Board & Commissions Transition Task Force - Member Message

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Genoveva Rodriguez
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2015 12:58 pm

Board & Commissions Transition Task Force - Member Message

Post by Genoveva Rodriguez »

As promised, this is part of an email I received from a member of the Board and Commissions Transition Task Force.

There was a Board and Commissions TRANSITION Task Force that met for 6 months to prepare for the incoming 10-1 Council. Among the members, we had 90+ years serving on various Boards and Commissions. It was a great group with diversity of missions from the various existing Boards and Commissions as well as gender and racial diversity. Victor Martinez, chair of the HIV Commission was our chair, Angela Jo was our vice-chair and Norman was our primary writer.

I think you should have these same people present to this Council because the pre-10-1 Council only did what was recommended relating to sovereign boards like the Animal Commission, HIV Planning, and CDC which are intergovernmental and the Planning and Zoning, Board of Adjustments, and other boards listed in the City Charter. The only thing the old Council adopted was expanding the number appointed by Council from 7 to 11 and automatically extended terms so that the new Council had time to make their appointments. We had a lot of other recommendations that Mayor Leffingwell didn’t want to discuss saying the new Council should make those decisions. But the new Council never got the presentation.

Another recommendation that was made was to have a new “Inclusion Commission” that would meet quarterly and be made up of the various special population Boards and Commissions so that they could share resources like instructors, increase outreach, and work together on department budgets so the special needs Boards and Commissions could join forces with the minority focused groups. Special populations like the Commission on Seniors, Human Rights Commission, Immigration Affairs, HIV Planning Board etc. This was Victor Martinez’s idea and seemed like a really good idea to break down silos.

It would be beneficial for the whole Council to hear Victor, Angela Jo and Norman present the complete recommendations of the Task Force.

In Peace,
Ora Houston
Policy Aide, Media & Communications
Office of Ora Houston, District 1