Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-05-23-FHHR-min.pdf Minutes Fair Housing and Human Relations Committee Meeting May 23, 2001 Present: Margaret Cole and Tom Montanari, Co-Chairs, Jeffrey Collins, Jean Hibino, Jed Snyder Steve Baran (staff) Guests: Gene Clerkin and Christine Chase Absent: Michelle Ekanem, Beverly Goodridge, Chang-Sheng Ting, Cathy Abbott (Selectmen Liaison) The meeting was called to order at 8:00pm by Tom Montanari, Co-Chair I. The minutes of the April 18, 2001 meeting were approved with no changes. II. Guest Speaker Eugene J. Clerkin of the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation and the Bedford Housing Partnership/Bedford Housing Trust came to speak about Bedford's successful campaign to pass the Community Preservation Act (CPA) this past March. A handout was provided for committee members. Mr Clerkin gave an overview which included a brief summary of 1) 'Smart Growth' (he gave the example of Portland, Oregon where diverse groups and interests such as environmental/open space/preservation/transportation/affordable housing work together to develop long range growth plans for the city); 2) Executive Order 41P (consisting of two parts housing certification and community development plans; 3) state mandated 10% vs. Ch. 406 he stressed the need for help from consultants in order to develop a plan for comprehensive permit; and 4) Community Preservation Act (CPA). Mr Clerkin gave an overview of the CPA las it related to Bedford. He stated that the CPA is more of a statement of what a town envisions and believes it could be. Several factors and the timing of the vote came together for Bedford. He spoke about two unwanted Ch. 40B projects, expansion at Hanscom Airport, and less than 10% affordable housing. Their first tasks were to find out the facts and build grassroots interest in the issue. He stated that the bottom line was taxes (a "surcharge") and being able to win the townspeople over on the fact that their taxes would go up if the act passed, but he also spoke about exemptions for seniors, low income families, and on the first $100,000 of property value. Mr Clerkin noted that there were three ways Bedford could have voted: 1) regular Town Meeting, 2) Special Town Meeting or 3) 5% of voters signing a petition to get it on the ballot. The group chose Option No. 2. After that passed, it was sent to Town Election for a vote. The entire timeline for the Bedford 6/11/01 Page 2 of 3 campaign was only three months, it began in December 2000 and was passed in March 2001 He said the grassroots support, having a 'hook' for voters (ie. historic preservation, open space, affordable housing), having accurate facts, and stressing the benefits for the Bedford, coupled with a press/media campaign were the keys to success. Ill. Rumor Reported Steve Baran reported that an unnamed African American man spoke to Linda Vine, Assistant Town Manager stating that he had heard a rumor about a real estate agent selling property located at 36 Ward Street"to other than Asians or Blacks. Linda inquired of Steve if a "testing approach"was in order The committee decided that Steve would check with Linda to see if any more specific information was given, and that if it turns out to more substantive than just a rumor and if deemed appropriate to this committee's charge, we will conduct further investigation. IV Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) Tom reported that Mr Richard Magee of MCAD was interested in making a presentation to the committee regarding whether or not we have considered working with them. Steve reported that MCAD had approached us in the past asking this committee to be responsible for 'preliminary screening' of potential discriminatory actions and that this required special training. The committee had previously decided not to do this due to the amount of resources and time needed. Florence reminded us that the focus for our work in 2001 is affordable housing, and the MCAD request fell under the 'Human Relations' aspect of the committee's work. In any event, Margaret would call Mr Magee to let him know that we could not schedule him for the June committee meeting. V LexFest! 2001 Jean raised that it would be a good idea for the commitee to have a presence at the June 2 LexFest! event. Margaret agreed to get a table and literature together for it, and she would also contact the Coalition for Racial Equality and the No Place for Hate Campaign. She thought it would be a good opportunity to begin talking to people about the potential for CPA in Lexington as well. VI. Christine Chase Nomination to Committee Ms. Chase had submitted her application to become a FH&HR Committee member She stated that she has had a long interest in housing, was active in issues in Cambridge, had attended the Affordable Housing Conference in March and learned a lot from it, and was interested in becoming a committee member VII. Next Meeting The next committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday June 20. Depending on the discussion and interest/energy/commitment of the committee members in terms of the CPA campaign, it may or may not be the last meeting before the traditional summer"break. Members of the committee volunteered to bring food (desserts, etc.). VIII. Miscellaneous Jed raised that he was hesitant to take on such a large issue (CPA) without knowing more about what is entailed. He felt the committee really needed to make an informed decision, and raised questions regarding who in town would be willing and interested to move on it with us;what are the pieces to the CPA that must be brought together and what other issues (ie. the library and schools) might be barriers to a successful campaign. Jed raised that the committee should condition its support and decision until we know what and who the other pieces are who will be on board with us, as we 6/11/01 4 cannot take up this campaign alone. He suggested that Tom and Margaret try to find out more information before the June meeting. The committee agreed. IX. Executive Session At 9:30pm the committee adjourned to Executive Session and came out of Executive Session at 9:45pm. During Executive Session, the committee voted to recommend to the Selectmen that Christine Chase become a member of the FH& HR Committee. The meeting was adjourned at 9:50pm. Respectfully submitted, Jean Hibino 6/11/01