Agenda - 04-06-2010 - 4a - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 1 said that she is concerned about these changes and how they could affect the Commission for 2 Women, the Human Relations Commission, and the Office of Human Rights and Relations. 3 She asked the County Commissioners to not support these changes, which she believes will 4 limit the responsibilities and effectiveness of the CfW. She said that after 34 Y ears the CfW is 5 still a necessary commission. She said that women and girls are still not equal to men and 6 boys and examples are everywhere. She said that she feels that this issue has already been 7 decided since one staff person has already been moved to the County Manager's er's office. She 8 said that the CfW and the HRC have been kept out of the loop on this matter. As far as she is 9 aware, no member of either commission was approached about the es. 10 ro osed changes. p p g Jennifer Frye said that she is the immediate past Chair of the Commission for Women. 11 She agreed with Carolina Asurla's comments. She said that she wrote an email to the County 12 Commissioners. She said that the CfW did not have much time to think about this or respond. 13 She agrees that some decisions do not require the input of volunteers, however, the commissions were established with the direct purpose of getting citizen participation, 15 involvement, and input back to the government. It is important to recognize that these two 16 bodies are probably the most active in Orange County and involved in social justice issues and 17 issues that affect women. She also has concerns about transparency because the staff liaison 18 has always been involved. She thinks that the commissions could be stronger and serve their 19 functions better with better leadership and direction from County staff. 20 Shannon Jackson is the current Chair of the CfW. She said that she eagerly serves the 9 Y 21 CfW and has for over three years. She said that this is a unique forum. She said that the CfW 22 provides advocacy and community services to the entire County. Girl Talk is a mentorin 9 23 program that is very successful in the school system. She listed other community services. 24 She said that there are some very important issues to consider before moving forward with this 25 reorganization. She asked that the CfW be part of these negotiations. She is afraid that the 26 CfW will be disbanded. She asked that the County maintain the annual fundin g level in order to 27 keep with the mission. She said that if the CfW becomes part of an existing non-profit, then it p , 28 should not affect the capabilities in lobbying for women's issues and rights. She said that these 29 volunteers passionately and willingly dedicate themselves to Grange County to make it a better 30 place to live. 31 Bryant Colson is Vice-Chair of the Human Relations Commission. He said that many of � 32 his colleagues who wanted to be here could not be because of prior commitments and they did 33 not know about this until yesterday. He said that the HRC has had a lack of input into this 34 whole transition process. He said that with this 2010 society, the HRR department is needed 35 now more than before. He said that a lot of the Manager's recommendations have already 36 been implemented. He said that the Office of Human Rights and Relations has made a lot of 37 positive strides in the area of social justice and h e hopes that these things do not go to the 38 wayside. 39 Patricia Muhammed is a member of the CfW. She said that she has utilized many of the 40 women groups in Orange County due to personal reasons. She understands the restructuring 41 but she wants to be able to have her voice still heard. She feels that it is a conflict of interest to 42 merge the HRR with the Housing and Community Development Department. 43 Richard Perry said that he lives in Carrboro and he likes the notion about volunteer 44 citizens helping to extend the work of paid staff and the Commissioners to be connections in 45 the community and to provide networks for gathering information. It makes him concerned that 46 a staff member would move into Housing and the Human Rights and Relations department 47 might be overlooked. 48 Marty Rosenblum is a member of the HRC. He said that none of the members had any 49 notice that this was under discussion. These are unique and valuable resources and any 50 changes should have broad debate. He said that the issues they discuss go beyond housing