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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021_05_24 Racial Equity Taskforce Minutes Minutes of the Racial Equity Task Force of the Town of Mamaroneck Held May 24, 2021 at 7:30 pm, via Zoom Present: Jeffery King (Town Council member, Chairman), Sabrina Fiddelman (Town Council member), Lynne Murphy-Rivera, Andrew Tannenbaum, Gonzalo Zeballos, Christina Battalia (Town Clerk) Chairman King opened the meeting at 7:40 pm. Open Issues 1. Renaming of the Task Force Chairman King suggested that now that we are moving forward and hoping to become a standing Committee of the Town of Mamaroneck, we should discuss renaming the Task Force. Task Force carries the connotation of a group doing a discrete and immediate task. If we are to become ongoing, our name should reflect that. Mr. King asked the members to provide suggestions and we will continue the conversation at our next meeting. 2. Mission Statement Along the same lines, although we have a brief mission statement up on our webpage, Mr. King asked that we take a look at it and think about making it more specific and robust. We will discuss this, as well, at our next meeting. 3. Transition of the Task Force to a Sanctioned Town of Mamaroneck Committee As discussed above, we would like to move in this direction. We would like to have 8 or 9 members who represent a broad range of Town residents. Mr. King asked for suggestions for new members. We will need the Town Board to agree and officially create the Committee. Mr. Maker, the Town Attorney, will likely need to draft a law. Terms will be created and members will be appointed by the Town Board. Added item. Approval of Minutes Minutes of the March 15 and April 19 meetings were approved. 4. Assistance to R.E.A.L.M. Mr. King asked for a volunteer to become a liaison from the Task Force to the group, Recognizing Enslaved Africans in Larchmont and Mamaroneck. They are actively working to create a memorial in the Community to enslaved people who lived and worked here and have suggested several sites on Town Property. Mr. Zeballos agreed to take on this role. 5. Discussion of a Tri-Municipal Board Mr. King has reached out to Tom Murphy, Mayor of the Village of Mamaroneck, who has indicated an interest in creating a Tri-municipal Board. Mr. King has asked Supervisor Seligson to reach out to both Mr. Murphy and Mayor Lorraine Walsh of Larchmont to discuss the idea. st 6. Implementation of Task Force Recommendations as Outlined in the April 1 Report on Community Policing. Mr. King advised the Task Force that Supervisor Seligson has asked Steve Altieri, the retired Town Administrator, to come back and work part-time for the Town. One of the tasks he will take on is to spearhead the carrying out of the recommendations contained in the Police Reform Report of April 1. Mr. Altieri will join us at our next meeting to discuss how best to approach this task. th Added item. We discussed meeting monthly going forward. It seems the 4 Monday of the month works for all members present. We will begin those regular meetings on September 27. In the interim, we will meet on July 12, take a summer hiatus, and return to regular meetings in the Fall. In case we can meet in person, Ms. Battalia will secure a conference room for that evening and put us on the calendar for our regular meetings beginning in September. Mr. King adjourned the meeting at 8:30pm. The next meeting of the Racial Equity Task Force will take place on Monday, July 12. It will be determined in advance of that meeting if it can be in person or will continue to be held via Zoom.