CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City Council rejected a proposal to eliminate a so-called diversity, equity and inclusion position from the City of Clarksville’s human resources department during their Thursday night meeting.

Councilperson Travis Holleman brought the resolution forward, saying companies and government agencies throughout the United States are going away from DEI positions, and so the City of Clarksville should as well. However, a number of other council members had an issue with the language in the resolution.

During last week’s executive session, on Jan. 30, Councilperson Joe Shakeenab read a passage from the resolution: “Whereas, when the city is seeking to hire an employee, using the factor of a person’s race, who they have sex with, or if they are addicted to crossdressing is foolish and those attributes/hobbies do not contribute to actual work skill.”

“Where is the truth in that?” Shakeenab asked. “Just this in itself, among other things, to me it voiced the validity of this entire resolution, and I’d definitely vote no.”

Shakeenab also pointed out the City Council voted in June of last year on the 2024-25 fiscal year budget, and they’ll get the chance to do so again months down the road. “Four months away from budget season to arbitrarily try to cut someone, I don’t think it’s right.”

‘Arguably more of a HR analyst position’

Councilperson Deanna McLaughlin reached out to the city’s HR director because she knew the position in question had been reclassified from its original intent. The position has been tasked with things such as computer-based training, change management and employee retainment and engagement.

“We’ve had a historically high turnover (rate) in the past; that has improved,” McLaughlin said. “There have been no complaints that somebody didn’t get a chance to work for the city because they had more merit than somebody that was hired. … For the record, I do believe people need to be hired in merit, and that is happening in our city. This is just another way to try to discriminate and hate against people of our community.”

McLaughlin said the so-called DEI position is much more than the resolution implies and is arguably more of a HR analyst position.

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Mayor Joe Pitts said at the Jan. 30 meeting that the resolution has no basis in fact or reality for the City of Clarksville. “I can tell you that next week, I hope this resolution falls on the trash heap of our history and our past, and we can move past it and start fixing potholes, paving streets and making parks for our people to live and not dealing with the mess that’s coming out of Washington.”

When the resolution was brought forward on Thursday, Holleman made the motion for the resolution to be approved, but he failed to get a second, which killed the proposal.

Before the meeting began, one concerned citizen, Joy Rice, addressed the council and said part of what drove her family to Clarksville is that the city is so diverse. “There is a safety in that diversity,” Rice said. “Unfortunately, I feel like that safety is being threatened by Travis Holleman.”

Meanwhile, Councilperson Tim Chandler said at the end of the meeting, “We as a city, a melting pot of people, absolutely cannot stand for people being discriminated against because of who they are.”

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