Ethnic Community Committee

City of Sterling Heights ETHNIC COMMUNITY COMMITTEE Official minutes of the Thursday, November 1, 2012 regular meeting. MEMBERS PRESENT: Sharron Allen Ike Cabase Susan Kattula Doug Najor Steve Naumovski Betty Rush Iqbal Singh MEMBERS ABSENT: Omie Brooks Ronald Camilletti Linda Preka Andrew Pulford OFFICIALS PRESENT: Neighborhood Liaison Specialist Sue Giallombardo Police Department Sgt. Jim Selewski 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda: MOTION by Doug Najor, SECONDED by Sharron Allen. Approved 7-0 4. Approval of Minutes: MOTION by Doug Najor, SECONDED by Sharron Allen. Approved 7-0 5. Communication from Citizens: Giallombardo shared two pieces of information from Christine Sauve and Welcoming Michigan:  o Immigration Training 101; to be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall. This event is free for all service providers and community members. It will be facilitated by a lawyer from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and will help attendees learn about the immigration laws and rights of immigrants. o ESL Conversation Chat Program; If you are interested in helping new, non-English speaking neighbors learn about the many cultures of Sterling Heights, then you might want to volunteer to be a part of this program. There will be 5 monthly sessions running from January thru May. Contact Christine Sauve at csauve@lsscm.org or 734-845-9695. Kattula stated that she received the invitation to the MLK, Jr. Holiday Celebration for Monday, January 21. The cost of a full page sponsorship ad and a table for ten will cost $400.00. Motion to purchase a full page ad with a table of ten tickets for $400 made by Naumovski; seconded by Allen. Approved 7-0. Kattula asked which members would like to attend the dinner. The following members replied that they would like to attend: Iqbal Singh, Steve Naumovski, Sharron Allen, Betty Rush, Ike Cabase and Doug Najor. All committee members are invited to attend. Open seats will be made available to City Council members. Please let Giallombardo know if you would like to attend. 6. Communications from the Sterling Heights Police Dept. – Sgt. Jim Selewski Selewski reminded committee members do take extra precautions when holiday shopping, and to keep houses and cars locked to discourage theft. He encouraged everyone to tell family and friends to do the same.  Officers recently caught two groups of men breaking and entering into homes. Selewski also warned members to be careful when receiving calls from people asking for money for relatives, etc. There have been several reports of fraudulent calls. 7. Agenda A. Approval of Meeting Dates for Fiscal Year 2012/2013 (See attached) Giallombardo asked that the committee consider changing the meeting time from 7:00 pm to 6:00 pm, due to reduction in staff in Community Relations. Motion to approve meeting dates for the fiscal year 2012/2013, with the amended start time of 6:00 pm, effective December, 2012 made by Allen; seconded by Naumovski. Approved 7-0. See attached amended schedule for future reference. B. Sister City Resolution for Shengjin, Albania Kattula stated that the city received an invitation from Mayor Salvador Kacaj of Shengjin, Albania, to create a sister city relationship with Sterling Heights. Kattula read the letter from Mayor Kacaj and explained that once the committee approves the motion to accept the sister city relationship, they will make a recommendation to City Council. Cabase asked what the benefits are to the city to enter into a sister city relationship. Giallombardo stated that Sister City Partnerships are simply a goodwill relationship. Resources aren’t available to travel to the cities, but we will extend an invitation to Shengjin representatives if they would like to visit Sterling Heights. Singh asked if Community Relations could update the city’s website to include more information pertaining to the sister city relationships. Giallombardo will follow-up with Steve Guitar. Cabase said that he do some research and get the correct pronunciation of the city and the mayor, for inclusion on the resolution to City Council. Motion to accept a sister city relationship with Shengjin, Albania made by Cabase, seconded by Naumovski. Giallombardo will prepare the resolution for City Clerk’s office and will notify committee members as to the date of the City Council meeting. C. 2012 Diversity Distinction Awards Giallombardo presented the five nominess for the Diversity Awards: o Sharon Hannawa, Program Manager with the Chaldean Community Foundation o Paul Coomes, teacher o Christine Sauve, Southeast Communities Coordinator with Wecoming Michigan- Sterling Heights o Keller Williams Realty, located on Dodge Park Road in Sterling Heights o Wiegand Mack Sales & Service, located on Mound Road in Sterling Heights Committee members reviewed nomination applications and voted to confirm the nomination slate. Motion to present each of the five nominees with a Diversity Distinction Award made by Naumovski and seconded by Najor. Approved 7-0. Giallombardo stated that there will be a small reception at 7:00 pm, prior to the start of the council meeting. The city will provide coffee, water and paper products. Members are welcome to bring in an appetizer or tray of food. Kattula and Allen will bring desserts; Najor will be a fruit tray; Rush will bring a cheese tray. Committee members volunteered to present the awards as follows: Sharon Hannawa, presented by Kattula Paul Coomes, presented by Sgt. Selewski Christine Sauve, presented by Pulford Keller Williams Realty, presented by Cabase Wiegand Truck & Sales, presented by Naumovski Giallombardo will e-mail members their dialogue for the presentation. D. 2013 Cultural Exchange Giallombardo passed out participation forms for members to distribute. Najor asked if the time frame was still 6:00 to 10:00 pm., and asked to keep the doors to the food area shut until after introductions on the stage. Giallombardo stated that the doors will remain closed until the entertainment starts, similar to past years. Cabase suggested that one of the rooms with table displays be used for an eating area. Giallombardo will have posters for distribution at the next meeting. 8. Receipt of Correspondence: None 9. Old Business: Naumovski stated that August was Macedonian month. He had his cultural items displayed at the Public Library and there was a festival at the Macedonian Cultural Center. He added that this is the 30th Anniversary of the city’s sister relationship with Tetevo. Singh thanked the city and Steve Guitar for planning the Diveristy Awareness Training in November, which took place at the Parks & Recreation Center and educated attendees on the culture and traditions of the Sikh and Muslim communities. 10. New Business: Kattula stated that she will be displaying her nativity scenes at the library and inside the Upton House during December. Allen asked Giallombardo to confirm that she was signed up to display her items in February for Black History Month. 11. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.