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Committee debates size, role and membership of proposed CCRPC Equity Leadership Team
Summary
Committee members reviewed a draft charge for a proposed Equity Leadership Team and debated whether it should be titled “Leadership” or “Advisory,” whether staff should hold voting seats (members agreed staff should be non-voting), and whether membership should be 9 or 12.
At the May 4 meeting, the CCRPC Joint Finance & Executive Committee reviewed a draft Committee Charge for a proposed Equity Leadership Team prepared by Emma Vaughn and consultant Creative Discourse.
Charlie Baker said the draft and a follow-up consultant email outlined how the committee might operate. Creative Discourse recommended a 12-member committee that would include 3–4 board members, 3–5 members of the public representing interest groups or organizations, and 2 staff members. Several committee members questioned whether 12 members would be too many and suggested an odd-numbered membership to avoid ties; Mike O’Brien and Bard Hill preferred limiting the number to nine. John Zicconi emphasized that the committee’s name matters — he said the group should be clearly advisory rather than decision-making to avoid public confusion about authority.
Members agreed that staff should participate as non-voting members; Charlie said he was not comfortable placing staff in a policy-voting position. The committee discussed the challenge of securing representation from underrepresented populations, the potential for turnover among board-appointed members, and the need to mirror the structure of existing CCRPC advisory groups. Charlie said the committee should develop a system to flag potential equity concerns early in project review. The committee agreed to invite Creative Discourse to the June executive committee meeting to discuss approach and training.
The discussion clarified membership, role, and expected frequency (initially monthly) and left final structure and membership counts to be refined with community member input.
