HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-27-20 Public Comment - J. Strout - Bozeman Task Force_ Statement on Bozeman City Commissioner VacancyFrom:Jan Strout
To:Heather Grenier; Ellie Cornish; Florence Doyle; Francine Spang-Willis; “Danielle Rogers”; Cara Jorgensen; AdrianAdvincula; Sandra Erickson; Tomomi Yamaguchi; Christopher Coburn; Pastor Amy; President Login;ellisfinnosen@gmail.com
Cc:Lei-Anna Bertelsen; Carson Taylor; Michael Wallner; Agenda
Subject:Bozeman Task Force: Statement on Bozeman City Commissioner Vacancy
Date:Sunday, September 27, 2020 12:12:31 PM
Dear Bozeman Task Force,
Thank you for a great Task Force meeting on September 21st. Minutes are posted on our Google Drive link
This past Thursday, informed by discussions and
recommendations at the TF meeting, a sub-committee (Lei-Anna,
Jan, Carson, Danielle, Cara and MIchael) met to first discuss the
Bozeman City Commissioner and will meet again for the
Bozeman Police Chief vacancy and made some requests andrecommendations. Here they are:
1. Recap of our meeting purpose: to discuss the vacancies for
Bozeman Chief of Police and the City Commissioner; thismeeting focused on the City Commission seat as the timeline
happens much sooner than the Police Chief vacancy.
2. Discussion of the qualities/description of the type of City
Commissioner we want selected. Leadership, communicationskills, diversity of perspectives, lived experiences, a strong and
experienced advocate for the goals/purpose of our Task Forcewere prioritized as a some of those desired characteristics.
Here's our Bozeman TF purpose:Why a Bozeman for CEDAW? There is a continued need to
protect and expand the human rights of all women and girls by
addressing discrimination in educational, political, economic and
cultural areas. By adopting an Ordinance or Resolution based on
the principles of CEDAW (the Convention on the Elimination of AllForms of Discrimination against Women) to effectively monitor
and end both subtle and substantial gender and otherdiscrimination, the City of Bozeman will continue Montana’s
tradition of history-making decisions that support women andgirl’s advancement and empowerment.
Join us in our goal of becoming a Bozeman City for CEDAW,allowing our community to prioritize gender and all equity,
diversity and inclusion!
3. Discussion about related issues such as pay equity and a
livable salary as well as child care support; this impacts who arecurrently able to serve (retired people, those with enough
economic security that the pay stipend is a non-issue) and thatthe person will most likely continue with a full time job while they
serve 15-20 hours a week.
4. CIty Commissioner liaison Michael Wallner described theprocess. Those who live in Bozeman city limits, are 18 or older,
and apply by Tuesday, September 29th are eligible. TheCommission reviews and will plan a meeting to meet with each
candidate. Read more details in the Bozeman Chronicle article here:
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/bozeman-sets-course-for-appointing-city-
commissioner/article_2e96a66f-d277-53b2-b2f1-aaf734eab14b.html?
utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-
share&fbclid=IwAR0UctFtPIkh2h_FXzQT7zqF7rw3mjP1eGFTuyfoEjVfYwl0S2A4pzUfBs8
5. Our statement to the Task Force and Community: We, the
members of the Bozeman Task Force on the Status andSafety of All Women and Girls, believe the open City
Commissioner seat is best served by someone who will advocatefor the equity of women’s and girls’ rights, racial and social justice
issues, and who has strong communication and leadership skills. Advocating for gender and other equity promotes human rights
for everyone in our community. We believe it is vital to expandthe perspectives and representation on the Commission while
championing the growing needs of a more diverse community.
"Women belong in All Places where decisions are being made." -
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
6. Discussed possible people to encourage to apply.
ACTION: We encourage members of the Bozeman Task Forceto invite people they know who are strongly supporting our vision
to apply for the Bozeman City Commission vacancy bySeptember 29th. And to share our Statement above.
7. Community outreach - we are promoting this opportunity by
posting the City Commissioner vacancy article on our Bozeman
for CEDAW Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/bozemanforcedaw/ and sharing this with the Mayor and CityCommissioners.
Thank you!
Lei-Anna, Jan, Taylor, Danielle, Cara and Michael,
Sub-committee Members
Bozeman Task Force on the Status and Safety of
All Women and Girls