Page 19 - Jon Billups News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Whem did communication between BLC and F&M end? During a subsequent phone call with Charles Walsh, councilman Matt Rinker, who was not authorized to represent in the city on the call and instead was speaking on his own behalf, and school board president Joel Sieren, Brown and BLC Vice President Merquiche Lewis learned the bank already had created the scholarships and that they were earmarked for minority students, not specifically Black students. "A phone call between the Black Leadership Council, F&M, a member of the Burlington City Council and the Burlington School Board took place Jan. 1...

Listen to the story. Representatives from the Black Leadership Council, including Pastor Rob Brown, attended Monday's city council meeting.  Brown said the city has done nothing for the Black community since Walsh made the comment. "Please just understand our frustration. Nothing is being done. Who's protecting the Black community? Who's speaking up for us?” Brown asked. “Everybody talks about the good of F&M, what about the Black community?" Brown said he and other community leaders want the city council to go on record with a vote on whether to continue doing business with F&M so tha...

The Hawk Eye Members of the Black Leadership Council on Monday urged the Burlington City Council to decide whether to continue the city's business with a local bank.  After months of discussion, the Rev. Rob Brown, president of the BLC, said it is time city council members make clear where they stand on continuing business with Farmers and Merchants Bank and Trust. "What we are asking to be put on the agenda," said Brown. In early November, Lisa Walsh, a vice president of F&M, posted a comment to her Facebook page saying she didn't "want to be led by a minority slut," referring to then-vic...

The Burlington City Council on Monday approved a five-year contract with most of its union employees. The city's new contract keeps almost all of the permissive language and gives union employees a 2.5% raise for each of the contract's five years. "All sides agreed (the contract was) fair and equitable," Mayor Jon Billups explained. With the exception of police officers and firefighters, all of the city's union workers are a part of the American Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees Local 828, with Burlington Public Library employees who are a part of the AFSCME union submitting a s...

March 16, 2021 (Photo Credit: City of Burlington) Burlington, Ia-  At their regular meeting on Monday, March 15th the Burlington City Council decided to pay tribute to their departing city manager Jim Ferneau. As a tribute to Ferneau, who is stepping down as City Manager in order to pursue a business opportunity, all members of the council donned his usual meeting day attire of a blue shirt and khaki slacks. “Everybody knows that Jim wears a blue shirt on Mondays,” Said Burlington Mayor Jon Billups.  “And so staff and council are all wearing blue dress shirts tonight as a fond far...