Statements by Fred A. Neil
1,535 statements from meeting recordings, newest meeting first.
Machine transcript. Statements are matched to this official by machine and can be wrong. Check the recording.
Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Is there a motion?
Play from 15:12Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Is there a second?
Play from 15:26Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Seconded motion. Okay. Now all in favor, please say aye.
Play from 15:28Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Is there anyone opposed? The motion carries.
Play from 15:33Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
The ordinance of zoning map of the City of Dover is changing the zoning designation of the property located at 107 Fox Hall Drive.
Play from 15:37Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
102. Sorry, it it says my my script says 107. [laughter] But anyhow, it's 102. That is correct.
Play from 16:03Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
What's the pleasure of Council? We need to have a motion to adopt 2026-13.
Play from 16:53Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Yes, Councilman Anderson.
Play from 17:04Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Is there a second?
Play from 22:09Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Thank you. Councilman Rocha seconds. Uh, Madam Clerk, will you please read uh roll call vote?
Play from 22:12Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Yes.
Play from 22:41Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
And with that, we now have City Manager's announcements.
Play from 23:24Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Council member announcements. Councilman Lewis.
Play from 24:10Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Thank you, Ms. Faye.
Play from 27:07Aug 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Any other announcements? Councilman Anderson.
Play from 27:09Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Yeah. Um the the question is, ma'am, how do you flush the toilet?
Play from 04:58Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Yeah. A thousand.
Play from 05:09Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Yeah, basically, I don't want to take the person out of it, but I think we need to do some door-knocking in the meantime. And what I would like to do is make a motion to come back with a report whether she's, knock on her door, she doesn't show up. If she shows up, then we know that she's in that house. That that's that's why my motion is raises the question of the timing when she would be able to come back, because it has to be a random knock to make sure that she's there. If she doesn't answer, and she says, "Well, I didn't hear it," uh, then I'm going to question whether she's still in the house.
Play from 09:07Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
I make that motion, yes.
Play from 10:35Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
To go back.
Play from 10:37Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Yeah, we are considering a vacant building ordinance now, and it is in the mill. So if you have something to contribute to that, I would suggest you contact Eddie Kopp,
Play from 17:12Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
because it could have come up at any time, and it's been held back,
Play from 17:26Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
in terms of other times. And the reason for the vacant building is that if a the house is vacant for any period of time, it gets destroyed. The people who are looking to shoot up cause problems. And that, then, doesn't affect just that house. It affects—
Play from 17:30Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Council President?
Play from 43:19Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Yep. That's surprising to hear. If you go into the Maryland State Pest Control Association, you will see my picture. I had a scholarship by the Maryland State Pest Control Association, which I served on...
Play from 43:21Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
That is a harbinger of mosquitoes, all kinds of pests. When he says that this is unsafe, this is unsafe. And even if we give you the freedom of saying we're not going to fine you on top of the other, and I'm inclined to do that for the same reasons Councilman Rocha has mentioned.
Play from 44:38Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Get rid of the damn tires! It is not just a problem for you, it's a problem for your neighbors, it's a problem for your son, it's a problem because it's a pest that will use those tires as well as the other stuff to basically grow and continue and foster. So it is a cleanliness type of thing.
Play from 45:02Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
So you can argue whatever you want that it isn't seen or whatever, but they are- there's a reason for that. You heard it. I didn't mention it before.
Play from 45:25Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
I understand that. So even if we give that to you, and I'm inclined to do that because you've been hit already—
Play from 45:37Jul 29, 2026, Construction and Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals Meeting
I I'm not interested in taking your money, but I'm interested in seeing that cleaned up, and that includes the neighbors because you're dragging down the neighborhood.
Play from 45:45Jul 23, 2026, Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Yeah, so moved.
Play from 00:08Jul 23, 2026, Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Aye.
Play from 00:25Jul 23, 2026, Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Nothing wrong with that. Thank you.
Play from 03:34Jul 23, 2026, Code Board of Appeals Meeting
Neil will move to uphold the staff recommendation and deny the appeal.
Play from 07:24Jul 21, 2026, Alderman's Court Ad Hoc Meeting
So moved.
Play from 00:11Jul 21, 2026, Alderman's Court Ad Hoc Meeting
I thank you, Mr. Chairman. We're here today because of a cry for help. A cry for help that contains a deep irony. A group of citizens came to me and shared their concerns. Those concerns, reflected in the memorandum included in your packets, describe the situation where the sincere desire to help people struggling with addiction or mental illness, some members of the public and elected officials have become enablers. Instead of helping them recover, we have allowed behaviors that damage businesses, reduce property values, and diminish the quality of life for the overwhelming majority of our citizens. The irony is that we depend on the tax dollars charged very citizens and businesses to provide the services for those in need. We see the symptoms every day. They include, some individuals simply have given up on the traditional way of life, while others have made panhandling into a profession. Whatever the circumstances, the current system is not serving them, or the community, well. When I first moved to Dover in 2003, I was barely aware of the Alderman's Court. It disappeared because it cost more to operate than it generated in revenue. Here's another irony: the purpose of the new Alderman's Court could should never be to take money from people who have no money. That would be the height of insanity. Instead, the court should provide a legal framework to help, to require help for people who cannot help themselves. Many individuals suffering from addiction or serious mental illness are simply not acting rationally. Without accountability, they continue harming themselves, while disturbing the lives of those around them. For a variety of reasons, our overburdened justice system has largely turned away from enforcing many so-called loitering laws. As a result, these laws have ceased to be effective tools, either to help those in crisis or to protect the people and the businesses affected by their behavior. The devastation caused by addiction is deeply personal to me. My beautiful niece was a former state's attorney for Carroll County, Maryland. She was married to an emergency room physician, and had every reason to expect a bright future. After a serious automobile accident, she became addicted to prescription opioids. When tighter controls closed off those prescriptions, she turned to drugs purchased on the street, and she died from an overdose. I spent more than 20 years in as a public affairs officer for the Maryland Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, based at the at Maryland Rehabilitation Center, one of only nine comprehensive rehabilitation centers of its kind in the nation. There, I witnessed dedicated professionals helping people with blindness, mental illness, physical disabilities, and many other challenges to prepare for employment and return to productive, independent lives. I've also watched individuals who have been successfully trained and ready for employment stop taking the medications that allowed them to function. Some dislike the side effects, others believed they no longer needed it, and their lives quickly unraveled. At the age of 92, I fully understand why some people fear the new Alderman's Court could be unfairly used against minorities or vulnerable individuals. Those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. It is the responsibility of this distinguished panel to ensure that that never happens. There are plenty of offenders who knowingly violate our traffic laws, commit other offenses, and they should be able to provide sufficient revenue for the court to operate responsibly. The court should not balance its books on the backs of those people who are least able to pay. Our responsibility is to build a system that keeps our streets safe, protects our neighborhoods and businesses, and most importantly, requires meaningful help for those who cannot help themselves. If we can accomplish that, we will have served both justice and compassion. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield the floor to you.
Play from 00:55Jul 21, 2026, Alderman's Court Ad Hoc Meeting
Mr. Garfinkel, Dr. Hall?
Play from 29:55Jul 21, 2026, Alderman's Court Ad Hoc Meeting
No, no.
Play from 30:29Jul 21, 2026, Alderman's Court Ad Hoc Meeting
May I come back to you please for a moment? Sure. Because Ms. Gibbs has to leave. Oh, sure. at like 3:40, so I want to make sure she gets her question in, if that's okay with you. Okay, then I'll come back to you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay.
Play from 34:03Jul 21, 2026, Alderman's Court Ad Hoc Meeting
Thank you. Mr. Garfinkel, Dr. Hall?
Play from 37:03