Ordinance changes tied to strategic plan tabled after concerns about diversity language

Speaker 1 and Randall discussed turning parts of Randall's strategic plan into ordinance changes intended to clarify commission membership, authority to spend modest sums, and support for arts education. Speaker 1 told colleagues that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen tabled the changes; she said the board had no issue with numeric or administrative updates but took issue with capacity statements tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"Their concern is that we would only be supporting our artists who fall in the category of being a minority of some sort," Speaker 1 said, describing the board's reasoning. Speaker 3 added that some of the language "appeared a little wordy" and that the phrase "a lot" had appeared repeatedly in the draft. At one point Speaker 3 summarized public reaction tersely: "Too woke."

Commissioners said they were not aware the item was on the mayor-and-aldermen agenda and plan to contact the city clerk and an alderman to ask that the ordinance be brought back for discussion. Speaker 1 suggested commission members attend the board meeting to explain the intent of the language and to show past examples of inclusive programming, noting the recent city show included artists of multiple backgrounds.

Next steps identified by the commission include refining the ordinance language to reduce perceived repetition, coordinating with the city clerk so commissioners are notified when items reach the board agenda, and pursuing an advocate or sponsor to move the item off the table.