EAC subcommittee asks staff to draft equity vision and mission after wide-ranging discussion

Martha Armeskulli, chair of the Equity Advisory Committee Safety & Climate Subcommittee, said members discussed values and asked staff to prepare a draft vision and mission statement the group will forward to the next cohort for review and adoption.

The subcommittee formally approved the November 2024 meeting minutes and then spent the meeting reviewing themes pulled from five submitted draft vision and mission statements and the December executive meeting notes. Staff summarized recurring values — including justice, inclusion and safety — and members pressed for clearer language on land use, workforce investment and outreach to marginalized communities.

Carolyn Abrams, staff, recapped survey results and said she had extracted recurring themes from the submitted drafts. She told the subcommittee the top recurring values from the packet and prior discussion were justice, inclusion and safety and offered to recirculate the presentation for members who wanted to review the source material.

Members debated scope and tone. Cheryl Villegas Walker, an EAC member, said, “I think it’s really important that we focus on planning,” urging explicit attention to land management and smart development. William Walker, another member, cautioned the group to include voices from communities that “aren’t present” at meetings and to name the types of communities affected by transportation decisions: “we have to be sensitive to communities that aren’t present,” he said. Several members recommended wording that would highlight outreach and a conduit role for bringing community concerns to state agencies.

The subcommittee discussed whether the draft should be committee-led (one or two members creating an initial draft) or staff-led. Members acknowledged time constraints at the end of the calendar year and the practical need for staff involvement. Carolyn Abrams said the statement should be “rooted in what the role and the goal of the committee are” and noted staff could ensure the product aligns with the committee’s advisory function.

By the meeting’s close the subcommittee agreed staff would take the lead to produce a draft mission and vision using the themes captured in the meeting materials and whiteboard exercise. Staff indicated a realistic timeline is early next year, with an item targeted for the March meeting so the incoming cohort can review the draft as part of posted meeting materials.

The meeting also included a brief procedural vote: Amber Novi moved to approve the November 2024 minutes; Cheryl Villegas Walker seconded the motion, and the motion was approved with recorded yes votes from Martha Armeskulli, Amber Novi, Anna Gonzales, Cheryl Villegas Walker and Michelle Rousey. No public comments were received on the items discussed.

Next steps: staff will draft a mission and vision statement that captures the subcommittee’s identified themes — including land use, outreach to marginalized communities, disability accessibility and workforce considerations — circulate the draft to subcommittee members for feedback, and present it to the new EAC cohort at a future meeting (staff mentioned March as a likely milestone).