SPOKANE, Wash. – The City of Spokane is seeking to make municipal boards and commissions more representative of the populations they serve.
In a public statement made Tuesday, the city highlighted vacant positions on the Spokane Human Rights Commission, Ethics Commission, Spokane Employees’ Retirement System Board, Office of the Police Ombudsman Commission, and two transportation related bodies.
According to the city, only 39% of appointees to Spokane boards and commissions are women. Latinos are also underrepresented in municipal groups, making up 7% of the city population but only 3% of board and commission representation.
Mayor Lisa Brown (D) hopes that more diverse voices apply to the open positions.
“It is critically important that we have diverse voices at the table to ensure that decisions reflect the needs and interests of all members of our community,” Brown said.
City Council President Betsy Wilkerson (D) reaffirmed the city government’s commitment to creating more representative government.
“Your voice matters, and the City of Spokane is committed to making sure it is heard loud and clear,” Wilkerson said.
In order to meet that goal, the mayor’s office is exploring options for covering childcare costs for commission and board members who need to leave young children to attend meetings, or covering transportation costs.
Neither of those proposed changes have been instituted yet, and would require action from the city council.
