MHRC nominates Raheem Buford to Procurement Standards Board, citing reentry perspective

The Metro Human Relations Commission on Tuesday voted to advance Raheem Buford as its nominee to the Procurement Standards Board, saying Buford's lived experience and work with formerly incarcerated individuals will introduce a perspective the commission has sought for years.

Director Tucker and other staff framed the nomination as part of an effort to ensure the seven-member Procurement Standards Board includes voices from communities often excluded from municipal contracts. "He's a business owner himself," staff said, noting Buford runs an outreach organization for formerly incarcerated people. Buford described his work helping people transition from incarceration, supporting parole advocacy and building entrepreneurship opportunities.

Commissioners questioned whether the procurement board had authority over grants and expressed interest in how a member could advocate for minority-owned businesses. Buford replied that his role would be to provide community perspective and that legal restrictions (for example, state rules about certain convictions and proximity to schools) shape what boards can and cannot change.

Several commissioners praised Buford's credentials and supported the nomination. A motion to move to a vote was made and the commission recorded a unanimous hand-raise approval. Individual vote names were not read into the record.