CC Minutes - 10/20/10 Work Session

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Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about how long it had been since individual councilors appointed individual Budget Committee members and how difficult it would be to restart that system, Ms. Osborn indicated staff would follow -up with information on past practice. Mr. Clark commended staff's work on the issue. He reported the Police Commission had recently completed a brochure about its work and suggested it could be used in the recruitment process. Mr. Clark emphasized the importance of demographic diversity on boards and commissions but pointed out that 75 percent of all members of City boards and commissions were from four wards, and 58 percent were from wards 1, 2, and 3. He did not find that representative of the community. He pointed to the Budget Committee's composition as further evidence of his concerns, pointing out that five of eight Budget Committee members were from wards 2 and 3 and no members were from wards 4, 5, or 6. Mr. Clark thought that was inappropriate and could be attributed to past council decisions. He hoped for a proactive recruitment process focused on underrepresented wards. Mr. Clark agreed with Ms. Taylor about changes to the Budget Committee appointment process. He suggested that the current distribution pattern "inevitably" led to decisions and recommendations to the council that were less than complete. He pointed out the council continually discussed the need for diversity in recruiting and he would like to see the City actively recruit in under - represented wards. Speaking to Mr. Clark's comments, Ms. Taylor indicated her emphasis was on shared philosophies rather than geographic diversity. She suggested there were just some parts of the community where people wanted to be more involved and thought that, as long as they were informed, those people should be given preference in boards and commissions appointments. She did not think where one lived had anything to do with it. Mr. Brown said he did not look at where applicants came from when he reviewed applications because he did not want that to affect his thinking during interviews. He said there were applicants from his ward he had not supported in the past with the thought that others were more qualified. Mr. Brown was looking both for experience and for those who were willing to study and learn. Mr. Brown asked if the higher participation figures cited by Mr. Clark could be attributed to a ward's proximity to the University of Oregon or to better economic status. He found the figures striking but did not know what to do about it. Mr. Brown suggested that the City distribute the committee demographics at all public meetings no matter the subject when the City was in the recruitment process. Ms. Ortiz thanked staff for its work on the issue. She had heard anecdotally that the council process made it hard for residents to participate. When she considered candidates for boards and commissions she did not look for people who were well- versed, better educated, or familiar with government language. She encouraged people to be involved in government, and that participation was important to her. Ms. Ortiz pointed out the community's demographics were changing changed and the community needed new leaders. The City needed to encourage residents to step up even if they had several children and multiple jobs. She recalled that she had undergone three interviews to join the City's Human Rights Commission. She wanted to find a different way to make appointments as she believed the current process put off otherwise qualified people. She expressed curiosity about the large number of applicants who did not indicate their ethnicity. She thought the City's boards and commissions lacked representation from the communities of color and wondered how those groups' demographics that compared against the county's demographics. MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 20, 2010 Page 2 Work Session