By Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer
Northborough – The Northborough Board of Selectmen established a Diversity and Inclusion Committee initiated by Selectman Tim Kaelin in August. The Board approved the charge of the Committee during its Sept. 14 meeting and now seeks nine members, who are representative of the diverse town population. The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 5.
Members will be required to attend monthly meetings or as required, review existing policies and procedures currently in place with the town related to diversity and inclusion, identify potential areas for improvement, provide quarterly progress updates to the Board of Selectmen, and submit a written report detailing all the findings and recommendations within 12 months from the date of the Committee’s first meeting. The Committee will offer opportunities for community engagement and input through interviews, public listening sessions, surveys and social media.
The Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Council on Aging and Town Administration will appoint one member to serve as a representative on the committee. The additional five members will be Northborough residents, who have successfully completed the application and interview process.
Selectman Julianne Hirsh discussed the possibility of rounding out the Committee by setting guidelines so the selected members would represent a varied representation such as clergy, people with disabilities, or those in the 18-25 age group.
Chair Jason Perreault and Kaelin felt the aim of the applicant interview process will be to get a diverse set of people represented on the committee.
“While we may or may not have someone as a Committee member who is clearly a representative of a particular group, I think as a group as a whole their mission here is to do that outreach and provide appropriate representation for all of the groups we are trying to reach here,” Perreault said.
Northborough residents who have interest in serving as a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee are encouraged to submit a brief letter of interest and a resume no later than Monday, October 5 to the Board of Selectmen, 63 Main Street, Northborough, MA 01532 or by email to [email protected].
“I have no doubt that we will get many applications and the difficulty will be to sift through them all to get the interviews conducted,” said Perreault.
Additional information on all committee vacancies can be found at www.town.northborough.ma.us.
