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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Council Worksession <br />December 8, 2020 <br />5:00 pm <br /> <br />Present: Mayor Valerie Johnson <br /> Councilmember Graeme Allen <br /> Councilmember Emily Dunsworth <br /> Councilmember Nasreen Fynewever <br /> Councilmember Paul Jacobsen <br />Absent: <br /> <br />Staff in Attendance: Devin Massopust, Craig Schlichting <br /> <br />Guests in Attendance: <br /> <br />Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this meeting was held virtually. <br /> <br />DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity) Initiatives Discussion <br /> <br />Massopust reported this topic was brought to staff. He explained staff would like to have the Council have a <br />discussion and provide direction on how to approach the DEI initiatives. He stated he was seeking input <br />regarding a potential new staff position and the creation of a new commission. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen indicated he would like to see a commission created to pick up where the task force left <br />off. He recommended this commission have a staff liaison along with a Council representative. He explained <br />there was a lot of work to be done and this made great sense. He anticipated it would be difficult to find the <br />right staff person, because there were not a lot of experts available. He recommended staff begin looking soon <br />in order to provide staff with the necessary time to interview and vet candidates prior to mid-2021. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth agreed with Councilmember Allen that the commission needs to happen. She <br />supported this moving forward because it would give more voice to issues from the community. In addition, it <br />would inform the direction the City was going regarding any DEI issues. She requested that the new position <br />be provided a seat at the table that this becomes a part of the culture and that the new hire not be a consultant <br />position. She wanted to have someone at the City looking at everything through the DEI lens. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen recommended a commission be created as well. He recommended members of the <br />community apply for a position and that these appointments be made by the City Council. He questioned if <br />there would be value in having the Commission begin meeting prior to the staff member being brought on. He <br />discussed the importance of having the right person for the new position and suggested staff begin soliciting <br />for this position sooner rather than later. <br /> <br />Councilmember Fynewever commented on the requirements for the DEI position. She suggested a diverse <br />citizens group be formed to assist with the interview team. She reported this would assist in including any <br />excluded population or voices. She stated she would like to see the commission formed as soon as possible by <br />the new Council. The Council would have to consider how to recruit candidates and if their voice would be <br />heard during the DEI position interviews. She suggested the recruitment process be intentional and wide in