Minutes 10-08-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Gordon suggested that this proposed commission could possibly come under the direction of Assistant County Manager Cheryl Young. Chair Jacobs said he is not opposed to a women's commission, but he would like to bring others to the table, such as the Women's center, the Human Rights and Relations Board, and the Health Department. He suggested a possible study to develop a framework. He said there is not enough information available to move forward with this. He noted that the Board took all the volunteers that had worked so hard on all of these issues in the past and then did not listen to them. He said he would argue against making a decision without bringing in the people who have worked on these issues. Commissioner McKee said he is supportive of bringing this back for discussion. He said he is not inclined to put this under the auspices of the Economic Development Department. He noted that this department has limited staff and several large projects in the pipeline. Commissioner McKee supported the suggestion that this be brought back during the budget process. He said he would also be supportive of bringing in other interested parties. Commissioner Pelissier said when the then Board made the decision in 2010 not to have a freestanding women's commission, the intent was to include the Commission for Women as part of the Human Relations Commission. She said this sub-committee did not take off and continue the work. She does not feel that this means that a free standing Commission for Women is needed. She said this is a human rights and human relations issue, and some things do work well under one umbrella. Commissioner Pelissier said the lack of equal pay for equal work is a national problem, and it is a difficult issue. She does not think this is a problem that can be solved by the County. She said that the County does need to encourage women in entrepreneurships, and there are collaborations with existing organizations, like the Chamber of Commerce that could help with this. Commissioner Price said one of the reasons she proposed this commission was because the original commission had been disbanded. She said there seemed to be a lack of focus and interest. She said the plight of women is such that there needs to be a stand-alone advocacy. She said the issues are there, and the issues are broad. She said she chose a narrow focus because she had seen it disbanding when fighting the basic issue of women's rights. She said she has no problem with working with the rest of the Board. She said it just needs to be viable. Commissioner Price said she spoke with many people, including Lucy Lewis, the original staff person. She said the thought is that the focus needs to be on women and the economy. She said this is about higher paying jobs across the board for women, not just higher level jobs. Commissioner Price said she understands that the Economic Development Department is a small department. She was trying to stay away from being just another women's rights committee looking at the same issues. Commissioner Rich said she hears the Board asking for more information. She asked if there is a way that the Board can have a review of why the women's group is no longer in existence. She said she would like to understand the lessons learned from the previous group. She said this is human relations, and it could be re-birthed under the same committee, as a separate subdivision. Chair Jacobs said time is limited tonight. He said the Board is not at a decision point, and there have been several visions expressed. He suggested some groups be identified to give input. He suggested that Staff Attorney Annette Moore and Housing, Human Rights and