
Dr. Mike Robinson: Has the Mayor or the Council issued a statement regarding COVID testing for those who attended the Carnival?
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott: No statement has been issued by the board pertaining to COVID Testing for those at the Carnival. The mayor is the emergency manager of the city.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What are some of the issues that are on the table related to the Carnival?
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott: The special permits do not require board approval. The issues related to the carnival include ordinance violation pertaining to the application for the permit. The permit was not applied for three days prior to the event and the owner/manager of the premises did not apply but instead, it was the carnival owner. The carnival owner did not have a food permit or an approved COVID-19 plan from St. Louis Co. The permit from Bellefontaine Neighbors should not have been issued without the documentation from St. Louis Co. and all other required documents. At the bottom of the application, there was a note that the mayor waived the requirements for licenses but this was crossed out of the copy of the application forwarded to the board. Additionally, the permit had a forged signature of the city collector who do to surgery indicated she was not available to sign and would not have signed based on short notice and lack of proper documentation.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How does this event or similar events not happen again during this current health climate?
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott: The way this does not happen again is if the mayor follows ordinances and because this is an issue something similar could happen again. The mayor has already been censored for similar behavior to include ordinance violations and lack of communication. Another way this could be prevented is if staff would be unwilling to violate ordinances and processes on behalf of the mayor. An additional way this could not happen is by there being a legal consequence for the Mayor’s actions.
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott (M.A.E.) is a life-long learner and community leader. and President Board of Alderman for Bellefontaine Neighbors. Dr. Avant-Elliott has passionately served as a Missouri public school educator and leader for over 17 years. She is licensed in the state of Missouri as a special education teacher, secondary principal, superintendent, and career and technical education director. She is also an educational consultant for her business Systems Thinkers LLC, where she offers school improvement services to k-12 districts. Dr. Avant-Elliott is the author of a statewide college and career readiness resource site to assist the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) with meeting their postsecondary goals. She has also served on several DESE committees throughout her career as an educator.
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott: No statement has been issued by the board pertaining to COVID Testing for those at the Carnival. The mayor is the emergency manager of the city.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What are some of the issues that are on the table related to the Carnival?
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott: The special permits do not require board approval. The issues related to the carnival include ordinance violation pertaining to the application for the permit. The permit was not applied for three days prior to the event and the owner/manager of the premises did not apply but instead, it was the carnival owner. The carnival owner did not have a food permit or an approved COVID-19 plan from St. Louis Co. The permit from Bellefontaine Neighbors should not have been issued without the documentation from St. Louis Co. and all other required documents. At the bottom of the application, there was a note that the mayor waived the requirements for licenses but this was crossed out of the copy of the application forwarded to the board. Additionally, the permit had a forged signature of the city collector who do to surgery indicated she was not available to sign and would not have signed based on short notice and lack of proper documentation.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How does this event or similar events not happen again during this current health climate?
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott: The way this does not happen again is if the mayor follows ordinances and because this is an issue something similar could happen again. The mayor has already been censored for similar behavior to include ordinance violations and lack of communication. Another way this could be prevented is if staff would be unwilling to violate ordinances and processes on behalf of the mayor. An additional way this could not happen is by there being a legal consequence for the Mayor’s actions.
Dr. Miranda Avant-Elliott (M.A.E.) is a life-long learner and community leader. and President Board of Alderman for Bellefontaine Neighbors. Dr. Avant-Elliott has passionately served as a Missouri public school educator and leader for over 17 years. She is licensed in the state of Missouri as a special education teacher, secondary principal, superintendent, and career and technical education director. She is also an educational consultant for her business Systems Thinkers LLC, where she offers school improvement services to k-12 districts. Dr. Avant-Elliott is the author of a statewide college and career readiness resource site to assist the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) with meeting their postsecondary goals. She has also served on several DESE committees throughout her career as an educator.