Three Lorain City Councilmembers voted against suspending the rules for the second reading of legislation that if approved would have cleared the way for popular Broadway restaurant owner Mary Fields to receive $30,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Instead, Fields, owner of Broadway Mary’s, will have to wait until the Council’s next full meeting Feb. 6 to learn whether she will receive the money.
Councilman-at-Large Tony Dimacchia, Ward 1 Councilwoman Beth Henley and Ward 8 Councilman Joshua Thornsberry voted against suspending the rules for a resolution, while the other eight Council members vote to suspend them.
At the Jan. 3 Council meeting, Dimacchia and Henley voted not to suspend the rules, and blocked Fields — who also goes by the last name of Szefcyk — from getting the funds she said she desperately needs to keep her restaurant in business.
Field’s request originally was referred to Council’s Federal Program Committee.
She had faced questions from that committee which appeared to settle whatever issues there were with her application.
But, that session was not enough to convince a faction of Council Fields should receive the money.
The city received more than $32 million in American Rescue Plan Act money, some of which was to be used to help businesses and nonprofits that suffered financially because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Broadway Mary’s was approved for the $30,000 after having her application vetted by the city’s Building, Housing and Planning Department.
Other businesses and nonprofits have applied for the grants and all of those applicants who were approved through the Building, Housing and Planning Department process received the funds.
Dimacchia and Henley, and now Thornsberry, have blocked Fields from receiving money.
Dimacchia has said he does not have to explain his vote to block Fields from receiving the funds.
Henley has said she wants a couple of answers before voting, that she’s doing her job and should not be chastised for it.
Thornsberry said while he was confident in the Building, Housing and Planning Department vetting process, he opted to vote against the rules because more information was coming on the matter daily.
“More information is coming out almost daily; this is why I voted to not suspend the rule,” he said. “What other information could come to light in the next two weeks?
“I have no issues with the qualification matrix used by the city. However, I don’t believe it is the end all be all. Candidates have intangibles that need taken into consideration.”
The vote was taken after a handful of Broadway Mary’s supporters urged Council to approve the resolution.
They said the restaurant is one the most vibrant businesses on Broadway.
Fields said she’ll continue to soldier on.
She’ll only need a majority of the votes of Council on the resolution’s third reading to receive the money, which appears will happen.
“It’s a mental beatdown,” Fields said after learning she’d have to wait a little longer to get the money.
Asked did she have money to pay her food suppliers and utilities to keep the doors open, with a crackling voice, she said: “My family and I starve at home.”
A petition she put up on her Facebook page asking Council to give her the money garnered 934 signatures and more than 160 customers signed a similar petition that was in the restaurant.
