Dr. Ravi Perry: Affirmative Action Delayed is Affirmative Action Denied

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Friday, August 10, 2012

Dr. Ravi Perry, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

I woke up earlier this week thinking about the politics in Worcester. These thoughts are common for me. I came across an email from the City asking for volunteers to be considered for more positions on the city’s available openings on various boards and commissions.

That got me thinking. I’ve be “on” the city’s Affirmative Action Advisory Committee for years now, and we’ve only been able to meet once. Now, at times, there have been scheduling conflicts with committee members. But, that does not excuse having fewer than three meetings in a year (or more).

The lack of regularly scheduled meetings on this and several other committees the city wishes busy residents to volunteer for surely doesn’t help their case for greater involvement.

Regularly, I’ve heard complaints from several members of various city boards and commissions, particularly the non-regulatory ones, that the lack of meetings and the dysfunction of the ones actually held is an embarrassment to the city.

I highly recommend the city leadership re-evaluate and quickly address this serious problem. How can you seek greater community involvement in municipal affairs, then not hold up your end of the bargain, and actually hold regular meetings and conduct regular business?

For key issues, such as minority inclusiveness, the lack of meetings sends a very clear message that the issue is not important. The fact that there is no uniform protocol for city boards and commissions to produce report, draft meeting agendas, and so on reeks of lack of organization and a culture in City Hall that devalues citizen participation in municipal governance.

To address this problem that has been going on for years unchecked, a simple directive should be given by council and the city manager that instructs lower-level employees who ‘govern’ the scheduling and productivity of the boards and commission to do their jobs.

Many are paid in part by taxpayer funded dollars. The least taxpayers are owed is consistency in meeting scheduling measured progress.

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