CC Minutes - 06/23/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Van Steenbergen discussed the value of the cognitive mapping process to the commission. He thanked the council for helping in that process. He particularly acknowledged the work and inspiration of former liaison Bobby Lee. Ms. Hall commended Mr. Fart for his work as liaison to the commission and said his commitment to his work was a tribute to him and the council. Ms. Hall thanked Mayor Torrey for his participation in International Human Rights Day. She said that he had handled a difficult situation admirably. Mr. Van Steenbergen acknowledged the effort of Police Department staff Rick Siel, Tim McCarthy, Thad Buchanan, Roy Brown, and Jim Hill. He expressed appreciation to police staff for its willingness to listen and participate. Mr. Van Steenbergen acknowledged Helen Towle, saying she had been supportive and helpful. Mr. Van Steenbergen thanked Mary Walston for her support of the commission and staff, and Warren Wong for his attendance at commission meetings. He thanked Lauren Chouinard for his honest and open communication, Marilyn Mays for assistance with the City's diversity program, and Melissa Pearson for her work in recruiting employees. Mr. Van Steenbergen thanked Human Rights Program staff Greg Rikhoff, Mary Feldman, and Francisca Johnson. He said that he trusted them, liked to be with them, and they had a real commitment to human rights. In his experience with similar programs he had not enjoyed the same level of support. He thanked the commission, its committees, and volunteers in the Human Rights Program. He thanked Eugene citizens for coming to the commission for assistance. Ms. Hall thanked the council for allowing commissioners to serve and work with it. She looked forward to working together in a collaborative and constructive way. She asked the council what the commission could do to assist the council. Mr. Torrey thanked Ms. Hall for the commission's presentation. Mr. Fart asked Mr. Van Steenbergen how many hours he dedicated to the HRSS. Mr. Van Steenbergen estimated that conservatively, about 30 hours a month. Mr. Farr said before he joined the commission he had been unaware of the scope of the HRSS and its importance to the Human Rights Program. He noted the many volunteer hours spent on the program. He called the council's attention to specific examples of cases in the notebook distributed to councilors as examples of what Eugene does. Mr. Fart said that the work of the program averted other costs to the City. Ms. Nathanson referred to the charge and work plan of the commission and asked if there was a Human Rights Program service profile. She asked if the commission had considering reviewing a service profile to see if it was consistent with the commission's work program over the coming year. Responding to a question from Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Dalton said that the commission had not discussed the Community Redevelopment Agency; he had not heard anything about it for some time, although it had been employed in Eugene in the past. He said that the commission could take a look at it, and it was certainly "on the table." MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 23, 1999 Page 2 5:30 p.m.