Residents, civil rights board members press commission after mayor declines recommended appointment

Dozens of residents and members of community groups urged the Kalamazoo City Commission on Monday to fill vacancies on the city’s Civil Rights Board and to respect the board’s appointment recommendations after Mayor David F. Anderson declined to advance the board’s choice for a seat.

Speakers said the denial has reduced the board’s effectiveness and undermined public trust in a body intended to enforce the housing equity ordinance adopted in 2020.

The issue matters because the Civil Rights Board (CRB) is tasked with investigating housing and discrimination complaints that affect low‑income and protected populations, and board members and community organizers said vacancies and the mayor’s handling of an appointment have left the board unable to carry out that work.

Kathy Fason, chair of the Civil Rights Board, told the commission the board voted unanimously to recommend attorney Louis Smith and that his application met the board’s requirements. “By denying Lou’s appointment, a precedent is being set — one that suggests our community does not have a meaningful voice in choosing who represents them,” Fason said. She described the decision as a “trust issue” and urged the commission to restore the board’s complement.

Other speakers echoed that message. Meg Adams, a member of ISAAC and a community member, said she met with the mayor and was told the mayor had concerns about a potential conflict of interest if a county attorney served on a city board. “We read the bylaws that address conflicts; the board has procedures for recusals,” Adams said, adding she did not see a bylaw violation in Smith’s application.

Wendy Flora, who said she serves on ISAAC’s leadership board, urged the commissioners to move forward with nominations that come from the CRB’s own nominating committee, saying the current delays and rejections create unnecessary barriers and reduce the board’s ability to perform its function.

Speakers repeatedly emphasized that the board has three vacancies and that continued vacancies diminish the CRB’s capacity to review complaints and make findings under the housing equity ordinance. Several callers urged the commission to treat the CRB’s recommendations consistently with the city’s other advisory boards.

Mayor David F. Anderson met privately with proponents of the appointment before the meeting, according to comments by board members; speakers said the mayor told them a potential conflict could arise given overlapping city and county roles, but they argued that existing bylaws and the city’s ethics rules provide mechanisms (such as recusal) to handle conflicts. The transcript does not record a formal commission vote on the mayor’s handling of the specific recommendation during Monday’s meeting.

Public commenters also called attention to broader concerns about housing access, enforcement of the housing equity ordinance and the pace of city action. Kathy Fason reminded the commission that a Civil Rights Board meeting was scheduled for April 30 at 5:00 p.m. in City Chambers and asked for public attendance to “strengthen engagement, equity, and accountability.”

The commission did not take formal action on CRB appointments during the April 21 meeting; several speakers asked the commission to adopt a practice of forwarding civil‑rights‑board recommendations to the full commission without delay.

Ending: The commission’s calendar and staff records show the Civil Rights Board will next meet on April 30; residents who raised concerns asked commissioners to address the appointments and to ensure the board has a full complement so it can begin or resume its enforcement responsibilities.