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Mayor Piercy thanked the HRC for the hard work they had undertaken. She acknowledged that they had <br />been through a challenging transition. She suggested that the HRC could help the Sustainability Commis- <br />sion in its work to develop the metrics related to sustainability, particularly those related to social issues. <br />She felt that Mr. Brown would be a good conduit from the HRC to the council but noted that there was only <br />so much time available in meetings to share such information. She recommended that the HRC consider <br />providing ongoing memoranda on its work to the council. She added that the current economic conditions <br />were adding pressures to people’s lives. She hoped the HRC would make itself available to the public in <br />response to the situation. <br /> <br />Mr. Clark thanked everyone. He said it had been a pleasure to serve on the HRC and to work with the <br />people who served on the commission. He stressed the importance of understanding the level of passion the <br />HRC brought to the table, calling it “something to be proud of.” He stated that the work plan had been the <br />product of many nights of work. He was impressed by how hard everyone worked on it and at the “real <br />dedication” to the work plan that had been demonstrated. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz was somewhat concerned that the things the commissioners were talking about were things the <br />HRC did when she served on it. She said the HRC had always incorporated education and ways to connect <br />with people in its plan. She felt that the presentation of the work plan and the work plan itself reflected what <br />had happened with the staffing. She averred that there was no reason to re-create the wheel, but she was <br />glad the HRC members were passionate about it. She added that the other thing she hoped to see would be a <br />hate crimes conference. She remarked that it was City policy not to give hate crimes “ink,” but she had seen <br />Eugene on a list, in a law enforcement magazine, of cities in which hate crimes occurred and this had given <br />her pause. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka called the work of the HRC “incredibly important.” He said the recent incident at North <br />Eugene High School exemplified that their work was not done. He liked the idea of the HRC working with <br />the CRB. He also appreciated the joint meetings with the Sustainability Commission; he believed that there <br />was a good nexus there regarding social equity. He opined that it was difficult to “nail down” social equity. <br />He was excited about being called a human rights city. He said he was receiving so many emails that it was <br />difficult for him to respond to them. He suggested that the HRC give him “a call.” He felt that the greatest <br />human rights issues facing the city had to do with hate crimes and mental health issues. <br /> <br />Mr. Poling thanked the HRC for its work. He liked the Mayor’s suggestion that the HRC send memoranda <br />via email to the council. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to approve the Human Rights Commission <br />Goals and Work Plan for FY 2010/11. <br /> <br />Mr. Clark supported the idea of having “councilor buddies” for the HRC members, like the Police <br />Commission. He thought it would be good for councilors to have their own individual contacts. <br /> <br />The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. <br /> <br />Ms. Leonard thanked everyone. She noted that they had spoken about the staff members who had left, but <br />she wanted to ensure that the two staff members who had “carried more than their fair share” were thanked. <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council March 11, 2009 Page 7 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />