Estacada DEI committee urges council to keep panel as critics cite national controversy

Members of Estacada’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee told the City Council at a public workshop that the volunteer group helps reach underrepresented residents and provides direct services, while several councilors and residents argued the committee reflects divisive national trends and should be restructured or dissolved.

The committee’s chair, Tammy Beatty, told the council she is a “strong conservative Christian woman” who nonetheless values the committee’s work and the diversity it brings: “There are many people in this community who have similar beliefs to mine. However, there are a whole lot of other community members who do not have the same beliefs as I have, and I value that. That is what makes this community diverse and beautiful.” Beatty and other committee members cited local projects and outreach as examples of the committee’s impact.

The workshop matters because the council is weighing whether to retain the committee, rename it or move its work into other structures. Supporters said removing the committee would weaken local outreach and volunteer efforts; critics said the committee’s presence ties the city to contested national programs and questioned its measurable outcomes.

Committee members described specific local activities and barriers they say warrant continued city support. Tammy Beatty said the committee partnered with Clackamas County Public Health to distribute free Narcan boxes and related materials to local businesses, and that volunteers handed out “over 50 boxes of Narcan free to city businesses.” Kimberly Abels, a DEI committee member and former city councilor, recounted the committee’s origin: a listening session on July 13 followed by a unanimous council vote on Oct. 26, 2020, to create the committee. Abels said the committee’s charter emphasizes inclusion and advising city decision‑makers.

Members also identified procedural and access barriers. The committee noted that online public comments must be submitted three hours before meetings, which it said can limit participation; it also said council minutes accessible on the city website “only go back to 2021,” a gap the committee described as inconsistent with the Oregon State Public Records Law. Committee members urged councilors to invite the panel into planning and decision meetings so the committee can “advise” on whether proposals overlook or marginalize groups.

Not all speakers supported keeping the committee in its current form. A resident who identified himself as Jonathan said on a national level DEI “is divisive at its core,” and several council speakers expressed concern about national funding and messaging that they said complicates local work. Councilor John said he understood the committee’s intent and described the volunteers’ goals as “pure,” while Councilor Jerry asked for clarification whether objections were about national ideology or local practice.

Several committee members pushed back on comparisons between Estacada’s local work and wider national controversies. One member noted the committee had proposed renaming itself “Better Together” earlier in the year; the committee said the council declined that name change despite the rationale that some grants and funding streams reference the DEI name.

Speakers also raised specific community harms they said the committee addresses. DEI member Nicole said her son “is being called the n-word daily at school,” and described her household’s concerns after meeting with the school superintendent. Another committee member noted ADA accessibility (wheelchair access, captioning) and plain-language outreach as concrete steps that reduce barriers for a wide range of residents.

The workshop format allowed uninterrupted remarks from DEI members and several rounds of council questions and comments. The mayor closed the session and directed that members of the public who wished to speak should file a community comment application for the subsequent city council meeting; staff member Sadie was asked to collect those applications for the council meeting record. The council did not take a formal vote on the committee’s future during the workshop.

For now, the DEI committee members asked the council for clearer direction about what city support or responsibilities the council expects of the committee, and they encouraged councilors to attend committee meetings and to bring specific reports and plans to the committee for review.