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Council Member Restler criticizes OTI's community engagement for 5G tower installation
1:53:02
·
95 sec
Council Member Lincoln Restler expresses strong dissatisfaction with the Office of Technology and Innovation's (OTI) community engagement process for installing 5G towers. He describes the current process as 'disgraceful' and highlights a specific example where a tower was installed directly in front of a private property without any communication with the property owners.
- Restler emphasizes the lack of proper notification and consultation with affected residents
- He compares OTI's process unfavorably to other city agencies' community engagement practices
- The council member suggests that the current process forces elected officials to 'raise the alarm' about every potential siting
Lincoln Restler
1:53:02
know, madam chair.
1:53:04
This is my first foray to the technology committee, and I just wanna say it is truly an honor to be I'm I'm using my time.
1:53:14
This is important.
1:53:15
Under it's truly an honor to be here with Thierry Gutierrez, who is the very best of the very best.
1:53:21
With that, I appreciate that we have an important objective to get more of these five g towers up and to improve our internet reliability.
1:53:34
But I am totally dismayed by the complete lack of community engagement by OTI, I think it's disgraceful.
1:53:44
Like, actually.
1:53:46
And I don't use that word lightly.
1:53:49
I have examples in my community where these towers are built directly in front on private property, directly in front of people's homes, looking out the window, you know, as far away as I am from Bob right now, closer than you and I sitting here today, and there's no communication with the property whatsoever.
1:54:06
That just one day, you all start digging up the ground in front of their home without thinking that it was relevant to communicate with them at all.
1:54:13
So the extent of the communication, as far as I understand it, was an email to my office letting us know that you were moving forward, and an email to the community board letting them know you were moving forward.
1:54:21
Is I believe you're familiar with the site that I'm talking about on the North Side as an example.
1:54:25
Is that accurate that that was the full extent of the community engagement that occurred for this siting?
1:54:29
Yes or no?
Brett Sikoff
1:54:30
No.
1:54:30
There there was certainly more to it.
1:54:31
Sorry?
1:54:32
There was more to it, the community engagement process.
1:54:34
I and you just walked in as I was answering council member.
1:54:37
Called you the same question.
Lincoln Restler
1:54:38
Emailed the community board, you emailed my office, and that was the extent of your community engagement.