Vermont League of Cities and Towns
Equity Committee Meeting
May 2, 2022 – Via Zoom
Minutes
Members Present: VLCT Board member Co-Chair Lucrecia Wonsor, Joy Dubin Grossman, Alyssa Johnson, Charles Keir, Marguerite Ladd, Kathleen Ramsay, Donna Toneatti, and Deborah Wright.
Others Present: VLCT staff: Executive Director Ted Brady, Abby Friedman, Karen Horn, Jessica Hill, and Linda Mahns.
Agenda Item #1: Call to order by the Chair. Lucrecia Wonsor called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. and welcomed the new members: Kathleen Ramsay, Donna Tonneatti, Chuck Keir, and Alyssa Johnson.
Agenda Item #2: Additions and deletions to the Agenda. Lucrecia Wonsor asked if there were any changes needed to be made to the agenda. With no discussion, Kathleen Ramsay made a motion to approve the agenda as is. Joy Dubin Grossman seconded. Approved unanimously.
Agenda Item #3: Work Group – Reviewing the VLCT JDEIB Toolkit Contents. Ted Brady introduced the toolkit summary for new members and began going down the table of contents for the committees’ review. Lucrecia Wonsor began with the two remaining definitions that were not yet approved by the committee (“Justice” and “Racial Justice”.) Slight revisions were made and will be presented to the committee at the 5/16/22 meeting for approval. The committee was asked to provide other samples of the Declaration of Inclusion (DOI) for the toolkit. Deb Wright asked if the consultants list can contain a disclaimer to state these contacts are not vetted. A question arose on Equity Assessments and Ted Brady asked the committee to bring their samples to showcase in the toolkit. In the “Resources” section, Karen Horn asked if the IDEAL Program could be linked under the heading “Partner Initiatives.” Alyssa Johnson asked about case studies as something to consider for the future. Abby Friedman offered Middlebury as a possible case study to include. After a full discussion, Lucrecia Wonsor asked if the committee was satisfied with the work session. Without any further talking points, it was agreed that the toolkit would be added to the 5/16/22 agenda for final review and approval.
Agenda Item #4: Other Business.
The June 20th meeting is rescheduled for June 21st in observance of Juneteenth holiday. The next regularly scheduled meeting is May 16, 2022, from 1-2:30 p.m.
Agenda Item #5: Adjourn. Lucrecia Wonsor asked for a motion to adjourn. Joy Dubin Grossman made the motion. Deborah Wright seconded. The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. without objection.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Mahns
Executive Administrative Assistant