Councilmember Tim Burgess issued the following statement today in response to the Mayor's veto of the Aggressive Solicitation ordinance (C.B. 116807):

"While I am disappointed by the Mayor's decision to veto this legislation, I respect the prerogative of his position. I look forward to working with him and my colleagues on the Council to continue to find solutions to the crime and street disorder taking place in our city, including implementation of the other four measures of my five-point plan.

"I thank those in the community who have thoughtfully contributed a wide range of perspectives to this debate. Street disorder will not go away on its own; we cannot be satisfied with the status quo."

At the end of February, Burgess announced a five-point plan to address street disorder. In addition to the aggressive solicitation ordinance, the other elements of the plan include: more police foot patrols, continued hiring of officers to increase police presence in our neighborhoods, enhanced efforts to connect those in need with appropriate social services and giving higher priority to housing and support services for the chronically homeless.