The Albany City Council has settled on a new job description for its Human Relations Commission. But while the language is high on principles, it is short on details.
The city of Albany has had a “human relations commission” since 2007. Last year it blew up in discord, and now the city council is trying to write down what the newly constituted commission is supposed to do and why it exists.
Albany’s Human Relations Commission appears to have crashed, brought down by disagreement on the meaning of concepts such as tolerance and respect for opposing views.
The Albany City Council Wednesday night voted 4-2 against changing the ordinance authorizing the city’s Human Relations Commission. Despite nearly two hours of speeches by supporters of the change, the question of how the different words would change the volunteer commission’s work was never answered.
Harmony evidently is not good enough as a goal, so Albany’s Human Relations Commission wants a change in its official mission to include striving for “diversity, equity and inclusion.” The city council’s response on Wednesday: “Not so fast.”
Was the Albany City Council resolution “regarding the rights of all city of Albany residents” really necessary? Or does it give people the wrong impression? Does it make them think the city or its current residents have something for which to atone?
ODOT’s priorities don’t include highways
If you wonder why our highway problems in Oregon don’t seem to get solved faster, one reason may be that the Department of Transportation has an “action plan” and what the action plan says.
Tags: diversity, ODOT, ODOT Action Plan, Oregon highways, Oregon transportation, road user charge, social equity