This year at Annual Town Meeting, residents will vote on Article 45, a citizen-sponsored warrant item that calls on the selectmen to create a town equity officer position for the purpose of reviewing all “bylaws, operations, regulations and procedures, budgets and capital plans, and to recommend such adjustments as may be indicated to remediate observed inequities.” The article was inserted into the warrant by citizen petition, initiated by a Harvard Press co-owner, Worth Robbins.
After the Bromfield rock vandalization in November last year, Robbins said he felt stirred to action. Like many, he was disturbed by the incident but not sure how to proceed. Then he read a letter to the editor published in the Dec. 1 Press from Jenny Levison, who graduated from Bromfield in 1981. Levison’s letter called on readers to “think beyond dealing with individuals, and reach for what structures the town can put in place to address racism and other forms of hate head on and proactively.”
Robbins had known Levison and her family for many years and called her father a close friend, so when her letter came in, “I took more than the usual amount of notice,” said Robbins in a phone interview this week. “It just resonated. I thought, yeah, we should do something.” A few weeks later, the Board of Selectmen unanimously passed its anti-hate pledge, which stated: “Harvard is a community that cares about its citizens and those who work, play, or simply come to visit our community. Harvard has always shown that each individual should be treated with dignity and respect, and we oppose all expressions of hatred, intolerance, and discrimination. The Board of Selectmen encourages our community to continue showing that we are a caring and supportive community for all.”
Robbins said he was encouraged by the pledge, but noted that it lacked an implementation strategy or enforcement plan. “It had no teeth,” he said. “It says we will do these things, and won’t do these other things, but it doesn’t say how we will identify when that’s not the case and how will we remedy it. This [warrant article] takes it to that next step.”
Robbins secured 11 signatures from registered voters for his petition, one more than the required number to get the petition added as a warrant article. He said he did not encounter any resistance to the idea from anyone he spoke to about it.
Town equity officer
The petition calls for the creation of a new position called the town equity officer, either as a completely new position or as an additional duty added to a current employee’s responsibilities. While this type of position is most commonly associated with school districts and the administration of colleges and universities, a few cities and town governments have begun adopting this role. Falmouth has a professional equity/administrative action officer, who works with the School Committee as well as a seven-person Equity/Affirmative Action Committee whose members are appointed by the selectmen to address issues of equity in the town’s government. Falmouth’s equity officer is also the fair housing and minority business enterprise officer. The city of Boston addresses equity issues not with a single position but through a multipronged approach involving their Fair Housing Commission, the Office of Resilience and Racial Equity, and the mayor’s agenda for economic equity.
When asked whether Harvard’s equity issues should be addressed by an individual or a committee, Robbins said he believed a committee would be even more difficult to recruit than a single officer, which Robbins thinks should be an appointed, possibly paid position, as opposed to volunteer, because he believes it should be a formal responsibility. Robbins points to housing, town hiring practices, and the school system as possible places to start such a review.
What is equity?
One part of the petition that did not make it into the warrant was the dictionary definition of “equity,” which specifically cites “freedom from bias or favoritism” as a foundational concept. “For example, if we had freedom from bias or favoritism, we wouldn’t have a situation where people of a particular income category couldn’t find appropriate housing in town,” said Robbins. “I see this as creating a listening function to give people a place to go if they feel like they have a need that isn’t being met, particularly because of a perceived privilege.”
Should the vote pass, Robbins looks forward to seeing how the Board of Selectmen will write the job description. Questions such as which inequities to address first, whether or not the equity officer will hold office hours for public comments and questions, and how the individual will work with the various board and committees in town, will contribute to how the selectmen shape the scope and authority of the role should it be implemented. If funding is an issue, Robbins suggests the board treat the role as a contracted position and send out a request for proposals, to see who steps forward and what his or her salary requirements might be. “Maybe someone will do the work for one dollar a year,” said Robbins.
Selectmen take no position
In their review of the 2017 warrant, the selectmen took no position on Article 45. While they supported the pledge they had adopted on Dec. 20, 2016, which serves as a preamble to the article, they were divided in their support for an equity officer. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” said Selectwoman Alice von Loesecke, a position echoed by Selectman Ron Ricci. Selectman Stu Sklar said he thought the pledge would pass overwhelmingly at Town Meeting, “but we might have to amend the second part,” which he described as “murkier.” “It will be up to Town Meeting to decide,” said Selectwoman Lucy Wallace, who moved that the board take no position. The vote was unanimous.
When asked why this role is needed, Robbins responded, “You can’t just make a declaration and say I expect this to happen. You have to follow it up with regular review.” And is there a downside to creating a town equity officer? Not according to the position’s lead proponent. “I’m possibly naïve, but I’m assuming this will be a unanimous vote. I can’t imagine any reason to oppose it,” said Robbins. Remembering the selectmen’s pledge that Harvard is a caring and supportive community for all, Robbins mused, “I think we are that kind of town, and I think it makes all kinds of sense to take a little baby step in the direction of making sure we are.”
