In the midst of a pandemic, and following the killing of George Floyd and ensuing civic unrest, the League of Women Voters Roseville Area during the June, 2020 annual meeting voted to study equitable representation in “our own backyard.” Recognizing that this would be a small step, a team of members surveyed representation on city appointed boards and commissions in our five cities: Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, Roseville. Serving on a commission or board could be a step toward becoming more involved in politics, thus providing a gateway to more equal representation in local, state, and national governance.

During 2020 and 2021, the team developed a survey that was electronically sent to 116 board and commission members. The team chose to define diversity broadly, to include race/ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, disabilities, and sexual orientation. The spirit of this report is to focus on what is working well, emphasizing equity strengths that can be shared across the cities. In addition to sharing the report, a summary of survey findings was presented in-person to each city council, emphasizing “…no easy answers…no easy solutions…”  and sharing recommendations from participants as well as available resources. League team members emphasized a willingness to collaborate and work together with the cities.

See full 2020-2021 Equitable Representation Study on Appointed City Boards and Commissions here.

Patricia Hoffman, Barb Luck, co-chairs

Link to Growing Diversity in Local Leadership program (11/16/21) https://my.nicheacademy.com/rcladult/course/39901