A question from Graham’s mayor about downtown park benches set off a round of discussion that will continue at the city council’s next meeting, on April 14.
Noting the warming spring weather, mayor Chelsea Dickey, said, “We used to have benches downtown. Can we bring the benches back downtown?” she asked during miscellaneous council comments toward the end of the council meeting.
But her idea hit a buzzsaw of opposition from a couple of council members.
“Benches attract vagrants,” said councilman Bobby Chin.
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[Story continues below.]
The Graham city council discussion over bringing back downtown benches
Graham city councilman Bobby Chin
“Benches attract vagrants.”
– Graham city councilman Bobby Chin
Graham mayor Chelsea Dickey
“They also attract people who just want to sit on a bench.”
– Graham mayor Chelsea Dickey
Graham mayor pro tem Ricky Hall
benches clutter the downtown, vagrants frequently use the bathroom on the benches, which necessitate city staff time to clean them up.
– Mayor pro tem ricky hall
Graham city councilman Jim Young
“People can abuse anything. To not want to do that [for those reasons] is not enough of a reason for me.”
– Graham city councilman Jim Young
Graham city council member Bonnie Whitaker
“Let’s look into it.”
– Graham city council member Bonnie Whitaker
“They also attract people who just want to sit on a bench,” Dickey responded.
But Chin said for daytime use, that was okay, but at night, they’re taken over by homeless people.
Mayor pro tem Ricky Hall weighed in, saying the benches clutter the downtown, that the vagrants frequently use the bathroom on the benches, which then necessitates city staff time to clean them up.
Councilman Jim Young expressed disagreement with Chin and Hall’s objections, noting, “People can abuse anything. To not want to do that [for those reasons] is not enough of a reason for me.”
Meanwhile, council member Bonnie Whitaker said she didn’t have a problem with having benches.
City manager Megan Garner said she didn’t want to get into a situation with “musical benches,” asking for clarity on whether council members wanted them or not.
She said she did not recall how many benches the city owns.
Whitaker said she wanted to hear from the police chief at the council’s next meeting.
Whitaker said, “Let’s look into it.”
Young also suggested he’d like to see a map of where they were previously located.
But when former mayor Jennifer Talley attempted to speak from the audience, Chin moved to reopen the public comments to hear from Talley, and by extension to others who wished to speak during the second public comment period of the evening.
[Story continues below audience reaction.]
Public comments from the audience on possibility of restoring downtown benches
Former Graham mayor Jennifer Talley
Former Mayor Jennifer Talley: “Lot of complaints about the benches” were received during her tenure on the council. People “smoking weed” on the benches and problems with people with mental illness were other factors.
Graham resident Jeff Benes
“Whether the bench is there or not” [people could smoke weed or urinate on the sidewalk or otherwise]. Homeless people are going to do what they’re going to do. I think putting the benches back is a great idea.”
– Graham resident Jeff Benes
Graham resident Sam Cohoon
“If there’s such a homeless problem here, why aren’t we dealing with that, as well?”
– Graham resident Sam Cohoon
Talley related that there had been a “lot of complaints about the benches” during her previous tenure on the council. She cited people “smoking weed” on the benches and problems with people with mental illness.
While Talley said she did not have a problem with a bench in front of one of the businesses she rents out, which is well lit, but she said the majority of complaints came from other downtown businesses that protested having the benches in front of their store fronts.
“Whether the bench is there or not,” Jeff Benes said people could smoke weed or urinate on the sidewalk or otherwise.
“Homeless people are going to do what they’re going to do. I think putting the benches back is a great idea.”
Benes also said homelessness can be a problem whether benches exist or not; he cited a homeless person who sleeps under the overhang at the library.
Later during the re-opened public comments, resident Sam Cohoon observed, “If there’s such a homeless problem here, why aren’t we dealing with that, as well?”
Cohoon also noted that the council spent more time discussing the issue of benches than it had with the new park design earlier in the evening.
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