CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – City Council members received their new committee appointments this week, and several of them are raising objections about a lack diversity in leadership, despite the diversity of the council itself.
At an executive session on Tuesday, council members commented on a series of emails about the six committee chair selections, which are divided among four of the 12 members.
Under the new appointments, Wallace Redd and Wanda Smith each chair one committee, while Travis Holleman and Stacey Streetman each chair two.
Committee appointments are made by the mayor. At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Joe Pitts told council members he intends to “reshuffle” appointments again in July 2022.
Council members’ concerns
Clarksville Now obtained a series of emails that were exchanged last week among council members.
“The assignments of members and chairs for the Clarksville City Council Standing Committees should be equitable to ensure fair representation as well as educational for the council members so that we may grow and better serve our community,” said Karen Reynolds in one email. “Our City Council is 50% minority and 50% white and the same percentage for women. The chairs are white with the exception of one appointment.”
“One example, and this is no offense to the gentlemen on the committee, but we only have three white men on the ENTIRE council and they are all on the Finance Committee,” said Wanda Allen in a similar email. “I would ask that the mayor look at the standing committees before they go into effect on December 1st and make them more diverse as warranted in our city code.”
Other council members expressed concerns that only appointing the most experienced council members to chairman roles could lead to issues for future councils.
“It is totally disheartening to be given the impression that our honorable mayor does not have enough faith in us (or frankly the community that elected us) to allow equivalent upward opportunities that are observably reserved to a particular faction, or shall we call it a ‘sphere of trust,'” said Trisha Butler in an email.
‘You’re proving why you weren’t selected’
During Tuesday’s meeting, Holleman suggested that some council members’ comments showed why they weren’t appointed to committee chairs.
“Speaking from a position of not getting the position you know in your heart you really want, we all have to realize this where we’re at and this is what we have to do to work as a team, and we don’t always get what we want,” said Holleman. “We have 12 people up here. Some people want diversity. Some people want leadership. We don’t get our way so we just go crazy and complain, and do all this other stuff and whine about it. From my perspective, you’re proving why you weren’t selected for leadership.”
“When somebody stands up for themselves, that is not a reason to not put them on a committee,” Allen said in response. “It’s not about me, it’s about what’s right. It’s about the laws that we have said are in place here, and we intentionally put diverse standing committees in our laws. … This is a problem, and if we don’t see it as a problem, then we are the problem.”
Streetman said committees are typically chaired by senior members of the council.
“I didn’t chair a committee until I was into my third year (on the council),” Streetman said. “My first two years, I was a member like anyone else.”
Vondell Richmond, who previously chaired the Parks & Recreation Committee, responded to Streetman’s comment.
“Being in that senior peer group, I was removed from a committee. I don’t mind, but there was also a question in my mind. If we are looking at seniority, then the question from a senior member is, ‘What happened to the one senior member, who happens to be myself?'” said Richmond.
Mayor Pitts responds
Pitts responded to the objections at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Committees will be diverse at some times and less so at other times. We are always looking to have diversity on our committees in terms of gender, race, background, interest – work schedules are also factored in. We will be reshuffling the committees in July, we hope, so there will be other opportunities for more diversity on some of the committees,” Pitts said.
Following the meeting, city spokesperson Linda Gerron provided a statement to Clarksville Now:
“Unbeknownst to many, the City goes through a process to find the right rotational structure for each standing committee. For example, the City has a five-year diversity action plan to ensure the City of Clarksville is proactive and effective in fostering inclusion, respect and equality within the committees of City Hall,” the statement said.
“Council members not only serve on council committees but also occupy positions as liaisons or voting members on more than 15 other boards and commissions ranging from the Access Board of Appeals to the Tree Board. …
“Despite changes in the overall make-up of the council as a result of the departure of former council members Richard Garrett and Jason Knight, Mayor Pitts’ proposed changes in council committee appointments have increased the number of majority-female committees from one to four. Also, three of the six committees have a majority of minority members, which is not a change from the previous slate. There are no committees without minority representation.”