Statements by Brian E. Lewis
596 statements from meeting recordings, newest meeting first.
Machine transcript. Statements are matched to this official by machine and can be wrong. Check the recording.
Nov 20, 2025, Special Council Meeting - Violations of the Dangerous Building Ordinance (VDBO)
Okay. No further questions. Thank you.
Play from 1:19:17Nov 20, 2025, Special Council Meeting - Violations of the Dangerous Building Ordinance (VDBO)
Yes.
Play from 1:22:17Nov 20, 2025, Special Council Meeting - Violations of the Dangerous Building Ordinance (VDBO)
Second by Lewis.
Play from 1:28:30Nov 20, 2025, Special Council Meeting - Violations of the Dangerous Building Ordinance (VDBO)
Yes.
Play from 1:28:51Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Mr. Neil.
Play from 18:48Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I'm requesting that item number 14 be removed from the consent agenda, proposed ordinance 2025-21, amending chapter 106, traffic and vehicles, article 3, stopping, standing, and parking, by adding section 106-39 pedestrian safety. I'm requesting it be removed from the consent agenda for questions.
Play from 18:51Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Point of order. Point of order, Mr. President. I have the right to have it pulled for discussion.
Play from 19:20Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I request a ruling from our city solicitor.
Play from 19:41Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Mr. Solicitor, it is on the agenda, though, and I have every right, okay, to pull something from the consent agenda to ask questions. I wasn't at that meeting, and I have the right to ask questions.
Play from 20:05Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I make a motion. I make a motion that is removed from the consent agenda for discussion.
Play from 20:29Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
tell them uh not particularly, I agree with this, that it be held in committee and everybody will have a chance to come to committee and give their input uh which is the which is the whole reason why I wanted to held, so that there would be time for public input.
Play from 21:23Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Point of order. Point of Point of order, Mr. President.
Play from 22:07Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
We Being pointed out with a point of order, excuse me, I have the I have the floor, thank you.
Play from 22:12Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Thank you. Thanks um a I would ask that members of the public please remember you had your time, now it's our turn. Number two, you have more than that. Number two, whoever cheeks that the opposite of what I said. The fact what I said was that he had a right to um to have separated as a separate item.
Play from 22:21Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Yes.
Play from 26:09Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Yes.
Play from 28:00Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Uh I'm going to have to abstain uh due to my affiliation with Bayhealth, and after consulting with our city solicitor, uh he advised me to recuse myself.
Play from 54:03Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Good evening, Pastor. With regard to your workforce development program, to your knowledge, do you know if the State currently offers any programs with respect to that? Because I'm trying to ascertain if this would be something that would be duplicated.
Play from 1:11:39Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Yes. Uh, regrettably, I was unable to attend the Committee of the Whole meeting where this matter was discussed due to an illness. So, I have some questions that I would like to ask, these are technical questions, to our police chief, which I would have asked if I was in attendance at that meeting. So if you don't mind, Chief, could you uh, go to the podium?
Play from 1:14:53Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
All right, my first question, Chief, is, um, and I reviewed the ordinance, uh, Delaware law already governs pedestrian conduct under Title 21 4142, pedestrian right-of-way in crosswalks, and 4143, crossing at other crosswalks. Uh, why can't the Dover Police Department continue enforcing these existing state statutes instead of creating a new city ordinance that risks overlapping or conflicting enforcement?
Play from 1:15:28Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
No, understood, and and and you just brought up a uh very uh imperative uh I I guess, uh,
Play from 1:18:58Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
My next question is uh before drafting this ordinance, did the Dover Police Department coordinate with the Delaware Department of Transportation, DelDOT, or the Office of Highway Safety uh to improve signage, uh signal timing, or crosswalk safety under state authority? If not, uh why were they not pursuing those state-level remedies first?
Play from 1:23:54Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Understood. All right.
Play from 1:25:42Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
And and this is pretty much my concern with the whole ordinance is since Delaware already enforces pedestrian safety through Title 21, chapter 41, what specific oversight will ensure that the new city ordinance does not result in double penal- penalties or conflicting citations for the same conduct under both city and state law? You know, are we duplicating something here is my question.
Play from 1:25:45Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I mean as far as I'm concerned, uh an ordinance is equivalent to a uh a parking ticket. Uh, maybe a parking ticket that carries a little more weight actually uh these days. But uh I mean, they're not going to issue a capias if you don't pay uh an ordinance. Uh it's not going to result into uh a criminal um uh fine or it's not going to It's not something that's going to result into um you you having to go before a JP judge where a capias is issued opposed to an actual um, you know, ticket or summons under Title 21, am I correct?
Play from 1:27:56Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
a summons and uh they don't pay?
Play from 1:29:09Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
And and what's the protocol right now if um one were to be, let's say, uh this ordinance passes and they're issued
Play from 1:29:41Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I I figured that. And and my next question is, and Mr. Hugg could maybe chime in on this, um right now we have code enforcement that issues uh summonses, and uh my understanding um is if they don't pay, it goes to a collection agency. Am I correct?
Play from 1:30:12Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Code violation. Uh so so this would kind of be synonymous to a code violation, if I understand.
Play from 1:30:34Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Uh and don't we have to pay for that collection agency to utilize their services?
Play from 1:30:40Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
have the police officer, uh, subpoenaed to appear as a witness, uh, etc., which would take resources off the street?
Play from 1:32:43Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I have one more question, uh, Chief. Uh, Mr. President, may I just have a couple? Um, how will officers be trained if this ordinance passes, uh, to enforce this ordinance in a way that respects the 1st Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of individuals, especially when Delaware law already provides clear guidance on pedestrian movement without restricting, uh, expressive activity such as charitable solicitation or holding signs on public property? The City Solicitor if he wants to weigh in on this, he can also.
Play from 1:33:00Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
I have no further questions. Thank you both for answering my questions.
Play from 1:37:53Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
No.
Play from 2:05:28Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
...in the cold, um, standing on the medians and walking the streets, let's not forget them. And also the, uh, servicemen overseas. That's all I have.
Play from 3:12:35Nov 10, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting
Uh yes, I'd like to announce uh tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on South Little Creek Road there will be a ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial Veterans uh monument. Uh so that will be 2:00 p.m. tomorrow uh location: South Little Creek Road. And uh let us not forget uh we heard it tonight the uh homeless veterans that are out there
Play from 3:12:49