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LEWISTON — Mayor Mark A. Cayer recently announced the members of a newly-established ad hoc committee on equity and diversity. The purpose of the committee is to advise and make recommendations to the Lewiston city council on steps to ensure the city treats all residents and visitors equally and that its workforce represents the community’s diversity. Members will also make recommendations to municipal officials and staff as to policy, practice and procedural changes that may be needed to ensure fair and equitable treatment is provided to all.
The committee has 12 members with broad community representation. Ayesha Hall, Lewiston public schools’ social, emotional, learning and equity resource coordinator, has agreed to chair the committee with Cayer serving as co-chair. In addition individuals appointed to serve by the mayor are councilors Safiya Khalid, Luke Jensen and Stephanie Gelinas, Andy D’Eramo, Noelle Chaddock, Tonya Bailey-Curry, Hawo Abdille, Elgin Physic, Dane Morgan and James Ford.
“As an organization and a community, it’s time we take a moment and look inward. As in any aspect of life, there is always room for improvement and growth,” Cayer noted. “Through the efforts of the ad hoc committee, we will look inward through different lenses. We may not address national issues, but we might just make our corner of the world a better place for all our residents.”
The committee will:
* Review the policies and procedures of the Lewiston Police Department involving the use of force and restraint in its interactions with the public and make recommendations on policy, practice, and procedural changes to ensure fair, equal, and appropriate treatment of all; * Review the process by which citizen complaints against police officers and other city employees are investigated and, if necessary, recommend improvements to this process to ensure that such complaints are addressed thoroughly, objectively, fairly, and in a timely manner; * Review the type and nature of training provided to municipal employees, including police officers, in regard to such areas as bias, equality of treatment, and crisis management/de-escalation and to identify employees or employee groups that should receive training and what that training should consist of; * Review the recruiting and hiring practices of the city, with special emphasis on those of the Police Department, and develop recommendations that would assist the city in better reflecting the demographic composition of the community, to include recommendations on improving outreach to elements of the community currently under-represented in the city workforce;
By Sept. 30, the committe is expected to have developed and be ready to present to the city council a plan for a permanent standing committee to continue and advance the work of this ad hoc committee and to make such other recommendations the committee finds appropriate to fulfill its purpose.
“The work of ensuring equity and inclusion for all black, brown and indigenous people is important work that must start at the top and from within,” Hall added. “The mayor’s ad hoc committee is an opportunity for our city officials to demonstrate to the people of Lewiston what really matters, not only with words and sweet sentiments but also with actionable steps. I’m excited and honored to be selected as the chair of this committee.”
