professional standards of police departments across the U.S.
CALEA’s team of assessors will soon pay a visit to the police department to conduct a virtual on-site assessment of the department’s compliance with the accreditation standards, according to a police press release, and will review the department’s policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.
As part of the virtual on-site assessment, department members and members of the community are invited to provide comments on the department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation.
Comment can be provided to the Assessment Team through the following ways:
• In-person:
Public Information Session*
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Manassas City Council Chambers
9027 Center St, Manassas, Va. 20110
*Face coverings are required to be worn inside Council Chambers• By phone:
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Time: 1 p.m. – 3p.m.
Number: 703-257-8098• By mail:
Mail comments to:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
13575 Heathcote Blvd, Gainesville, Va. 20155Telephone comments, as well as appearances at the Public Information Session are limited to five minutes. Comments should address the Department’s ability to comply with CALEA standards. A copy of the standards is available through the Department’s Accreditation Manager, Lieutenant J. Martz, who can be reached by calling 703-257-8028.”
The Manassas City Council passed a tax rate, finally, bringing an end to weeks of delay brought on by a procedural quagmire.
On May 11, Council members Theresa Coates Ellis and Ian Lovejoy were the only dissenting votes when the council voted on a $1.46 Real Estate property tax rate that would be used to fund the city’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The is two cents lower than last year’s rate, however, due to a nearly 7% increase in
assessed property values in the city, the average resident will see a $4,295 property tax bill — about $220 more than the previous year.
A week later on May 18, during a formal second reading of the ordinance, Ellis voted yes, instead, supporting the higher tax rate. Lovejoy voted no again, and the tax rate vote passed 5-1.
Later that evening, Ellis passed Mayor Parrish a handwritten note asking for a re-vote, claiming she had made a mistake.
Due to city council rules, however, that vote was postponed for two weeks. The council finally took that vote on Monday, June 1.
Before it could happen, the majority of the council had to allow it.
“I did so even though I knew we were going to delay governmental business that needed to get done because I felt it was important that that person got the opportunity to vote the way that they intended to even though they did not do so at the time that the vote was originally taken,” said Vice Mayor Pamela Sebesky.
“I’ve read some different things as to why we’re doing this tonight and I just wanted to clarify in front of the camera and the public that this is only happening because of the fact that a council member asked for their vote to be reconsidered because – I’m not sure if they didn’t understand what they were voting for at the time- but obviously a little while after we had gotten through the meeting, they wanted to change that vote,” Sebesky added.
Mayor Hal Parrish II doesn’t vote, but would serve as a tie-break vote should he be needed.
“I think it’s always wise and supportive of council members who would request that kind of thing to occur, and I’ve seen it happen over the years that I’ve served this great community, and largely it’s a recognition of trust between council members and I think it’s a good thing.” Parrish said. “Thank you for it again, you and Mr. Wolfe and others who supported that,” Parrish said to Sebesky.
With that, city council members voted on setting the Tax Year 2021 Real Estate, with Council Member Theresa Coates Ellis voting no this time. Councilman Ian Lovejoy also voted no.
The vote carried 4-2, and the tax rate was set at $1.46.
Ellis, who is running for Mayor in the November General Election, says she would like to review the council rules that prolonged the vote. She advocated for taking the re-vote on May 18.
“I am both honored and humbled to join this outstanding team to continue the tradition of excellence,” Kane said. “You can expect that I will work diligently to support our teachers to ensure our students continue to receive an outstanding education in whatever format the future holds for us.”Kane earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in food science from the University of Florida, and a certificate in advanced graduate studies in the area of education leadership from the University of New England. Prior to entering the education field, Kane worked as a food scientist in Florida. She said her greatest honor has been “being a mom to my three children," and she loves to travel and read science fiction. Potomac Local recently talked to Kane about her vision for Osbourn Park and what her goals are for the coming school year. Here are our questions and her answers: Tell me a little about yourself.
"Mr. Kane and I are both graduates of the University of Florida. My husband majored in building construction, and I majored in food science. We worked and lived in Orlando, Florida before relocating to Virginia in 1999. We have been residents of Woodbridge, Virginia since 2001. We have three children. Justin, age 23, recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in political science. Jared, age 20, is a current student at Virginia Tech and is studying business. Our daughter, Alyssa, is in the tenth grade and hopes to attend the University of Florida."What is your vision for Osbourn Park in the light of the coronavirus? Do you think school will be the same next year or different, and how so?
"As educators, our ‘why’ is to ensure every student receives a high quality education. We work to eliminate barriers and obstacles to learning and provide meaningful and relevant learning experiences that will prepare students for their next steps - college, career, military. How we do this, whether virtually, face to face, or a hybrid of the two, does not change our fundamental purpose, our 'why.' Our ‘why’ stays the same, the ‘how’ might be a bit different. Regardless of the ‘how,’ Osbourn Park teachers will work collaboratively to develop meaningful learning experiences. We are all preparing for whatever school will look like in the fall. All teachers in PWC are getting trained in Canvas and are working with their teams to create lessons should we continue with online learning."What brought you to Prince William County?
"In 2003, I began my career with PWCS as a chemistry teacher at Potomac High School, and later I taught chemistry and biology at Forest Park High School for six years. In 2015, I joined Gar-Field High School as an assistant principal where I supervised math, science, and special education."How do you plan to support teachers and students in your new position?
"My priority is to develop positive relationships with students, staff, and families. I am a teacher at my core, and I never forget that teachers are on the front lines and need to have a voice in their craft. With this pandemic, we required teachers to shift to online learning overnight and “build the plane while flying it” and they did it! We will work together by listening and implementing the changes needed to ensure authentic learning happens for all students."
What can students at Osbourn Park expect to see next year in regards to distance learning? Sanitation?
"All teachers at OPHS are in the process of getting trained in Canvas, the county’s online learning platform. Canvas is user friendly and will be a great tool for both teachers and students. The county has been forward thinking in trying to prepare staff and students for whatever the fall may bring. Ensuring students and staff have access to technology is the first step followed by ensuring staff is trained in the new platform. Teachers will collaborate and design lessons that support the curriculum and engage students.
When schools reopen, OPHS will follow all guidelines for sanitation. Safety is always our number one priority."
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As Northern Virginia entered the first phase of a multi-tiered reopening plan following the coronavirus shutdown, riverside businesses are prepared for a different kind of summer.
Restaurants such as Tim’s Rivershore that sits on the Potomac River were closed for dining-in during the Governor’s Executive Temporary Stay at Home Order. Now, they’re starting to re-open.
“You want to make sure everyone’s safe,” said Tim Bauckman, owner and the titular “Tim” of Tim’s Rivershore near Dumfries.
Bauckman said they have “gallons” of hand sanitizer, and all his employees have masks, though they will not be able to provide masks for customers. Every time someone signs a credit card slip, the pen they use will be taken and put into a dirty bucket to be cleaned.
Customers will be fine without masks while eating and drinking, but they will need to be masked when entering the restaurant.
There are only 1o people allowed inside the restaurant at all times, so they need to rotate employees in and out to accomplish this. One man and one woman will be allowed in their respective bathrooms at one time.
The kitchen staff has the option to wear a mask, face shield, or both, according to Bauckman.
“It’s like a hospital,” Bauckman said.
When the stay at home orders set in, Bauckman didn’t think they would have much t0-go business, but that wasn’t the case.
“People have been really good,” Bauckman said.
While the to-go business was better than he expected, Bauckman said that they could not live off of just doing that.
Initially, the restaurant laid everyone off, but they are now in the process of bringing everyone back.
“It’s a task,” Bauckman said, as he began explaining that with the unemployment wages plus the federal stimulus of $600 a week, some of his employees are making more than they make in a week. “That makes me the bad guy,” Bauckman said, adding that his employees on average make around $500 a week, although some of his waitresses make that much in a day.
Bauckman also has two other “Tim’s” locations on the Potomac River — one at Fairview Beach in King George County, one at Coles Point, about an hour and 15 minutes from Fredericksburg. He also owns another “Tim’s” restaurant at Lake Anna in Virginia.
Bauckman explained that the staff he has working in Dumfries now had gone to work at the other restaurants in the interim.
The location at Lake Anna had been open for the last two weeks operating at 50% capacity outside. The Coles Point location has been open the entire time because it is located in rural Virginia, but the Fairview Beach location is opening this past weekend just like the Dumfries location.
In the middle of the summer, Bauckman typically has 100 people working for him. Right now, the staff is at 30-40 people.
Hope Springs Marina, in Stafford on the Aquia Creek, is also implementing changes
According to new safety guidelines, boating must be limited to groups under 10 and only immediate family members. Patrons at the marina, located at 4 Hope Springs Lane in Stafford, are asked not to have “rafting up, beaching, or rendezvous events,” to “maintain 6-feet of the distance between yourself and others including fuel docks, pump out stations, and other high traffic areas,” and to wear masks within six feet of others.
As businesses along the river ready for the summer, so do the state’s beaches.
According to the State Department of Conservation and Recreation, tidal beaches at Mason Neck, Leesylvania, Widewater, Caledon, Westmoreland, Belle Isle, York River, Chippokes, Kiptopeke, First Landing and False Cape are all open to the public beginning on May 29. The Department says that:
“These tidal beaches will be available according to the following safety protocols:
- Beachgoers will be required to practice social distancing between non-related groups
- Groups of more than 10 beachgoers will be prohibited
- No entertainment or programming that generate mass gatherings
- No beach playsets, tents or grouping of umbrellas
- No team sports – i.e. soccer, volleyball, football
If the density of beachgoers increases on a beach, parking capacity may be reduced. In addition, park staff will initiate temporary beach closures if overcrowding occurs to ensure the safety of visitors and staff.”
The website went on to say that the “Lakefront beaches at Hungry Mother, Claytor Lake, Smith Mountain Lake, Fairystone, Douthat, Holliday Lake, Bear Creek Lake, Twin Lakes and Lake Anna will remain closed until adequate staffing is available and safety protocols have been developed.”
The City of Manassas will need to vote on the tax rate – again.
Mayor Hal Parrish II on May 18 was asked to reconsider the tax vote after Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis voted yes on the second reading of the tax rate, despite the fact she voted no on May 11.
On May 11, Coates Ellis and Councilman Ian Lovejoy had cast “no” votes during a first reading of the tax rate ordinance, which passed by a vote of four to two. The $1.46 Real Estate tax rate that will largely fund the city’s 2021 budget is two cents lower than last year’s rate, however, due to a nearly 7% increase in assessed property values in the city, the average resident will see a $4,295 property tax bill — about $220 more than the previous year.
A week later on May 18, during a formal second reading of the ordinance, Ellis voted yes instead, supporting the higher tax rate. Lovejoy voted no again, and the tax rate vote passed 5-1.
Later that evening, Ellis passed Mayor Parrish a handwritten note asking for a re-vote. Ellis maintains her mis-vote was a mistake and was not done on purpose to delay the next year’s budget.
She wanted to change her vote on May 18 11, however, the city’s charter would not allow for a new vote on the same night. In a procedural quagmire, City Attorney Craig Brown explained that, due to a stipulation in the city charter, a re-vote on the tax rate would have to wait until the next meeting on Monday, June 1.
When she asked to change her vote, Parrish told the council members that, in general, when this had happened in the past, the city council has allowed it.
Vice Mayor Pamela Sebesky pointed said she “doesn’t want to make this difficult,” but wants to be clear that they were given guidance from city staff that the council must have an approved budget with a new tax rate by May 15.
“I would urge you to allow you that council member to vote their conscience, just like I would if you had the same issue,” Parrish said. “We fully expect that there will be four votes for the new tax rate on the first, I think it’s a reasonable reconsideration,” Parrish said.
City Manager Pat Pate said the biggest reason they wanted to get the budget passed so soon was because of funding for the school.
“You’ve adopted the budget and so we’ve set the spending guidelines for the city and for the city’s contribution to the school board and that was the biggest piece of why we were trying to get this adopted for the fifteenth,” Pate said. “We’re going along on the assumption that all of the things that you passed at the last meeting would continue on for the next meeting.”
The motion to re-consider passed 4-2 with Councilwoman Michelle Davis Younger and Councilman Ralph Smith voting no. After a brief but tense pause, Vice Mayor Sebesky voted yes as well.
“The agenda was kinda a mess,” Ellis said.
Ellis advocated for a lower $1.44 tax rate, and the council on May 11 was swiftly “rolling” through the items on the agenda when she cast her vote.
“I knew as soon as it happened, I was like ‘shoot,” Ellis said.
With a new vote scheduled on Monday, will this re-vote change the budget?
“It gives us a little more time for public input,” Ellis said. “Another reason I think it’s good to have it on June 1 is everything’s changing.It’s something that other council members might re-think [thier votes].”
The city council will meet at 5:30 p.m. at city hall, located at 9027 Center Street in Manassas. Residents won’t be allowed to speak during the meeting, despite an email from a city spokeswoman to Potomac Local news stating the council would hold an open public comment time during its Jube 1 meeting.
Ellis is now advocating for changing the city charter to allow re-votes to occur during the same meeting.
“That’s something we are gradually going to get changed,” Ellis said. “That’s something we have recognized is not the best way to conduct government. You want to be able to take care of things right away, in my opinion.” Ellis said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported city residents would be able to petition the city council at the upcoming June 2 meeting.
