MARCH 17, 2005

ATTENDANCE: Barbara Amodio, Chair; Bea Brown; Dr. Sally Grose; Rahoul Dupervil; Gerald Ross, Jr.; Sarah Mann; Dr. Charles Stabinsky; Vicki Su

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Amodio called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

Chair Amodio introduced the Commission’s newest member, Vicki Su, and said she was delighted to have Ms. Su on board. Chair Amodio and each of the Commissioners, in turn, introduced themselves.

ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

Chair Amodio said that the Commission did not meet during the months of January or February 2005.

December 16, 2004

** DR. GROSE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 16, 2004 AS SUBMITTED.

** MOTION PASSED WITH TWO ABSTENTIONS (BROWN, SUI).

OLD BUSINESS

Update on Status of Director Search

Chair Amodio said that many of the Commissioners had questions regarding this, and she had invited Mayor Knopp to attend the meeting to answer them. She was not certain whether or not he would attend. The search was narrowed to two candidates and an offer made to the first, but it was subsequently withdrawn. She said she did not know whether an offer had been made to the second-in-line candidate. She said she was not directly informed, but learned that the search was reopened for more candidates, and the position was reposted a short time ago. Dr. Stabinsky said it was strange that the Chair had not been kept informed about the progress, or lack thereof, regarding finding a suitable candidate to fill the position, especially in light of the fact that the Mayor attended one of the Commission’s meetings to discuss the subject. Dr. Stabinsky felt Mayor Knopp gave the impression that filling the position was a priority; he said he was disappointed with administrative personnel. Dr. Stabinsky said he was also disappointed with Chair Amodio for not following up vigorously enough to keep the Commissioners informed. Chair Amodio said she took exception to this, and had pursued the subject more than once, but didn’t want to lock horns with the administration about it, as she felt this might have a negative impact on the process. She said her attempts were documented but if necessary she would create a “telephone tree.”

Dr. Stabinsky reiterated his disappointment that the City was no further along in filling the Director’s position than it was two years ago. He said Chair Amodio should not feel she was alone or without support in handling her tasks. He suggested she ask for assistance, and delegate as necessary. Mr. Ross said Chair Amodio should not have to go to battle by herself. Ms. Brown said the Commission should call the Mayor to set an appointment to discuss this further. The Commissioners agreed. Mr. Dupervil said he felt the Mayor wanted the position filled, and agreed that the Commission should be kept advised of the progress being made. The Commissioners agreed. Dr. Stabinsky said he was becoming skeptical that the Mayor truly wanted Norwalk to have a Human Relations Director. Mr. Ross said that it is a disservice to the Commission if the administration does not want to fill the position. Ms. Mann said that she also spoke to the Mayor, and that members of the Council approached him, as well. The situation was serious. Ms. Su felt that a non-formal approach did not address the process and suggested a formal letter be written. Chair Amodio felt that a personal approach would be more effective.

Chair Amodio said that other issues emerged during the task force’s process. She said it had been and still was her opinion that the Human Relations Commission was a body that had legal “teeth.” With the inception of the CHRO office located in nearby Bridgeport, Chair Amodio said that many have expressed their feeling that the Commission should not have any authoritative power, and their purpose should only be educational and advisory in nature.

Mr. Ross asked if the credentials changed with the new posting. Chair Amodio said they had not, but she felt strongly that the candidate should have an attorney background. She said she would send a letter to the administration tomorrow requesting that the Mayor meet with members of the Commission at his soonest availability.

Self-Identification for a Subcommittee

Chair Amodio said that this would be discussed as the meeting progressed.

NEW BUSINESS

Update on Resignation of Bilingual Secretary / New Search

Chair Amodio said that the Department’s bilingual secretary resigned. She said she spoke to the secretary at length in an attempt to keep her, but to no avail. Mr. Dupervil said he was informed that the position was posted internally; it would be posted externally next week.

BET Meeting Report

Chair Amodio said she attended the last BET meeting and the Commission’s budget was left in tact. She said Mr. Patterson and Mr. Booth of Fair Rent were also in attendance, and Mr. Booth stated that the Human Relations Commission had no intakes and was therefore unnecessary. He said that Mr. Patterson should have an assistant to help with Fair Rent investigations. Chair Amodio said she disagreed, and advised the BET that it was more important that current staff be better managed and more accountable than it was to hire additional staff. She said that she felt that the statistics available were not accurate. Ms. Brown felt strongly that Mr. Patterson should be attending every Human Relations Commission meetings, and that the office phones should be manned each day from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. If this was not possible, a Commissioner or someone from Personnel should know why not. She said that the Commission should receive a report of how many people come in and what type of Human Relations complaints are being taken by staff. Chair Amodio said that Mr. Patterson reports to Ms. LeTourneau from Personnel, and that she and Ms. LeTourneau have discussed this more than once. Dr. Stabinsky said he recalled asking Mr. Patterson to provide monthly stats; this has not been happening. He suggested that the Chair appoint a sub-committee to monitor these types of personnel issues. Dr. Grose said she would stop in the office each time she visited City Hall.

Ms. Su, Dr. Stabinsky and Ms. Brown volunteered to be on the personnel subcommittee.

Report of Bylaws Revision Subcommittee

Ms. Mann said that she, Ms. Brown and Dr. Stabinsky met to discuss revision of the bylaws; Dr. Stabinsky made a few changes. She questioned the duties of the Secretary, under the category of Officers, because minutes of all meetings were handled though a third party, a secretarial service. Chair Amodio felt someone should be responsible to oversee that minutes were received on time, accurate, and were then distributed. The Commissioners discussed this at length and agreed that the Secretary would be responsible in the absence of staff. Dr. Grose suggested that Section III should be worded to establish a dynamic nature of the relationship. The Commissioners agreed to add the word “collaborative.”

** DR. GROSE MOVED THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TO APPROVE THE CHANGES DISCUSSED AND INCORPORATE THEM INTO THE BYLAWS.

** MR. DUPERVIL SECONDED THE MOTION.

** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Brown thanked Ms. Mann and Dr. Stabinsky for their assistance, saying they both did a fine job.

Honoring of Bea Brown

Ms. Mann said she attended an event on March 5th hosted by the George Washington Carver Foundation held to honor human rights activists who were residents of Norwalk; Ms. Brown was among those honored. She said it was a wonderful event but was disappointed that it was not better attended. Chair Amodio said that she would submit Ms. Brown’s photograph from that event to the Norwalk Historical Commission for inclusion in their history.

OLD BUSINESS

Report of Tree Dedication Subcommittee

Ms. Mann said she and Dr. Stabinsky visited three vendors in search of an appropriate tree plaque and explained their findings to the Commission. She said that the cost could be borne through fundraising. Dr. Stabinsky felt that the cost should be taken from the Commission’s budget; it could become a line item. Chair Amodio suggested that this could be discussed with Mr. Hamilton, the Finance Director. Ms. Mann suggested that the first plaque should be placed at Brookside Elementary School.

** MS. SU MOVED THE COMMISSION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDED CHOICE FOR A TREE PLAQUE MADE BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE.

** MR. ROSS SECONDED THE MOTION.

** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION LIAISON REPORT

Mr. Dupervil said he had good news. The Reed Putnam project’s development was completed, and it received approval from the Planning Commission. By City ordinance, 10% of the project would be made available for affordable housing. Of the 190 or so units to built, six of them would be for low-income ownership; 13 units would be rentals. He said that the elderly, the disabled, and those on Section VIII usually qualify for affordable housing.

Mr. Dupervil said the lawsuit with Ms. Suib has been resolved. She no longer works for the Redevelopment Agency. He said the NAACP needed to provide a brief description of her position and issues of salary to Internal Grant Writing, and this was not yet resolved.

CHAIRLADY’S REPORT

Chair Amodio said there was no specific report because she had already discussed items throughout the meeting. She said she would not be able to chair the May 19th or June 16th meetings, and asked Mr. Dupervil to act as chair in her absence. Mr. Dupervil said that barring anything unforeseen, he would be able to chair the meetings.

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE’S REPORT

Statistics, Intake, Cumulative Log Sheets, Office & Field Procedures

Mr. Patterson was not present at the meeting to provide his report.

EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR CASE REVIEW

Mr. Patterson was not present at the meeting to discuss any case reviews.

ADJOURNMENT

** MR. ROSS MOVED TO ADJOURN.

** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:36 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol A. Graham for

Telesco Secretarial Services

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