APPT-2024-36 : Appointment of Lizzy Barr, 12 Mt. Vernon Street, to the Human Rights Commission

Transcript (~5 min @ 1:31)

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▶ 1:20 Cal Finocchiaro: Tonight on our agenda, we have three appointments. The first appointment is appointment 2024 dash 36, appointment of Lizzie Barr 12 Mount, uh, Vinton Street to the Human Rights Commission. I will motion by unanimous consent to suspend rule 37 B. This will allow non-cost members to speak. At this time, seeing no objections, rule 37 B is now suspended. So Ms. Barr and Mayor Greg, welcome. Thank you.

▶ 1:52 Jen Grigoraitis: Good evening, Madam Chair and committee members. I'm really pleased to be here tonight to present my request for the appointment of Lizzie Barr to the Human Rights Commission. Ms. Barr brings sub substantive experience working in diversity, equity, and inclusion as a woman in stem, where she's obviously used to not often being in the majority, um, and has substantive HR experience as well. She had volunteered to serve on the HRC and I was thrilled, um, to have her be willing to be engaged in our community and serve in this role.

▶ 2:23 Speaker 2: Thank you so much, mayor. I really appreciate the time to be here with you, um, right now and appreciate this opportunity. I've been passionate about public service my whole life. Um, I've lived in Melrose for the past three years, and I've worked in human resources for seven years and spent about five of them working in DEI. Um, so I believe strongly in the H c's mission to, um, like resolve res, resolve disputes that might have an element related to, uh, racial, religious, or ethnic prejudice, but also to develop programs that promote diversity, um, and also to have respect for others regardless of their differences. Uh, so I remember applying and seeing that this role was open and thinking that it was, uh, an absolutely perfect combination of what I could bring and what the city needed. And so I am, I really appreciate the opportunity here.

▶ 3:19 Speaker 2: Great. Um, do I have to suspend a rule for me to speak?

▶ 3:22 Speaker 3: Um, yeah. 21, 21 C.

▶ 3:25 Speaker 2: At this time, I'd like to make a motion to suspend Rule 21 C for motion by unanimous consent. Motion by unanimous consent.

▶ 3:36 Cal Finocchiaro: Um, thank you so much for doing and volunteering for this role. Um, I looked at your resume and you have a ton of, uh, experience and we appreciate you peop uh, people like you in our community for stepping up and, you know, volunteering for something like this. So we appreciate it. Thank you. Um, what is the will of committee? Yep. On discussion.

▶ 3:57 Devin Romanul: Um, I just wanted to ask, uh, first of all, I wanted to echo my colleagues, uh, uh, comments. Thank you so much for throwing your hat in the ring and being willing to, uh, serve our community. Um, I wanted to ask just out of curiosity, what are you, you know, what are you seeing in the DEI field especially, um, you know, either in the public sector, in the private sector, is like the spotlight has frankly shifted, um, you know, pretty far in the DEI, uh, world from where it was just a couple of years ago. And so, um, anyway, what, and what are you really excited to be doing on the cons on the committee? Excuse me.

▶ 4:30 Speaker 2: It's a great question. And honestly, I I, I'm seeing a lot of division in DEI and what I find most important is being able to empower and advocate for those who are disempowered and disenfranchised, but also doing it in a way that others who, who might feel like they are not included, know that they are. And to know that when we embrace diversity, we, it's for the benefit for all parties. Like inclusion benefits, everyone. And I think that's a conversation that it, it needs to happen. And that's sort of the frontier that I see. So when I go to work every day, what I try to focus on is making sure that we are centering the voices that haven't been centered historically, but we're also doing it in a way that shows that bringing in widening that circle benefits all parties. So it's not like we're favoring one group over another 'cause it's, it, that's not what's happening. What's happening is we're sort of making a rainbow with more colors. Like, we've had this rainbow and it hasn't had all the colors in it, and we're just expanding our rainbow. Um, that's what I see.

▶ 5:50 Speaker 4: Great. Yeah. Thank you. Thank

▶ 5:50 Speaker 5: You.

▶ 5:53 Devin Romanul: Motion to recommend to the full council.

▶ 5:56 Speaker 2: Second. Okay. We have a motion to recommend by Councilor Romanul, seconded by President Elli Exofficio. All in favor?

▶ 6:06 Speaker 2: Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. This motion carries. We move to the next full city council meeting. Um, Ms. Barr, you do not need to appear this at the city council meeting, but of course, you're welcome to if you so wish. Thank you for being here tonight. Thank

▶ 6:20 Speaker 6: You all. Thank you. Thank you.