The Champaign City Council convened Tuesday night to vote on nine resolutions, including the selection of a new council member to fulfill the vacancy. Former District 5 council member Dave Johnson left the position in early March to pursue another job in Cleveland.

There were three applicants for the position: Gordy Hulten, Tim Wild, and Cathy Emanuel.

The meeting opened with Deb Feinen, council member-at large, nominating Hulten for the position.

The council members voted 6-1 to approve Hulten’s appointment. Micheal LaDue, District 2 council member, chose to abstain from the vote. LaDue said he has almost never decided to opt out of this kind of vote, but he feels strongly about how two of the candidates have never voted in local elections and that one of the candidates is a vocational journalist.

One of the other significant resolutions on Tuesday’s agenda was a resolution, which called for the engineering design of Olympian Drive. There was public dissent in response to the Olympian Drive project. Some members of the public were concerned large amounts of taxpayer money are going to be used to fund a road that does little for Champaign, Urbana or its residents.

Marci Dodds, District 4 council member, said it has cost taxpayers four million dollars, but has yielded no economic benefits, jobs or increase in taxable bases.

“There is nothing about this project that makes economic sense,” Dodds said.

Will Kyles, District 1 council member, said he could be wrong about his choice, but he will vote no.

Feinen said the Olympian Drive project has been an idea for some time and fits into a comprehensive plan for the city.

The council passed the Olympian Drive resolution 6-2.

Following a vote on resolutions, the meeting opened to the public to address any issues they had.

Much of the public commentary was devoted to Mayor Jerry Schweighart’s recent remarks about President Obama, where he suggested Obama may not be an American citizen.

Jerome Chambers, Champaign resident, said Schweighart’s comments were inflammatory and reflected unconscious thinking.

Chambers added that his comments prove his inability to serve as the Mayor of Champaign in a dignified manner.

“How much more delusion should we tolerate?” he asked the public in attendance.

Chambers said Schweighart could not be an effective mayor on a city council that is supposed to be nonpartisan.

“I don’t know how we got here,” said Sean Williams, Champaign resident.

He added that the African American community has worked very hard to build a relationship with the Champaign police department after the Kiwane Carrington death. He said Schweighart’s comments reflect an insensitivity to the lack of strong race relations in Champaign.

“The comments hinder the forward direction we’re going in,” said Jamar Brown, Champaign resident.

Patricia Avery, Champaign resident, said Schweighart’s comments are “un-American and uninformed.”

“To keep with this idea that he is not an American is ridiculous,” she said.

Also at the meeting, the Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice submitted a proposal to change three aspects of the Champaign Police Department’s employment contract with the city of Champaign.

They proposed that Champaign police reinstate the residency requirement for police officers, require all officers to take a drug test in the event of bodily harm, discharge of a weapon and death and allow the Champaign public access to personnel files.