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Cambridge committee reviews Equity & Inclusion reorganization after seven commission staff were laid off
Summary
Residents and commissioners criticized an abrupt reorganization that eliminated seven commission staff from the Equity and Inclusion Department; city leaders said the changes aim to reduce duplicative administrative work, but the city solicitor acknowledged the Women's Commission was not consulted as its ordinance requires.
The Government Operations and Claims Committee met to discuss the city manager’s reorganization of the Equity and Inclusion Department after seven commission staff positions were eliminated, prompting sustained public comment and questions from council members about process and legal requirements.
Deirdre Travis Brown, the city’s chief of equity and inclusion, told the committee she had reviewed department operations over roughly two years and found duplicated administrative and operational responsibilities across commissions. "We found that we were all doing the same things," she said, describing the move as an effort "to stabilize our structure" and to create "consistent high quality services" rather than a cost-cutting measure.
Members of the public, current and former commissioners and community volunteers disagreed sharply with the implementation. Marjorie Saunders, a former Women’s Commission commissioner, said the change "was in violation of the ordinance that created the Women's Commission," citing the commission’s charter provision on appointment and term of an executive director. Nancy Ryan, a longtime former women's commission executive director, said the dismissals were "based on undefined efficiencies" and noted staff were given six weeks of pay following the termination.
The city solicitor confirmed the ordinance language requires the city manager to seek the commission’s advice before appointing an executive director and acknowledged that step "wasn't done here." She also said the new city charter, effective Jan. 1, includes an article on reorganizations that city lawyers and staff must interpret to determine when notification or additional procedures apply.
Council members raised procedural and timing concerns throughout the discussion. Several councilors said the public, commissioners and council officeholders were not consulted before staff were told their positions had been eliminated and questioned why the action occurred in midyear rather than after charter changes take effect. "It feels both like an unkind experience and a failure to follow ordinances," a councilor said during committee questioning.
Ray Catchings, the city’s chief people officer, described the personnel approach as an attempt to limit workplace trauma after an elimination decision. He said the city offered a transition package — roughly 12–14 weeks of pay and benefits depending on tenure — and explained the reasoning for immediate separation, including concerns about asking departing staff to train replacements while remaining on the job.
Travis Brown outlined the new staffing model in broad strokes: executive directors assigned to clusters of commissions and program managers to strengthen program delivery. She named executive directors for clusters and said the Language Justice Division would transition to the Communications and Community Engagement Department. She also said program-manager positions were being prepared for posting but had not yet been listed.
Speakers at the public-comment period warned the loss of institutional knowledge would harm programs that depend on staff relationships, such as trafficking-prevention and girls-in-sports initiatives. "These were valued employees who had given many years of exemplary service," one speaker said, urging the city to consider reinstatement or stronger transition plans to maintain continuity.
The committee did not reverse the personnel decisions at the meeting. Members asked staff to return with follow-up information about ordinance compliance, the charter’s reorganization provisions, and details on hiring for the new program-manager roles. Chair McGovern closed the meeting after a short extension, thanking residents and staff for a difficult but candid exchange.
Next steps the committee requested include soliciting a legal memorandum clarifying when the new charter’s reorganizational provisions apply, a timeline and posting schedule for the advertised program-manager positions, and additional information about separation packages and continuity plans for affected commission work.
