The request to install lights at the Keach Park soccer field has floated through Concord City Council numerous times over the last few years.

The plea from residents of Concord’s most diverse neighborhood for lights was first budgeted in 2018 and has since been moved to 2031.

To better understand why lights in the park are so important to the people who use the park, city councilors should talk with residents, said Councilor Stacey Brown, who represents Ward Five. An easy way to do this, she said, is to be more proactive by inviting people to have these conversations with city boards and commissions. 

To better facilitate these discussions, Brown proposed creating an ad-hoc committee to focus on the diversity and outreach of boards, committees and commissions in the city. This isn’t the first time she’s pitched this idea. In July, Brown urged the council to study diversity of city representatives after she found that among the 59 city boards and commissions, only three people of color were appointed. 

While city officials say they want to engage new voices in city decisions, they have different ideas on how to do so.

At Monday night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Jim Bouley said he has his own proposal of how to address diversity, which he hopes to present next month. He called Brown’s proposition “narrow” in comparison to his forthcoming announcement. 

“If you hold on just a little bit  you’ll probably see something that is going to be a little more comprehensive,” he said. 

After Bouley’s announcement, Brown’s motion to create an ad-hoc committee was voted down by a voice vote, with most councilors opposed.

Bouley did not give any details of his proposal aside from mentioning he thinks the scope of a diversity initiative should be community-oriented and go beyond just examining boards and committees.

The motion for Brown’s committee stemmed from a quarterly report presented by City Manager Tom Aspell to discuss the council’s priorities. Under their sustainability initiatives, diversity is a key focus. 

The report mentioned the city has contracted with CircaWorks, a human resource consulting company, to help increase outreach of city job postings to more diverse audiences. 

Jennifer Johnston, the city’s human resource director, has utilized the service since a contract was approved in July. Through CircaWorks she is able to identify and reach new community groups to send job postings, she said. 

Through the service, Johnston has reached groups like Easterseals in Manchester to recruit people with disabilities, and other community organizations in Keene and the University of New Hampshire System. 

The use of CircaWorks was directly mentioned in the quarterly update, which sparked Brown’s curiosity, she said. She then called the company and spoke with a representative to learn more about the service and its use in Concord. 

Her research was of concern to Aspell and Councilor Keith Nyhan, who represents Ward Seven. Council rules outline a clear order for members not to interfere with city management prerogatives, said Aspell. 

Brown said her intentions were simply to learn more about the service. 

She hoped the focus on diversifying city employees, which has seen success at the police and fire departments, could translate into recruitment for volunteers to serve on city boards and commissions. 

Using Keach Park as an example, Brown said with more community input, the city would be able to better identify the needs of residents who often don’t interact with the council. 

“We are missing out on those perspectives that would make our city even better than it already is,” she said. 

Brown proposed a similar idea to form an ad-hoc committee this summer after a letter from a constituent addressed the lack of diversity of the city’s Conservation Commission and other representative boards. 

At the time, Bouley told her that a committee was not necessary to study this issue, but he would welcome recommendations for committee appointments. 

Months later, Bouley now has a plan of his own to address the problem. Reached Thursday, Bouley said it would be premature to discuss his idea before he presented it to the council.

“Concord is consistently assessing and reevaluating where and how we interact with and engage our citizens to ensure that Concord is a welcoming community for all who live, work, and visit here,” Bouley said in an email.

Councilors agreed they want to take action on these conversations. However, most want to see this direction come from Bouley, not Brown. 

“I support the concept of a diversity committee,” said Byron Champlin, an at-large city council member, prior to voting no on Brown’s motion. “I’d like to see what the Mayor has planned and also I’d like to support the Mayor’s purview to appoint ad-hoc committees.” 

Nathan Fennessy, another at-large councilor, agreed. 

The lone support for Brown came from Zandra Rice Hawkins, the Ward 10 councilor, who seconded the motion for a committee. She said she is tired of having these conversations with little action, she said.

“With all due respect I have been waiting since June 2020 for these conversations so I am a little done with waiting,” she said. “We have had the same conversation several times.” 

Bouley hopes to present his plan at the next council meeting on March 13, he said. 

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