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Town of Lexington Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee Minutes of Meeting of July 25, 2014 20/20 Vision Committee A meeting of the was held on Friday, July 25, 2014 at 7:45 a.m. in the Parker Room in the Town Office Building at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. Members Present: Fernando Quezada, Andrew Dixon,Marian Cohen,Margaret Coppe, Peter Lee, Joe Pato, Saatvik Ahluwalia Staff: Candy McLaughlin, Melissa Jones Members Absent: Alan Wrigley, Dan Krupka, Matthew Pronchik,Bhumip Khasnabish, Peter Enrich Others Present: Carroll Ann Bottino Action Items: Share final list of new Selectmen goals with the Committee (Melissa) Circulate revised committee charge (Melissa) Future agenda item: Discuss next steps for study of community models of multicultural integration Future agenda item: Discuss possible task force to address issues of diversity beyond race and ethnicity Future agenda item: Finalize plan for dissemination of survey results The meeting was called to order at 7:50 a.m. and acted on the following items: Approved minutes from May 23, 2014 Notes from June 26, 2014: There was no quorum at the last meeting, so the minutes do not need to be approved. However, because the meeting was documented and the notes were shared with the entire Committee, they may be discussed by the full group in open meeting and referenced in future minutes. Hear updates: Selectmen’s goal setting discussions: Joe said that there were two major takeaways from the Committee’s submission to the Selectmen. The first addresses the issue of inclusiveness, and being proactive in engaging Asian residents in civic participation. To that end, the Town Manager has been meeting with CAAL, and the former Board of Selectmen Chair (Deb Mauger) had begun meeting with CAAL and IAL. There is concern from the Selectmen regarding how to engage in regular, candid conversations with these groups in light of the open meeting law. If a quorum of the Board meets with one of these groups, the meeting will need to be posted as public; this format may not lend itself well to candid interaction. The second takeaway for the Selectmen is the reviewing of committee charges. 20/20’s revised charge will be the first step in this process, and will demonstrate an effort to make charges more clear. Joe and Michelle Ciccolo will work on a proposal regarding how to move forward on this more broadly. Current trends in citizens’ engagement: Candy shared some feedback from the ICMA workshop she attended on citizens’ engagement, particularly regarding ways to consider the role of the citizen and the role of the professional manager. She said that there are many models of citizen engagement to explore if and when the Committee wants to try something new. Saatvik asked for feedback on how to communicate to residents that they should get involved. Feedback from the group included: emphasizing a need to get involved for your children’s sake; a sense of honor in preserving the character of the Town; making a difference in your community. The group also recommended directing people to the volunteer form. Revised committee charge: This is on the Selectmen’s agenda for Monday, July 28. Andrew will try to attend to represent the Committee. Melissa will recirculate the revised charge to the full group. Discuss next steps for study of community models of multicultural integration: The idea behind this study is to look at communities across the country that have also experienced a growing minority population, and learn from how they have handled this demographic shift. Marion said that it will be important to identify key variables, and how to use those variables to achieve integration. She noted that it may be possible to study examples where the dominant minority population was non-Asian, and that historical examples may be relevant for study as well. She said that it will be important for the Committee to determine what it wants to know, and what it wants to do with the information. Discuss possible task force to address issues of diversity beyond race and ethnicity: The group noted that there is some overlap between this item and the previous agenda item. The group discussed affordable housing as a major issue, and decided that this proposed task force is worth exploring further.