Carolyn Cox (representing Lacey) brought an urgent item to the April 28 meeting: the Thurston Regional Planning Council’s Transportation Policy Board was slated to consider a recommendation that would remove references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), belonging, climate change, bicycle facilities and related policy language from the regional transportation plan.

"They would essentially scrub all our references to DEI, belonging, climate change, bicycle trails, anything that basically offends the Trump administration," Cox said, urging the committee to take a principled stand to keep those values in the plan.

Several EC members voiced support for opposing the recommendation. Emily Clouse said she would be willing to sign on to a letter or provide public comment. Robert Vanderpool, who serves on the Transportation Policy Board, said he planned to speak against the proposal at the TRPC meeting and warned that the document the board received was not fully vetted; he raised concern that the change could "gut our projects" in some jurisdictions and called the process "out of order." He also said his staff’s review found inaccuracies in the material brought to the Transportation Policy Board.

Carolyn Cox volunteered to draft a letter on behalf of the collaborative and circulate it to EC members for comment; she said she would check with Robin (Lacey’s primary representative) about signature authority. At the meeting’s close Cox reported Robin was "100% on board" to sign the letter and said she would circulate a draft by the next afternoon.

Committee members noted the matter is time‑sensitive because TRPC meets Friday and encouraged members who could to provide public comment or sign the collaborative letter. The EC did not take a formal vote on the letter during the meeting; the action item is circulation of a draft statement and, pending review, sending a joint letter to TRPC.