The Reader Beat aims to cover city and county council meetings as well as other important government and community-related meetings. A repeated concern during the August council meetings was the ongoing investigation of the shooting of Marchello Woodard by a state parole officer on July 2. The following is a summary of each meeting for the month of August:
City Council August 6: During the first city council meeting of the month, many constituents came to advocate for the Erie Zoo and share their opinions on the two resolutions council presented. Resolution 1 proposed that the city provide $500,000 to the zoo annually. Alternatively, Resolution 2 proposed that the city partner with Erie Events and relinquish financial control over the zoo. Following a myriad of public comments, city council decided to remove Resolution 1 from the agenda.
Peggy Seib, a teacher at the zoo, commended the zookeepers and spoke about the love for the animals from those working at the zoo to those visiting. “You don’t know what you have until you don’t have it,” Seib said. Councilmember Ed Brzezinski said, “As much as we love the zoo, we shouldn’t be running it. Let’s give it to the pros,” referring to Erie Events, who run venues such as UPMC Park and the Warner Theatre. A resolution accepting the proposal of Erie Events regarding operation of the Erie Zoo as described in the July 23, 2025 letter from Attorney James Walczak to City Solicitor Edward Betz and recommending the approval to the Mayor passed unanimously with an uproar of applause from the audience…