n for years, despite the fact that the guidance is there. I would like to touch on rejected referrals, because, as Dr Simpson knows, or he should know, his colleague Fergsham raised that with me in the chamber, there are a number of reasons why referrals may be rejected, such as referrals not meeting the criteria for access to cancer. What I would say is that where a referral does not meet the criteria, we would expect the service to signpost the child to the most appropriate service. I recognise the importance of the issue, and I will undertake to look at the issue further, particularly in relation to regional variation. I will be happy to report back to Parliament further on that particular issue. Many other areas have been touched on in the debate. I will probably not have time to focus on that. I will touch on the Sandra Grant review report that was raised by Jim Hume. There is work under way to assess that further. Good progress is being made, and we hope to report back further soon. I would welcome the fact that we have had this debate. I look forward to returning to the subject matter. I hope that we can recognise that progress has been made, just as I recognise that further progress still has to be made. Many thanks. I now call on Liam McArthur to wind up the debate. Mr McArthur, you have until 5 o'clock. Thank you very much, everybody. It is 12 months on since the Scottish level of the Democrats last used our debating time to focus on mental health. I am proud of that consistency and indeed the commitment across this chamber to keep mental health issues towards the top of the political agenda. The debate, as expected, has been very constructive. I thank all those who have participated and empathise with those who did not have the time to fully develop their arguments. While I do not support the Government's amendment, I welcome the tone that the minister adopted in his opening remarks and acknowledge the progress that has been made. The mental health strategy is good, and I welcome the heat targets for treatment of those suffering mental ill health. The fact remains, however, as a number of speakers have pointed out, meeting those targets has been patchy, and in some cases we appear to be moving in the wrong direction. The effect of that, particularly in relation to child and adolescent mental health services, is a genuine concern. I think that I have a point made by Dr Simpson and Malcolm Chisholm in their comments. I am going to struggle, I am afraid, Dr Simpson, sorry. As my colleague Jim Hume highlighted, when opening the debate, only half of the health boards are now meeting the new 18-week target for treatment, and five are failing to meet the old 26-week target. Meanwhile, the availability of educational psychologists is below what is needed, and, again, adult psychological services are falling short of target set. In practice, what that means is that the opportunity to intervene with those who need help to put in place support, identify coping strategies, whatever it may be, all of this is delayed, potentially with serious consequences. As Sam H1, the later individuals engaged with health services, the more complex their treatment and recovery will be. However, let me be clear, this is not a criticism of those on the front line in our health, care and third sectors. Without the contribution that they make, invariably above and beyond anything that we have a right to expect, as Jim Human and the minister emphasised, the situation for those with poor mental health in Scotland would be profoundly worse. It is why Scottish Liberal Democrats prioritised mental health in our recent budget negotiations with ministers, and why in 2013 we called for additional support to boost under-resourced psychological therapies. Little wonder do those pressures exist given the numbers affected. The range of conditions may be wide, and some people do move in and then out of poor ill health. However, that is not a niche. As Nanette Milne pointed out, the latest social attitudes survey confirms one in four of a personal experience of mental health through their life. The impact of those stretches is far, far wider. In this and previous debates, members have spoken passionately from direct personal experience, whether themselves, a family member or a close friend. I can think of few other debates in this chamber where similar insight and empathy can be brought to bear. It is also one, the only one of the reasons I believe that we must elevate still further the importance we attached to tackling poor mental health and encouraging good mental health. Scottish Liberal Democrats do believe that it is now time for Scotland to follow the lead taken south of the border and to legislate to afford equal treatment to both mental and physical health. Progress has been made here, and measures are in place to go further, but this falls short of putting mental health on an equal footing with physical health. This matters. As the head of the Blyde Trust in Orkney, Fraser Campbell explained to me recently, too often mental health services are way round the list in terms of budget allocation and other resources, for example hospital space, room design etc. That is why Fraser Campbell wants to see equality in service provision. In passing, can I briefly record my gratitude to those who helped raise around £12,500 for the Blyde Trust? It is strictly come dancing on Friday night, particularly the dozen souls who put at risk life limb and reputation on the dance floor. As well as the money raised, I hope this event brought the work of the Blyde Trust and the needs of those who suffer poor mental health in Orkney to a wider audience. Certainly the issues of stigma and a reluctance to seek help are known to be more prevalent in smaller particularly rural communities. Whatever other steps we take, I agree with Rod Campbell, we need to be more open and honest about mental health in this country. But if mental health is something people find hard to talk about openly, it is as nothing compared to the taboo surrounding suicide. Obviously, not everyone with a mental health issue considers taking their own life, but the numbers who do and who succeed remain high despite a reducing trend in recent years. In 2013, 795 people died by suicide in Scotland. Male suicides learned at three times the rate for females, and according to the Samaritans, suicide is now the leading cause of death of under-35s in this country. That last statistic is truly shocking. Those with most of their life ahead of them, those with so much still to experience, with so much still to contribute, reaching a conclusion that they cannot bear to continue living. That is truly appalling and demands recognition of depression for what it really is. Last time I spoke in this debate, I talked about Andy Harrison, a friend, work colleague and flatmate from my days working in Westminster. Andy took his own life four years ago after a long battle with depression. To this day, I find it hard to understand or accept such a tragic loss of talent, vitality and decency. Andy's wicked sense of humour and generosity of spirit that made him such a privilege to know, massed a deep-rooted despair that ultimately killed him. Since then, I have learned of others who found themselves wrestling with many of the same demons as Andy. In my own orty constituency, there have been a spate of suicides over the last six months or so. While apparently not out of keeping with the statistical averages, nevertheless in a community the size and character of orty, those deaths have touched people very profoundly. I learned recently of someone I was at school with who took their own life last year. I can still remember the shock at being told. Even though we know that each suicide involves an individual with their own personality, their own circumstances and representing their own tragedy, we are perhaps guilty of seeing the statistic rather than the person. In truth, very often, even those closest do not realise the full extent of the risk until it is too late. Again, that is why we must create the conditions whereby issues of mental health, including depression, can be talked about without fear of stigma and judgment. I firmly believe that one way of helping to achieve that is through setting an ambition of zero suicides. To Mr Mason, I would say that this is not the same as setting a target, nor is it, I believe, inconsistent with the objectives underlying the assisted suicide bill. It is about setting an aspiration, changing the mindset about how those with mental health issues are cared for. Evidence from elsewhere shows that it can have dramatic and positive effects. Mersey Care in Liverpool, for example, is a programme involving improved training for staff, working with parents, patients and families to develop a personalised safety plan, a dedicated safe from suicide team providing advice, support and monitoring, and close working with partners like Samaritans. In Detroit, which is signed up to such a commitment, the area covered by the programme has reported no suicides in over two years. Again, that is not a criticism of existing schemes such as Choose Life, but a plea to go further, to aspire to something even more ambitious. If we fall short of this ambition, let's at least be closer than we currently are. As I said in closing the debate last year, this is an issue that needs to be discussed openly, taken seriously and addressed effectively. It is not a second-class condition and ultimately there is no good health without good mental health. One year on, this is truer now than ever and I urge colleagues across the chamber to support the motion. Thank you. That concludes the debate on mental health. We now move to the next item of business, which is consideration of business motion 12495, in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick on behalf of the parliamentary bureau setting out a business programme. Any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press a request-to-speak button now. I call on Joe Fitzpatrick to move motion number 12495. Firmly moved. Thank you. James Kelly has indicated that he wishes to speak against the motion. Up to three minutes, Mr Kelly. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I rise to oppose the Government business motion, and I do so on the basis that the Government have refused a request from the Scottish Labour Party for a statement on the future of Presswick Airport. I am aware and supportive of the importance of Presswick, not only to Ayrshire but to the wider Scottish economy. However, it is the duty of Parliament to hold the Government to account on this issue and its actions on Presswick. The recent Audit Scotland report that was published last week noted that the costs involved from the public pass had doubled to £40 million from the previously stated figure of £21 million, and Audit Scotland also called for clear and robust plans to be spelled out. It is against that background that Labour has asked for a parliamentary statement. Given the scale of the issue, it is staggering that the only Government-initiated statement to the full parliamentary chamber was on 8 October 2013 by the then Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Nicola Sturgeon, to indicate that negotiations were under way to take the airport into public ownership. I think that it is completely unacceptable that, in a year and a half, we have not had a Government minister come of the Government's own accord and make a statement and be accountable to Parliament on this important issue. In light of the Audit Scotland report, there continue to be questions about the on-going costs involved, the projected passenger numbers and also the future business plan. That is why we need a statement. It is simply not good enough for the Government to adopt that I cannot be bothered to come and speak to its attitude. The Government needs to take Parliament seriously. The workforce at Presswick deserves answers, the public deserves answers and Parliament is a platform for those answers. That is why the Labour Party will continue to call for a statement on the future of Presswick and also oppose the business motion tonight. I now call on Jo Fitzpatrick to respond, Minister, up to three minutes. Mr Kelly confuses money expended with a loan facility. He probably needs to check a few more of his facts as he moves along. The Audit Scotland report vindicates the actions taken by the Scottish Government. It shows that we made the right decision to safeguard 3,200 jobs and secure a vital infrastructure asset that contributes more than £61 million annually to the Scottish economy. If we had not stepped in, Glasgow Presswick Airport would have closed. If however, the Labour Party wants to question— Mr Kelly, the minister is not taking intervention. If the Labour Party wants to question the safeguarding of 3,200 jobs, their deputy leader had the opportunity to raise that at FMQs last week, and she has a further opportunity tomorrow. Alternatively, if Labour wants a longer discussion, they can use their own time during opposition business next week. I am sure that the irony of Labour opposing Labour business next week will have not escaped the majority of this chamber. That is taking opposition for opposition's sake a bit too far. I move the motion on behalf of the bureau. I now put the question to the chamber. The question is that motion number 12495 in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick be agreed to. Are we all agreed? Parliaments not agreed. We move to vote. Members should cast their votes now. The result of the vote on motion number 12495 in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick is as follows. Yes, 70. No, 51. There were no abstentions. The motion is therefore agreed to. The next item of business is consideration of five parliamentary bureau motions. I would ask Joe Fitzpatrick to move motions number 12497, 12500, 12502 and 12505 on approval of SSIs on block. And motion number 12506 on the referral to the Parliament of the Local Government Finance Scotland amendment order. Questions on these motions will be put at decision time. The next item of business is consideration of motion number 12504 in the name of Joe Fitzpatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau on the approval of a Scottish statutory instrument, section 30, on the franchise. I would ask members who wish to speak in the debate to press a request to speak, but now I call on Joe Fitzpatrick to move the motion. I now call on Bruce Crawford to speak on behalf of the Devolution Further Powers Bill Committee. I am pleased to be able to make a short contribution as the convener of the Devolution Further Powers Committee. 110,000 additional citizens of Scotland that is the size of the population of Scotland of the chance to be enfranchised if in the coming months the Scottish Parliament passes the necessary legislation. I hope that the Parliament tonight will approve the draft order to transfer powers to the Scottish Parliament and allow that legislation to be brought forward once the private council has given its approval. I am delighted to report that all five political parties represented on my committee unanimously agreed to do just that and recommend that we give approval tonight at decision time. That will add Parliament's approval to the agreement of both houses of the UK Parliament, one chamber albeit a little more reluctantly than the other. What a prize, Presiding Officer, and for me the prize is another step forward towards creating a modern democracy, building on the historic reforms that delivered votes for the ordinary person, not just the rich and the privileged, few, and votes for women, reforms that characterised the previous century. The work that my committee has undertaken, we have also felt the palpable desire of Scotland's young people to be involved in decisions that affects their lives. We have been to Fort Williamant and Levenmouth as part of Parliament days and spoken to over 216 and 17-year-olds and furthermore surveyed a further 1,000. The results of the activity can be summarised by simply saying, though overwhelming majority want and are ready for this change. One comment from a young man from Fort Williamant sticks in my mind when we discussed voting in the recent referendum. He said, why should an older generation get to decide our future when it is our future that you are all voting for? I could not agree more with that. I look forward, Presiding Officer, to the work that comes next to scrutinise the bill that the Scottish Government has set to introduce. We will endeavour, Presiding Officer, to carry out the detailed scrutiny that would be expected of us and allow Parliament the chance to get this legislation on the statute books by the summer recess and ultimately give those 110,000 young people of Scotland the right that every citizen of Scotland expects in a modern democracy, the right to vote. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. We support and welcome the order for three reasons. First, it gives effect to part of the Smith agreement. That agreement, of course, belongs to all the parties who signed it, and all those parties have supported the devolution of the power conferred by this order. For our part, Scottish Labour is keen to see the delivery of the agreement in accordance with the timetable that was laid out last year, and this early action in this respect more than delivers on that commitment. Second, as Bruce Crawford has said in half of the committee, we welcome votes for 16 and 17-year-olds. That is Labour policy not just for the Scottish Parliament and local government but across the United Kingdom. The referendum last year engaged young voters on both sides of the argument on the basis of votes at 16. When Harold Wilson's Government delivered votes at 18 in the 1960s, it became irreversible as soon as it was done, just as every other extension to the franchise had been. That will be true here too, and we want extending the franchise this time to be followed by wider democratic and constitutional reform across the UK, not least abolition of the House of Lords and creation of a senate of the nations and regions of the United Kingdom. Thirdly, passing this order now will allow work to go forward on implementing votes at 16 in good time for the Scottish Parliament elections next May. Many of those who voted at 16-year-olds last year and all the 17-year-olds will be over 18 by then, and a whole new cohort of young voters will have to be added to the electoral register. There is also a job to be done in engaging these new voters, and if they are to be as fully informed and engaged as we would want, that job has to start as soon as possible. For those reasons, we welcome this order, and we look forward to a bill being brought forward in the next few weeks to extend the franchise accordingly. Presiding Officer, this section 30 order is historic. It represents the first legislative change to be brought about following the report of the Smith commission. It is the full run-out of a major package of powers being brought forward by the UK Government, which will make this Parliament one of the most powerful, devolved legislators in the world. In itself, it powerfully refutes the proposition, peddled by the S campaign in last year's referendum, that no new powers would flow to this Parliament in the event of a no vote. That bogus assertion is today laid bare. These new powers, based on cross-party consensus, have indeed begun to flow. The draft provisions for a new Scotland bill have been published, the UK Government is now focused on final revisions to them, and on launching various strands of public engagement. However, this legislation is more than a mere taster. Today, we have a devolved and developed proposal for a new power that is substantial in itself. This order proposes a very significant change to the franchise in Scotland, a very important development for 16 and 17-year-olds. It reflects the impressively high levels of interest, engagement and awareness from that age group that was witnessed during the referendum. In 1928, women were given suffrage on an equal status to men. In 1969, the franchise was lowered from 21 to 18, and today sees a further exciting development. On this side of the chamber, we welcome this first piece of post-Smith agreement UK legislation. It is a significant step in the process of delivering to this Parliament the new powers to which all the parties in this chamber have agreed. I support the motion. I thought I misheard Lewis MacDonald. I thought he said that he wanted to demolish the House of Lords, which I thought might reflect in more of the building than anything else. We support the order in front of Parliament this afternoon for a couple of reasons, not least of which, in relation to the Smith agreement, I am giving effect to the Smith agreement. I want to thank Bruce Crawford for his careful handling of the committee proceedings. Although this is maybe a rather easier issue than some that the committee is currently dealing with. The cabinet secretary for his handling of the ministerial aspects of this, I am sure that the Government will wish to recognise that the Scottish secretary moved this matter on very quickly indeed to give effect to the overwhelming desire of politics in Scotland for this to come into effect in time for the 2016 Scottish general election. I just want to make one other point. This is about, as others have said, about young people. Two weeks ago I was at junior high school in my constituency with the two members of the Scottish youth parliament who said to me or said to the class who were cross-examining us, this was one of the campaigns that got them into politics. Sometimes this place is all noise and not enough action. Today this is action that really makes a difference to people. Alison Johnstone Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am delighted to take part in this short debate and to speak in favour of this order to devolve the power to extend the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds, which will deliver, at least at Scottish Parliament and local government elections, the Scottish Green Party's long-standing policy. Many organisations and individuals have campaigned on this issue, the NUS, the TUC, Bernardos, Unison and the Scottish Youth Parliament, diligently. They proved, as did all young Scots who took part in the referendum, that they are indeed ready to vote, that they are motivated to vote and that they are totally qualified to vote. Enabling our young people to vote takes us a step closer to the kind of Scotland that we want to become, an inclusive Scotland that empowers its citizens by fully involving them in the decision making process. Of course, that is not just about voting, but a vote helps young people ensure that local and national government is listening to what they have to say. During the referendum, we all took part in debates in school and church halls across the land. The questions that we received from our youngest voters were wholly relevant to the debate. The interest of our youngest voters was intense and their contribution to the debate broadened it. Their involvement made it more meaningful to more of our citizens. Patrick Harvie's debate, two weeks ago, explored how beginning to vote from the age of 16 can help to develop a habit and can help to involve people in politics throughout their lives. I look forward to future local and national government elections, where 16 and 17-year-olds continue to contribute in the articulate, challenging and thought-provoking way that they were able to in the referendum. I call John Swinney to respond, Deputy First Minister, four minutes. Presiding Officer, can I begin, first of all, by thanking members of all political parties for the comments that they have made in this short debate this afternoon? I also thank Mr Crawford and the Devolution of Further Powers Committee for the scrutiny that they have given of the order that is now before Parliament for approval. It is beyond exaggeration to say that one of the triumphs of the referendum campaign was the decision taken by this Parliament to attach a priority to enabling 16 and 17-year-olds to participate in the referendum last September. It was a measure of the capacity and the capability of the young people of Scotland that they exercised that responsibility in such an effective and a dignified way in every part of the country and seized the opportunity to take part in shaping the future of our country. The fact that the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government have been able to recognise that and to co-operate to bring forward the order that is before us today is to pay due respect to the capability and the strength of young people in Scotland who were able to make that contribution in the referendum. We are now by our actions today and by the further scrutiny that will take place when the Government introduces the necessary legislation to Parliament very shortly to ensure that young people, 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland are able to participate in the Scottish parliamentary elections in 2016 and in the local authority elections in 2017. We do so today with a great deal more agreement in this chamber than we did when the first question of 16 and 17-year-olds being able to vote was brought forward. I am delighted that the Conservatives have got to a position now where they are supporters of the right of 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the election. We will work very hard to persuade the Conservatives of other ways in which they can change their position to come to support the arguments of the Scottish Government in the years to come. Annabelle Goldie made one of her usually creative contributions to the debate with her reflections on the referendum. I can just say to Annabelle Goldie, as one of her fellow members of the Smith commission, that, although there are welcome enhancements in the powers of the Scottish Parliament as a result of the Smith commission, it does not represent the belief of this Government that addresses the democratic deficit of our country, and we will continue to work to secure the further powers that will enable us to deliver on the future of our country. To Lewis MacDonald, can I simply say that the Labour Party would be slightly more credible on the question of House of Lords abolition if they were not so enthusiastic about trying to get into the institution in the first place? We will look forward to their decisions in that respect in the years to come. If this is an application, then certainly, Mr MacDonald. Clearly there are no syndicures that I can offer Mr Swinney or he can offer me, but will he offer me today the support of his party for Labour's proposal for a Senate of the Nations and Regions in place of the House of Lords? Let me just say to Mr MacDonald that there will be no more enthusiastic supporters of the abolition of the House of Lords than the members of the Scottish National Party. Let me close by also adding to that. There will be no more enthusiastic supporters of the abolition of the House of Commons than the Scottish National Party into the bargain and the establishment of the full range of independent powers that this Parliament should have. Thank you. That concludes the debate on approval of the section 30 order in the franchise. We now move to decision time. There are nine questions to be put as a result of today's business. The first question is at amendment number 12491.2 in the name of Don Swinney, which seeks to amend motion number 12491 in the name of Willie Rennie. On privacy and the state, we agreed to. Are we all agreed? If the Parliament is not agreed, we move to vote. Members should cast their votes now. The result of the vote on amendment number 12491.2 in the name of Don Swinney is as follows. Yes, 64. No, 61. There were no abstentions. The amendment is therefore agreed to. The next question is at amendment number 12491.1 in the name of Richard Simpson, which seeks to amend motion number 12491 in the name of Willie Rennie. On privacy and the state, we agreed to. Are we all agreed? If the Parliament is not agreed, we move to vote. Members should cast their votes now. The result of the vote on amendment number 12491.1 in the name of Richard Simpson is as follows. Yes, 60. No, 65. There were no abstentions. The amendment is therefore not agreed to. The next question is at motion number 12491 in the name of Willie Rennie. As amended, on privacy and the state, we agreed to. Are we all agreed? If the Parliament is not agreed, we move to vote. Members should cast their votes now. The result of the vote on motion number 12491 in the name of Willie Rennie. As amended, as as follows. Yes, 65. No, 60. There were no abstentions. The motion as amended is therefore agreed to. In relation to the debate on mental health, can I remind members that if the amendment in the name of Jamie Hepburn is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Richard Simpson falls? The next question is at amendment number 12492.2 in the name of Jamie Hepburn, which seeks to amend motion number 12492 in the name of Jim Hume on mental health be agreed to. Are we all agreed? If the Parliament is not agreed, we move to vote. Members should cast their votes now. The result of the vote on amendment number 12492.2 in the name of Jamie Hepburn is as follows. Yes, 81. No, 42. There were no abstentions. The amendment is therefore agreed to and the amendment in the name of Richard Simpson falls. The next question is at motion number 12492 in the name of Jim Hume, as amended, on mental health be agreed to. Are we all agreed? Yes. There is a no. The motion is not agreed to. We move to vote. Members should cast their votes now. The result of the vote on motion number 12492 in the name of Jim Hume, as amended, is as follows. Yes, 120. No, five. There were no abstentions. The motion, as amended, is therefore agreed to. I propose to ask a single question on motions number 12497, 12500, 12502 and 12505 on approval of SSIs. If any member objects to a single question being put, please say so now. Nobody objects. The next question is at motion number 12497, 12500, 12502 and 12505 in the name of Jofits Patrick on approval of SSIs be agreed to. Are we all agreed? Yes. The motions are therefore agreed to. The next question is at motion number 12506 in the name of Jofits Patrick on the refer of the local government finance Scotland amendment order to the Parliament be agreed to. Are we all agreed? Yes. The motion is therefore agreed to. The next question is at motion number 12504 in the name of Jofits Patrick on approval of the section 30 order on the franchise be agreed to. Are we all agreed? Yes. The motion is therefore agreed to and the Parliament is agreed to approve the transfer of powers to enable legislation. The Parliament has therefore approved the transfer of powers to enable legislation to be brought forward to reduce the minimum voting age in Scotland. That concludes decision time. We now move on to members' business. Members to leave the chamber should do so quickly and quietly.


Hi guys, it's Drew here from Lone Fox, and today I'm doing a video with my best friends in Tucci! Hello, Lone Foxians! Ooh, Lone Foxians! That's an awful name! Do you even call them that? Um, I've actually done two videos with you in the past. Well, kind of.  And those videos did so well. We also did the Instagram selfie tips on your old YouTube channel. Oh, on my second channel, not my second channel, my older channel. I actually like making stuff for James's house. He has a really great, like, minimal aesthetic house. If you have not seen his house tour, you guys really need to. But today, we are doing a DIY challenge, 100% inspired by Lord DIY. Love her. Love her. Love her channel. She does these DIY challenges. And I thought it would be fun to take her play on it and do it with someone else. But on top of that, we are going to be grabbing out of a hat three materials that we actually have to include in the DIY project. And it's just like random materials. You can kind of see an array of them up here, right here. It's like basically like chopped, but like with DIYs. Yes, with DIYs. Exactly. It's like three little random materials to use them. Yes, exactly. And there's also going to be a base that we're going to be starting off with, which is this. What? A wooden little tray box. I don't know. I thought it was very generic and basic. And like, we need something to start off with, but you can't just make something out of this. I mean, we could, but I thought this was a nice starting point, you know? What? I don't know what. But then I also wanted to grab something that was very like James, you know, to like also add. So this is a second little thing you can add.  And these, I don't know how you're going to use it, but I thought that I would grab two and they can fit inside or you can do whatever you want with them. So these are going to be like our two items that are given to us. And then there's going to be three random that we're going to pick out of this hat. And before we pick the items out of the hat, if you guys have not already, make sure to subscribe to my channel. I post brand new videos every single week on DIY and home decor. You can go check out James's channel too. If you haven't seen it, he does makeup videos, really fun entertainment videos. Let's just pick out these good and fresh and fun items. Do I get to go first? You can go first. Let's do one each. Okay. Little jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. Jiggle one up. Should I open it on the duck tape? Duck tape. That's a bad one. That's a bad one. Wait, you don't even have duck tape up here. No, no, I do. Oh, did it fall off the desk? I'm not looking. I'm not looking. Paint. I got paint. This challenge is already rigged and canceled. Just letting everybody know. It is not rigged. I swear. Oops. I hope you get another bad one. You can get pipe cleaners. That's a really bad one. Yarn. Okay. I don't hate it with that. Yeah, yarn's a good one. You can figure out something to do with that. Oh, Lewis found the duck tape. Here you go, James. Thank God. He'll be using that. I won't be using that. So you can have it. I got clothes pins. So I have to do popsicle sticks and clothes. And there's no time limit. We're just going to make something chit-chat a lot. Not a time limit I need to go. And this is kind of just like a fun video, you know. Like who knows what we're going to come up with. Three, two, one, go. I'll get it off for you.  It's satisfying when it pulls all the way off. I think I'm going to just stuck it under your desk so you can finally... Ew, what are you doing? Well, since you got paint... We are only allowed to use our three items that we got. Plus one additional like bonus item that we want to use from the mixture. I think this looks beautiful. Shoot. Well, I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I'm going to talk to my... This is very like urban outfitter so far, you know. Wow, I'm so professional. I'm trying to see if I can come up with like some pattern or something to like put on this. I like your train of thought, Drew Scott. Oh, that's kind of right. So Drew, how's life as a DIY channel? It's actually so fun. If you guys don't know, I film like almost all my projects at James' house. Because this house is so nice to film in. I have like a small apartment, so I'm still not sure what I'm doing. So there's that. Here are the little hookity-wockity-woos. Oh. Yeah, I am good. I think no, absolutely not. Gosh, I have not even started yet. You're going to need to slow down, James. I think my additional item I already picked it is going to be this cord, this macrame cord. Okay. You already have a plan for yours going into this. I have no plan for it at all. Nice. I clearly don't because I don't know what I'm doing. Oh, okay. I have an idea actually. Oh, suddenly you have an idea? Yeah, suddenly I have an idea. Suddenly she is thinking. Okay, let's flip it over. I'm going to add some glue here. So just taping away with my duct tape, my favorite item that I have. That's a good one. Okay, I'm going to actually do two of these.  What are you doing, Drew? You'll have to find out. Do you see my side of this workstation compared to yours? Yeah. James, do you feel like DIYing is similar to makeup in any way? Like it's creative. Yeah, it's like... I mean, it's kind of like you have to plan it out. You have to get all the supplies you need and then you have to do it. Like everything else in the world. Well, I do feel like it's like definitely a creative outlet. And it's really cool to like take something and they make it into something else. I know. That's the most fun part. Even if it's like not practical, it's just fun making it, you know? Look at this good little envelope fold that I just made. Like I'm wrapping a present. I know I saw that. That looks amazing. What's the good question? What's my favorite DIY project I've ever done? Is it the one in your kitchen right now, that little island thingy about your round table? What's my favorite one that you've ever done? Yeah. Oh, um... Because I do them all here, so you've seen a lot of them. I feel like the quilt on my bed, honestly. Oh, yeah, true. Because you actually use that every day. Yeah, I still use it every day. It looks better than I thought it was going to look. Hey! Because duct tapes is hard to use. I'm going to need it to knock.  Luckily I didn't get the rainbow ones. I got the white and the black. You keep hitting me with my own supplies. You should have picked better supplies off China's. No, I picked good ones. I have my strings across here. That looks disgusting. That's good. Oh my god. Okay, I'm going to glue my popsicle stick. Ew! I look disgusting right now. I just got to go into myself. Oh, can't relate today. Have you ever DIY'd before this? Like have you ever... Were you ever like one of those like... Yeah. Pinterest tumbler DIYers? Yes, I was. I feel like I knew you were. But like I don't know what you mean. I don't know if you've ever actually talked about it. Yeah. So before I was like a beauty blogger, I like was obsessed with like tumbler and like Pinterest stuff. Literally there's a video on my old YouTube channel that people just found. That's like my room tour and it's literally all DIYs. Like geometric shapes and things.  And we'll say though I'm not that creative when it comes to coming up with them. Like I'm definitely... Oh you can like recreate that. I do makeup stuff a lot too. Like I definitely get...  It's like well no I gave credit. And two, like... It's hard to come up with like your own makeup look to start. Like literally one of my most asked questions in the whole world is like how do you come up with your projects? And I will just... Okay I'm doing an IKEA hacks and James has seen like I'll walk through IKEA for like an hour and a half, like two hours. Yeah. Do you want to check out our... Yeah. And just like try to find four different things and think of different ways to do it. And you know what? Remember how you told me to do that basketball hoop? Yes. I'm doing it. Take my Popsicle 6 shelf. How are you going to get that to stay up there? I have no idea. And what is that going to even hold? I have no idea. Like what is this little thing supposed to do? What am I supposed to do with pipe cleaners? Like kids crafts I think? I don't know. I have no idea. Like what is like the intended metal straws? Wow.  Those are not ugly, those are actually trendy. What? My subscribers told me those are trendy. Why does this yarn have little flakes on it? Because it adds texture. Why aren't these Popsicle 6 coming off? Kind of like a friendship bracelet instead. You can make a friendship bracelet and glue it on to your thing. Okay. Okay, so the recording actually stopped randomly.  And I cut the ends off one side and I glued it in there. I don't know what James is doing, nor do I care. But I should have definitely painted this interior first. Breaking up the shelf. Or like a tangerine? Like a green? Tangerine dream? Yeah. Like a little yellow? I'm such a good brainer. Me too, I'm better. Yeah, I am. I know. You know I wanted to use to be a hairstylist too. What? Yeah, that's all I wanted to be. I asked my mom, I had so many brass dolls and I would cut their hair and curl it. And it would melt to the curling iron. I wouldn't have to buy a new one. No, I never did it on actual girls ever. Really? So you got me there. Yeah. Oh wow, that is a good color. Not my first choice, but okay. I think the Lone Foxians can say this is a good color. That was the worst choice I ever did here. I know. You know you have one more item you can choose, like a specialty item? I don't want anything. Really? I don't know yet. Has there been a DIY project that you wanted to do in your house that you haven't been able to do? Like something that you've seen? In this house? Yeah. Or is like any house in general, like any future house? Well I have literally like hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of different Pinterest stuff like boards and different images saved for inspiration for when I build my house. Yeah. I'm like ready. Like I literally have every single aspect of it like planned out.  Cause like obviously this house I was able to do so many beautiful things with, but like it was already built. That's true. Like a finished house. I need a smaller paintbrush to get into the nuts and the crannies. When you do, or when you film your videos, do you ever like listen to music or do you like it silent? Always. Or I talk to you guys. Yeah. Because I voice them over. Like almost all my DIYs are voiced over. So I never really talk. When I'm getting ready, I literally like I have to get ready in silence. Like I, I am the kind of person like cannot work with music on. Oh really? Yeah. Like I really prefer to get ready in silence. I like to like draw in silence. I would always like I cannot write, I could not do any schoolwork ever with music playing. Oh me either. I can't do schoolwork with music playing, but I can definitely DIY with music playing and I always watch TV when I'm doing DIY. Oh, I was just finessing my way through school because I was homeschooled. I grade my own assignments. Yeah, I was in high school. I was homeschooled half of 9th, 10th, and 11th. Wait, I didn't even know that. Two and a half years. Yeah, because I started my Etsy store. I started the Etsy store with my mom, which if you guys don't know, my mom has an Etsy store of craft supplies, which I'll link below. Wait, I didn't even know that. Yeah. And I started the Etsy store and I got way too big and I wasn't able to go to school and ship all the orders at the same time. So I went, so I moved to being homeschooled so I can do it all. And then I was in the National Enquirer for making like $100,000 a year at age like 15. Yeah. That's good. Did you see that magazine spread? No. Wait, I didn't see that. I have to find it. Oh, look at that. Oh. That's good. That's a long handle. That's such a long handle. Just showing everyone what I made. What's your least favorite DIY project I've ever done? Because I leave a lot of them here for you. Yeah.  Like which ones? That is so rude. They can't all be good. It's true. You know you've had some bad ones. I mean, I've done a lot that I haven't actually shown on my channel. A lot of projects that I haven't included on my channel. Yeah. Okay, look at this. Not making a braid with. Oh, wow. You are really just a macrame queen. So that's going to give it like a luxury feel. Yes. That was the goal. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay, I'm applying my little clothespins down here. And look, I even added like a little tangerine accent to the bottom. Oh my God. I'm worried that this isn't going to be long enough. You got far better. You got literally the three best options. I will admit that I got some good options. Wait. Oh, I was going to say in every use of popsicle sticks, but that's because my shelf broke. You never answered the question of which is my worst DIY project that I've done or the one that I hated the most. All of them. Not all of them. This one. The ones that are in James's house currently that are actually being used are that little circular planter thingy that's hanging from your curtains. That one's good. That was really good. That's a good one. The kitchen island is in actual James's kitchen area. It looks so good. That's probably one of my favorite ones I've actually done. That's only your favorite. Yes, I agree.  And I don't know why I haven't thrown it out yet. What is it? It annoys me every time they look at it. It's like a basket and there's like command hooks in there. Do you see what I have to do with people? I gift my DIY projects to all my friends always. It's not a gift. A lot of them like them actually. A lot of them are lying to you. Oh, James, just a reminder that you still have to use the pipe cleaner. Oh, I was supposed to put it inside of the braid. I saw you braiding without the pipe cleaner and I just decided to not tell you. Drew, you are getting on my last nerve. Why don't I have to get duct tape? Duct tape. Duct taken. Duct taken. Friggin' duct taken. Duct tape. You said ducting again. Duct tape and pipe cleaners. Yeah, that's disgusting. You picked those ones though. Well, you put them in there. Well, there are other options. Who are some of your favorite DIY channels to watch my inspiration? I love a good Hermione Chantel. I believe that's her name. I've never heard of it. Rachel Metz.  I know, so good. I was talking to her today. We're filming this week. I love the Sorry Girls. Yes. They're really good. I love the video. And Mr. Kate, of course. I mean, she's not really a DIY channel. She's more of like a whole like interior home renovation channel. But still, she does do some DIY products every now and then. So I love her. And Emily Faith is another one I like. There's just like a lot of random girls that I like. What would you even use this for though, by your front door? It looks very like Urban Outfitters that you would buy for your studio apartment. Or your locker. Or your locker, yeah. Yeah. Wait, but I want to kind of help you now because I feel like I'm done. I don't want to go and overdo it, you know? That's when things go bad. Because I always try to do my makeup with James. I always try to do eye makeup with James because it's so fun. Because I love blending the eye makeup. It's literally like painting. Yeah. And I do it. And then there's always, I always go too far. It looks so good. And then I'm like, I'm going to go a little further. And that's what always happens in my DIY projects. Like I do it. And then it looks so good. I'm like, I'm going to take it one step further. And then it just ends up not working out. I'm going to try to help you with your pipe cleaner, James. You know what? I have literally no idea what to do with a pipe cleaner.  They're ugly. They're so ugly. That's why I got them. Just a little quick idea. Do you have another wooden box? No? Wooden box? Yes. Do you really start over? No! She just glued her on the inside edge. No, this looks so stupid! What about if you glue it across the top? Yeah, I think pipe cleaners should be an illegal DIY item. But that's why I added it. Because I kind of found it also kind of fresh. Your project's done!  I kind of like it. Do you want it? It doesn't honestly look like that. This is my finished project. Oh my God. Which is like a nice little like front door studio apartment inside of your locker if you need more additional storage space. Clip on your car keys like if you need to go out the door.  And this one could be used for your bills that you have to pay. Are you sad? Yeah, I'm so sad. I was destined to lose as soon as I picked up duct tape and pipe cleaners. That's true of the challenging ones. You literally got the easiest things. No, I didn't. I'm just really talented. Oh my God. You literally got paint, clothes, pens, and popsicle stacks. That's the easiest thing by far that you could ever pick. All right, guys.  I hope that you enjoyed it. How James did you enjoy it today? No, I didn't. Yeah, you did. Will you be back ever? Yeah, you will. Yeah, you will. If you guys would like to follow me, you could definitely do so. Subscribe to my channel. I post brand new DIY and home decor videos every single week. And you can follow me on Instagram. It's lonefoxhome. And my personal is I'm Drew Scott from the screen. And you can follow James too if you want to.  Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope you guys enjoyed this video. If you'd like to see more challenge videos, definitely give this one a thumbs up. And I guess we will see you or I will see you because James will be back for a while, I guess. In the next one. Bye. Bye.


So you talked about manning training and equipping, and you've talked about the importance of cyber. As Navy cyber forces transitions to the ID forces TICOM, we're going to be doing some of that manning training and equipping. You were discussing, but it's broader than just cyber. What do you think our sailors need to know about what the rest of the IDC community can bring to the fleet? Sure. Well, as I mentioned before, we took a kind of a hesitation in 2009 and we said, you know, if you can control information in the future, you can kind of control at least the pace of battle in the future, and you can probably control the outcome. So we said, all right, who controls information? Well, oceanographers are weather people. That's called the METOC people. We have information professionals to operate our networks. We have information warriors, cryptologists and people that bring those programs in. And we have, of course, intelligence specialists. Why not bring all of the people that deal in information together and coordinate our efforts in that regard? That's the information dominance core. So the idea is to dominate information, you know? And so we brought that core together. I keep repeating the words, but it is simple and concept. So now you're bringing sort of disparate organizations and saying, hey, we need you all to come together in a coordinated effort and work to do the things we talked about before, make sure we are cyber safe, that we can get out into other networks, control our networks, know the difference between information and intelligence, just babble versus things that are really, really important to know, and prioritize that because if you control information, you control the pace in the future and probably the outcome of conflict. Our folks need to grasp and understand that. So we have surface warriors and we have surface force type command that organizes, trains and equips them. The same in aviation, the same in submarines, the same in expeditionary warfare. It just makes sense we do the same for information. We have a command that organizes, trains and equips. And that's the information dominance force.


Good afternoon and welcome to Town Meeting Television's continuing coverage of Town Meeting 2021. The Village of Essex Junction will be having a vote on new trustees and a number of ballot questions including their budget and some related merger questions and that vote will happen on the 13th of April and it will be Australian ballot. There is an information meeting I believe on that's right Andrew at 7 p.m. and today we're going to be interviewing two of the candidates for the trustees for the Village who are unopposed for three-year terms. Amber Tebow and Andrew Brown welcome. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you. Thank you. I just want to remind our viewers if you'd like to call us at 862-3966 that's<PHONE_NUMBER> we very much welcome your calls but we're going to start uh Amber if you don't mind telling us why you're running and what qualifies you for the reelection to the trustees thank you. Sure thanks Lauren. So I have been sitting on the trustees for two years I believe it is this will be my third year and I got started two years ago somebody approached me about joining and said you know the community community needs somebody to step up and I had the time at the time I was I was on the planning commission I had done three years on the planning commission so I ran I was unsuccessful so I lost to Raj Chala and then Elaine vacated her seat and I was appointed for the remainder of her term and I've now run a couple of times unopposed so I feel like at this point I um I think we're at a critical juncture with the village and whether we merge we separate I think we're we're gonna we're about to make some history either way and I would like to continue in my role as a board of trustee and I think we we've done a lot of good stuff in the last couple of years. And could you just say more about what qualifies you other than happening to run and then find yourself appointed? Well I think that's the interesting thing about all of these positions is that you don't really have to have any qualifications except for live within the boundaries of the village and be willing and able to serve but with that being said I do have again three three years on the planning commission I did also I've kind of lost track of all time I think I've probably got about the same on the capital committee Andrew might be able to confirm that with the village and my day job is I am an attorney so I do I do I do have some background and some of the stuff that we do see in front of the the trustees. Thank you so much Amber. Andrew Brown you're currently the president of the trustees as I understand it and you're running again unopposed for a three-year term why are you running for reelection and what qualifies you? Yes thank you Lauren Glenn. So for me I was raised in Essex and have called Essex my home for over 30 years. I live in Essex with my 11 year old son and wife as well as our aging dog. Professionally I have worked in social services for my entire professional life whether that be in mental health, affordable housing, college access and success or workforce development and I'm running because I really want to help to ensure that I'm bringing the voice of the average everyday person to the table. I believe that I myself bring a level head a common sense of approach to everything that we discuss and ask myself whether my son would be proud of me for the things that I'm doing. As you had mentioned I've been the president of the board of trustees now for two years this is my eighth year on the board it is something that I find personally gives me a lot of satisfaction and joy because I see what is happening in the community as continued positive growth and continued positive change and I want to I want to continue seeing it go down the path that we've been going down and especially as Amber mentioned we really are at this point this critical point in time in the village where if we end up merging or not there are very tough decisions that we as a board and as a community need to have and this is a time when I feel that that approach that I bring to the trustees is really valuable so I believe that another three years is a great opportunity to help see this through. Thank you so much. Tell me you spoke a couple days ago when we looked at the budget for the village do you support the maybe if you could recap what voters are looking at in terms of the budget and whether you support that budget Andrew Brown? Yeah so the budget is what I refer to as a status quo budget it maintains the exact same services the exact same levels of services that we village residents have enjoyed and experienced for umpteen years the tax rate increase is less than 1% largely in part to some consolidation work that we've done with the town of Essex where the rolling stock fund which is how our vehicles are purchased is going to be um for the public works department so when we think of our plow trucks those types of things that's going to be purchased through the entire town of Essex and not just the village of Essex Junction so that has helped to keep the the tax rate and the tax increase lower for village residents and I absolutely support this budget it's um while there are things that yes would be great to be able to do uh it's a very level uh it's a it's a it's a good budget yes I support it. Thank you so much Amber Tebow what's your view of the village FY 22 budget? Yep I support the budget as well I think Andrew kind of hit all the the points we did we did spend a a day plus um you know going over all the the figures and and trying to trying to hold the line as much as we possibly can I always have this um this I don't know balance of trying to make sure that we're also pulling in enough revenue and not focusing so much on the expenditures that that we have um and and when I say revenue I don't mean you know grand list you know tax revenue but um trying to look at things like permit fees and and stuff and make sure that we're in a line with other communities and so over the last couple of years that I've been in this role we've slowly moved those figures and those revenue figures uh goals up a little bit and I think um you know while while merger is on the tip of everybody's tongue there is there are a lot of other things in the village that are going on and that is one of the things that we do need to look at and and kind of brush off of our um permit fees and and um try to figure out if we are in a line so on the on the ballot are two questions that are before the voters of the village one is to reassert the merger and the other is to start separation investigating separation where do you stand on these questions amber so I support more merger and I think the trustees have all expressed that we are all in favor of merger I'm disappointed by the previous vote um but you know here we are doing it again so hopefully this time it'll pass but if we if it doesn't pass then I am in favor of separation um I did not vote yes on uh article six I think is it article six which is the separation and the reason I didn't do that was because again not that I'm not in favor of separation in the event that merger does it pass it's that I don't they don't like being tied to potentially not having any um sharing of services we haven't we have not done any back of the envelope on any of the services one of the ones that I think actually Sarah Macy had mentioned in the last meeting um select board meeting was the town clerk and whether in the event that we did separate would the village have a town clerk would we have a vault would we have our own land records and to me as somebody who does this work on a regular basis you know meaning I I record deeds and stuff and and it just would seem like too complicated for me to try to parse that and have our own vault and stuff and so just thinking from that perspective I didn't want to be tied to not having any connection with the town um other than the police department but I I do support merger and in the event that that doesn't pass I do support separation thank you Andrew Brown what's your position on the merger of the village in the town of Essex I have voted for merger previously I submitted my returned in my ballot the other day and voted for merger again this came about through a citizen petition to have us reconsider this question and I would agree with Amber that I'm disappointed that it didn't pass the first time but since we are here I will absolutely vote forward again uh in terms of separation I do believe that as one community Essex as a whole is much better than in two separate communities but at the same time as I as I think I said during our last program the the feedback I get the most from the village residents are that the status quo just has to go in this time for a change so if merger fails I'm I am in favor of separation um I am also in favor of taking a slightly slower pace than what is on that article six in that putting forth a a charter separation plan um by this November I think is too soon but but in my opinion it's too soon by about one year I think there is a lot of research that needs to be done which is why I've been pushing for a committee to help us do some of this research so that way the community can understand what a separated Essex junction would actually look like what it would mean for for all of us as residents that example that Amber used about the clerk is a great example and we have other questions of many other departments like that that we need to we need to ask ourselves and make sure that as a community this is what we want before we get too far down the path so that's ultimately should merger go down I really be looking to the community to talk to come together as a community help to figure out where we go as yes separation is one option but whether it is the best option or not I think that that's something that we as a community need to to talk about thanks Amber anything you want to add to that I was just going to say I think we've we have spent I mean all of our energy I don't think there's been maybe any energy spent on separation and so I think that's where I mean because that is that is our goal and so we really don't know we don't know what that separation or something other than merger looks like without without spending a considerable amount of time as as Andrew said so as you noted there are other things that are going on in your community in addition to the merger question and COVID is one of the you know the the top ones how has the village been affected and what have you learned and maybe Amber we could talk with you about that first so I think we haven't seen the full effect of COVID because we're still we're still currently in it but one of the one of the things is you know what is our business is going to look like after COVID you know we had we've had some great events to bring revenue into the into the town and the village last I'm going to get it wrong because we've done it twice now and what was it out and about was the last one okay so out and about was this past summer in which we encouraged folks to come in they got vouchers to use within the town or the village at restaurants and businesses so even you could use them at Phoenix books and so that was kind of trying to draw draw some revenue in and so that was extremely successful it was a great opportunity even during COVID to mask up and see some of your your neighbors that you haven't seen since the beginning but that was a small you know influx of business so I don't know you know what is it going to mean for us for later I don't know it to be undetermined I will say the one thing that I think has been really helpful during COVID is we have seen more participation from the public than we have ever seen and I've been on not only for village boards but you know my time in the city of Burlington just the amount of folks that are able to dial in and zoom with us is great it is absolutely great while I do miss that in person it is nice to have more public participation so do you see a future for a hybrid type of democracy I think we do I think we do I think there's always going to be folks who are just more comfortable with us with a screen there are more folks who are just they're not able to get in the car and come over at a for a seven o'clock meeting whether they've got to put their kids to bed or whatever I do think that that's going to be helpful to keep that model thanks so much Andrew Brown what have you learned on behalf of the village about this COVID period and what thoughts do you have on what's next really amber stole the majority of what I would have said to that so way to go amber the only new thing that I would really add to that is how how impressed I've been at the community to step up and really help each other out has just blown my mind they're on Facebook there is a a page called the to go tour that was started by two village residents where it's been a way for people who utilize that form of social media to share great meals that they've had at an area restaurant in a way to help open our eyes to other opportunities other restaurants to help support these businesses that for many of us supports the various fundraising opportunities by giving gift cards giving vouchers those kinds of things and so as a community the number of ways in which our community has reached out and helped others has just been amazing giving out free meals we have some some area restaurants that are giving out hundreds of free meals every every week to people who need it we have residents who are regularly sharing things that they are getting rid of they no longer need and offering it to residents for free in ways that I hadn't seen before and in particular the I don't want to get the name incorrect but I think it was a chitenden mask army was another another effort that many of our community members were a part of and I remember early on in the pandemic you couldn't get a mask I had for our family we had no idea where to get one but we needed to go grocery shopping and thankfully some some neighbors had made some masks that we were able to get and able to get to the grocery store for the first time that since the pandemic started so the the community love and compassion that our members have for each other has just continued to impress me more and more I want to focus on racial justice the town of Shelburne recently basically agreed that they suffer as a community from institutional racism and have identified a working group to start to raise funds and start to address these issues within the community do you see Andrew that the village suffers from institutional racism and do you see a way forward through the trustees absolutely we as a as a village suffer through institutional racism as a state as a country as a whole we suffer through institutional racism in my in previous professional work around affordable housing I've seen the impacts of that through the the redlining practices in the concentration of of where wealth can happen so yes it's absolutely prevalent throughout our society and is there a way forward absolutely for somebody like myself where I would identify as a you know act 30 year 37 year olds white male it's hard for me to understand what that means in a day-to-day practice as I didn't experience the institutional racism from the oppressed lens so for me it is largely a learning opportunity to help make sure that if I'm doing something and I'm contributing to something I need to be called out for it as well as call others out once I understand what these practices are so I'm not naive to the fact this is still something I am learning a significant amount about and I'm not going to profess to be an expert in it thankfully in our community there is a racial there's a racial work group that has that the select board and trustees have helped to start that we just had a great presentation from I think this was at our last joint meeting a few weeks ago which is helping to assist people like myself to educate us and open our eyes to much more than what we may have have thought so yes there's a path forward and I think we're really starting on the path we're not at the end by far thank you amber would you like to add to that the the trustees next steps related to addressing the institutional racism we find around us yeah I think Andrew kind of hit it I mean we we did get this presentation from a creative discourse at our last last meeting and so they've started the process of meeting with community members meeting with staff meeting with the police department meeting you know just trying to identify what what areas we can improve upon and so we are kind of at the very beginning of understanding what that is and I anticipate that we'll have a lot more a lot more discussion in the future but it sounds like these these meetings are happening on a regular basis so we are not directly involved in them I believe there might be one of us that is on one of the the committees but it's not it's neither Andrew or I so I think we have we have lots of information that's going to come our way that will be able to help us determine the path and is that what's the genesis of that process what role have you played as trustees in giving the green light for that work to happen do you want me to answer that one or do you go ahead so there was a the impetus of it started at a desire from a joint meeting to hear from the community about what has been going on in terms of racial equity within Essex as a whole so not just Essex Junction but the town of Essex as a whole and given that our police department in Essex is is done throughout the entire town we've wanted to make sure that the trustees have been at the table especially with issues related to our ordinances and making sure that things that we in the village have per view over are being enforced in a way that are racially just and equal for for everybody and as such we have appointed a member from our board to be a part of this committee so there's one trustee there's a select board member there is the director of the the community justice center our police chief our municipal manager and there are others I'm just gonna blank on all of the people who are a part of it as well as consultants and professionals who truly understand the roots and the ways to get us from our current place to a better future state and so through this we've helped there have been listening sessions throughout the community at least three listening sessions or so from the BIPOC community to help share their experiences with Essex police department as well as a survey that went out to the entire community that helps to show that if you're a white person you generally have a more favorable opinion of the police department than if you're not and so just starting to get this information so then we as elected officials and the community's lawmakers can take that and help with some types of institutional change as well as our staff who then actually do the work thank you amber are you satisfied with how the police department which serves the village on the town is addressing I mean the I know we have a question written down but my question really is to do is do you think that the Essex police department is balanced in how it approaches the problems in the community do you think that there is enough of an emphasis on community based justice and would you would you rearrange how they're organized in order to meet the unmet needs in the community I do think they they do a lot of work in the community to try to facilitate I think as much as they possibly can for working with community justice and and keeping folks out of the penal system I guess is probably easier way of saying that when it relates to like a mental health issue or something so I do think we see a lot of that work from them they might I would suspect that they probably say that there's probably more work that they could do because there's always room for improvements maybe even just a slight bit but I do think that they that they that we've seen that that they that they are focusing on that and they do some really good work with community justice Andrew what's your evaluation of how the police public safety serves the community from a community justice community based justice point of view so based on the information from the survey I would say that they're doing a good job and that yes there's absolutely room for improvement I remember being at the the the protests for George Floyd's murder at Five Corners when at the time he was either the captain or assistant chief who is now our police chief joined us in taking a knee in in protest and solidarity so the fact that our chief of police is willing not only willing to be a part of conversations but is actually taking a personal stand and is at the forefront of some of this I think helps to really show that yes our police department is looking to be a part of the change and looking to be a part of the solution I would be I don't think I would be wrong to say that again they're at the beginning stages of the so and they are not at the end so there's still more growth and more change that does need to happen well what was has been the most surprising that you've heard from the BIPOC community that you just had no idea and maybe Andrew you could answer Amber I mean you said there have been listening sessions you said people have been talking about this what have you heard or experienced that really stands out in this period Amber I'm I'm sorry I wasn't sure who it go ahead Andrew I I'm going to get the numbers wrong but I go back to the the stark difference in those who identify as part of the BIPOC population who don't feel as positively the Essex police department to me it was I knew that the number was going to be lower but I believe it was about 90 something percent for those who who identify as non-BIPOC and I think 60 percent for those who do identify as as BIPOC view the view the police department as as favorable and it's concerning I mean to have it at that high of a level honestly was a shock to me I think some of it goes to my own education in this and how I think naive I've I've been so yeah that's that's what still stands out in my mind in residence so thank you for sharing that Amber yeah I think I mean any of the the listening session that you know I participated in I was just it it surprises me to hear any of these stories because I I live in some I think this like sheltered little you know worlds and and that's exactly what we're trying to get at here and and so for me to hear any of these stories that are coming out of the Essex police department just surprised me and I mean they're they're but as Andrew said I mean we have we have a police department who is paying attention who is at the table um was actively participating in in these these sessions and that's just it's great it's absolutely great do you want to move on now to your closing comment Amber Kibo I don't really have a closing comment I guess um you know I look forward to the next three years with the this crew that I I've gotten to know pretty well and and that we seem to get along pretty uh pretty good we've had some some laughter some tears mostly laughter um and the tears are usually mine and um so I look forward to continuing and thank you for this opportunity thank you Amber Kibo Andrew Brown your closing comment I've appreciated the previous eight years I've had in the board of trustees and look forward to another three years um I especially look forward to this coming time when we either come together as one Essex or we as a village just start talking about our own future to me it is such an exciting time and I'm thrilled to be a part of it and I can't wait till April 14th when the votes are counted and we can figure out which direction we're going in wonderful I want to thank you both we've been speaking with two of the two candidates for the village of Essex trustees Amber Tibo and Andrew Brown are both running unopposed for a three-year term the election in the village of Essex Junction will be happening on the 13th Australian ballot and there will also be a vote in the town on article one and the school budgets which you'll also be voting on in the village so there's an informational meeting on the 7th of April at 7 p.m if you'd like more information or tune in here to 10 meeting tv where we have a review of the village budget and ballot questions thank you so much for joining us we really appreciate it thank you for watching and don't forget to vote