What’s the right call for Wilsonville’s equity committee?

My recommendation: Budweiser

Keep reading to understand why!

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On June 15, 2020, Wilsonville City Council approved the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan and directed staff to develop options to establish an equity committee to oversee housing and other city-wide equity efforts. This action was supported by the Wilsonville Alliance for Inclusive Community, the Homebuilders Association, and Wilsonville Chamber. 

The City Council had a lot of questions about how to make this a successful effort. This article combines my career experience and research of best practices to offer a menu of choices for Wilsonville to consider. 

What did I miss? What seems right? Does Bud Select still exist?!?!

My hope is that you read this article, have thoughts, and share them with the City Council, your neighbors, and me. Click on the ACT page, then the image of City Council to email them today! 

My experience and research 

As a community organizer with Richmond Forward, I served as a facilitator between the government and community to develop the Education Compact (see articles one and two). As an urban planner for the past decade, I have staffed and helped establish committees, commissions, community advisory groups, and public-private partnerships. 

When I refer to traditional “power” and “non-power” groups, this language is borrowed from the monumental work of Sherry Arnstein’s “Ladder of Citizen Participation.” This simple framework is essential to understanding power-balance in group formation. 

Although this article is not specific to police oversight, I gained an incredible amount of knowledge from the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement’s (NACOLE) research paper, “Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement: A Review of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Models.” 

For definitions of equity, diversity, and inclusion, I borrowed from the Wilsonville Alliance for Inclusive Community. Go to their about page for more information. 

At the end of the article are links to equity-based city examples in Oregon and Virginia. 

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What is the scope? 

Range: individual to systemic, possibly with events 

This is the most important question! Clear direction and measurables are essential to provide direction to the equity group, community, and decision-makers. Far too often equity is used as a poorly defined label that people attach to existing efforts. I found the research classifications of police oversight groups to be applicable to equity-focused efforts:

  • Investigation-focused on individual cases or complaints

  • Review-focused on systemic injustice reports and analysis

  • Auditor-monitor which serves as an independent check, many times duplicating or replacing roles traditionally accomplished within government

For some communities, the important aspects of intentional dialogue and celebration play a larger role so that they are not viewed as another “regulatory” board. True inclusion cannot be achieved through equity oversight alone. 

Who is in the group?  

Range: traditional “power” versus “non-power” groups 

As noted in Arnstein’s Ladder, if the group is comprised of traditional “power” individuals, it should be questioned whether there is enough room for “non-power” voices to be heard. A challenge in developing this group will be to achieve a diverse and inclusive space. If done correctly, this will lead to greater productivity, problem-solving, enriched perspectives, and efficiency.

This may mean that not all groups are equally represented. Minority-majority rooms may be necessary to provide a safe space for people to freely participate. 

What decision-making authority is granted? 

Range: recommendation to regulatory  

Another issue raised in Arnstein’s Ladder is the level of decision-making power that is shifted from the traditional system. In the high-majority of equity oversight examples, City Council retains control of directing change to government policies and rules. Where decision-making is shared is through the creation of new programs or processes that equity groups are given full authority to administer. The main tradeoffs are connected to political will, the scope of activities, and resources available (public or private sector).  

What is the management structure? 

Range: government to non-profit

If government-led, there may be mistrust from community members that have a negative history of interaction. If non-profit led, mistrust may come from within government if they are seen as replacing or duplicating existing roles. The main tradeoffs are connected to community perception of government, the scope of activities, and resources available (public or private sector).  

What resource and training support is provided? 

Range: minimal to robust  

Too often in government, new committees are created without identifying sufficient staffing or resources to support. Whatever is determined as the scope, there should be a scale of resources (human and financial) that are applied. The tradeoffs are tied to the scope and group composition. If the work is technical, resources should be provided to on-going training. 

Options for Wilsonville’s equity committee

Bud Light

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Bud Select 

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Budweiser

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My recommendation: Budweiser

The nonprofit-based model helps remove government opposition and can better handle the celebratory and international dialogue events. Also, government funding can be further leveraged through a private-sector match. 

The greatest challenge will be to strike the scope and decision-making power balance with government, so that this would be viewed as a collaborative relationship. 

In Ashland, Virginia, I helped develop a Budweiser-level collaboration between the Town of Ashland and Ashland Main Street Association. Although the agreement was economic development-related, there was a clearly defined scope and set of measurables for what funding could accomplish by supporting this non-profit. 

The largest challenge I experienced was a bit of jealousy from other non-profits in the community that was not receiving government funding or shared decision-making power.

Call to action 

My hope is that you read this article, have thoughts, and share those thoughts with the City Council, your neighbors, and me. Click on the ACT page, then the image of City Council to email them today! 

equity-based Examples from oregon and virginia