March 13, 2022 by Philip Lewenstein

City Struggles to Address Equity

At its July 20, 2022, meeting, the Vadnais Heights city council heard from proponents of creating a human rights commission. Council member Eric Goebel requested a workshop discussion on a commission, and Council member Steve Rogers supported the motion. A workshop discussion is the first step in placing an item on the council agenda.

On August 17, 2022, the council heard testimony from opponents of a human rights commission. The proposal for a commission was the subject of articles in the Star Tribune and Vadnais Heights Press.

Six months later, on January 18, 2022, the council discussed an “equity resolution.” No discussion of a human rights commission occurred. Rogers stated that “this is not going to be a discussion about a human rights organization because there are state organizations that already do that and they don’t want a city getting involved.”

Apparently unknown to the public, council members and staff after the July 20 meeting discussed the potential work of a human rights commission, and staff were asked to prepare a workshop item to facilitate a discussion of equity within the programs and services provided by the city (memorandum of January 18, 2022, to Mayor Gunderson and City Council members from Tim Sandvik, assistant city administrator, regarding Discussion on Equity–Promoting Vadnais Heights as Welcoming and Inclusive).

The six-month delay for the non-discussion of a human rights commission was not surprising; the delay was consistent with the city’s record of moving slowly and passively in addressing issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and racism. Little has been accomplished the past two years despite recommendations (mild at best) by the city’s community engagement committee and some individual residents (see “Lack of Progress by City on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity,” September 30, 2021, www.philsfocus.com).

To his credit, Rogers led the workshop discussion and highlighted the importance of acknowledging and defining “equity” and recognizing demographic change. He called for the city to assert its place as a welcoming community.

The population of Vadnais Heights is 12,912, according to the 2020 Census. People of color make up about 20 %—6.7% Black or African American, 8.4 % Asian, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, and 3.9% two or more races. Foreign-born people make up 9.1 %.

Conversations on Defining Equity Are Challenging

Defining “equity” and understanding how it differs from “equality” are challenging. Rogers realizes the need to comprehend “equity” to address, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Council members and staff struggle with the concept. A facilitated discussion by an expert would have helped the council.

In his January 18 memo to the mayor and council, Sandvik suggested a working definition of equity: “when a person or group’s demographics can no longer be used to predict success.”

“As a working definition, this is intended to promote an ongoing conversation on how equity may be achieved,” Sandvik wrote. “Further, to understand how equity may be achieved, it is important to understand who the city serves, and how the programs and services provided by the city are being delivered.

“To nobody’s surprise, the 2020 Census indicates that Vadnais Heights, like all neighboring communities, is changing demographically. This means that in order to ensure that equity is achieved, the city council and staff need to be willing to evaluate deliverables in an ongoing basis.”

Sandvik provided four items for consideration in the equity discussion: engagement/communication, parks and recreation/events, community development, and city personnel.

He referred to the council’s goal of exploring new opportunities to identify gaps in communication and engagement and eliminate those barriers, ensuring programs provided by the Parks Department can promote equity, public engagement opportunities within the Planned Unit Development process, and burdens different (potential) applicants may face when considering employment within the city.

Rogers said the city needs to decide what it wants to be. A welcoming city, Rogers said, is a city that has people who feel safe, people who want to be invested in their city, and people who want to do business in the city.

“The underpinning of a welcoming city is equity,” Rogers said. “This is not something that will take away from one group or segment of the residents and give more to somebody else.” His definition is “that equality is that everyone has access to a pair of shoes and equity is that everyone has the right size shoes,” according to the workshop minutes.

“Equity is not just about people of color, that is not what equity has to be,” Rogers said. “It can also include senior citizens, kids under 18, renters vs. home owners, and is about how the city can interact with all members of the community because if we do that, then we will have law and order, have a safe city, and a city that is prosperous because people will want to live here and start their businesses here.”

Rogers said equity is giving people access to information in a manner that is best for them. He noted that more than 22 % of the population is people of color, and then senior citizens. “It would be arrogant for us to say we need them to come to us,” he said. “We probably have to reach out and do some stuff in different languages so that they can reach out to us. We need to work with the Parks and Rec division; if we bring in children, you get their parents to follow.”

Council member Gary Urban said he is concerned “when we start treating people differently because of their race you create division and it’s discrimination to treat someone different because of their race. There is a difference between equality and equity, and he supports equality,” he said. He supports a “colorblind society.”

Equality is when everyone is treated the same way, uniformly, regardless of their individual differences; everything is evenly distributed among people. Equity acknowledges different populations face different barriers to success and works to limit or eliminate these barriers, which may be rooted in discriminatory practices and beliefs. Equity is not accomplished by treating everyone equally; it is achieved by treating everyone justly and fairly based on their individual circumstances. Equality is the outcome.

Council Response to Rogers’s Presentation Is Underwhelming

The council response to Rogers’s presentation, as highlighted in the workshop minutes, was underwhelming and embarrassing. The mayor apparently thinks equity is about access to playgrounds or getting out information in different languages.

These are important actions but not the central issue. Playgrounds should be ADA (Americans for Disability Act) accessible, and translated materials may enhance communication with some residents.

Context, however, is key, and the mayor and council members still don’t get the main point. There is a reckoning in the country on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and racism. This reckoning affects businesses, schools, governmental units, and all members of society.

Inequities exist in housing, education, criminal justice, health care, and economic opportunity. Systemic reforms are needed. Cities of all sizes need to participate in ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. They need to address bias, discrimination, and racism.

Anti-Asian and anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes are increasing across the country, and white supremacy exists. Racism has been declared a public health crisis.

Moreover, Vadnais Heights has a history of negative examples: the resignation of a council member who admitted to nearly 40 inflammatory social media posts disparaging Muslims and gay and transgender people, charges of alleged domestic abuse against another council member, posters placed by a hate group, and a proposal to put license plate readers on every entrance into Vadnais Heights to track vehicles and monitor “suspicious people coming into the city.”

Vadnais Heights is far behind most Minnesota cities on these issues, particularly several  neighboring cities that have given priority to and invested in efforts to pursue equity (see “My City Should Focus on Inclusion and Equity,” December 31, 2020, www.philsfocus.com).

The community engagement committee recommended training for the council and city staff on cultural competence and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion. The council, however, did not express interest in this proposal even though it would be a helpful starting point for informing members about these issues.

Community Survey Provides Little Focus on Equity Issue

The council supported a community survey, which was conducted last fall by the Morris Leatherman Company, a Minneapolis polling firm. Cost of the 196-question survey was $30,000. A random sample of 400 Vadnais Heights residents was selected to talk about issues facing the community. The Leatherman Company said the survey was being conducted because the city council and staff were interested in residents’ opinions and suggestions about current and future city needs.

Of the 196 questions, one directly addressed residents’ priority for the city to create a diverse, inclusive, and fair community. Four preceding questions asked participants to rate the city on creating a welcoming community for residents of all backgrounds, treating all residents with respect, treating all residents fairly, and providing services to residents of all backgrounds.

In all, five questions, or 2.5%, focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The survey findings can inform the city’s decision-making process, but the limited questions and results are unlikely to help with diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.

Eighty-nine percent of respondents said the city is headed in the right direction. Asked if they think the city is welcoming, 57% said “very welcoming,” and 40 % said “somewhat welcoming.”

Asked to rate the city on creating a welcoming community to residents of all backgrounds, treating all residents with respect, treating all residents fairly, and providing services to all residents of all backgrounds, 38 to 41% said excellent, 46% said good, and 3 to 10% said fair.

On rating the level of priority for the city to create a diverse, inclusive, and fair community, the responses were lukewarm. Only 30% percent of respondents said high priority, 50% said moderate priority, 13% said low priority, and 5 % said not a priority.

Almost two years into council deliberations on improving communications and engagement, the mayor and council members do not know the gaps. “We need to close the gaps, as the engagement committee recommended, and how do we engage and make sure that people know who we are, what we do, what resources we offer, and how to connect with the city,”  Mayor Heidi Gunderson said, asking for ideas on how to find the gaps and connect.

Rogers said that everything should be looked at through a racial lens, whereas Urban said “he would be concerned about discussing everything through a racial lens.” Some residents strongly support a human rights commission; others are adamantly opposed, asserting no racism exists in the city.

A human rights commission would help ensure an inclusive community that welcomes residents of all races, genders, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations. Most important, a commission would help ensure equal opportunity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and education.

For example, it appears that Vadnais Heights has a significant gender gap in hiring and pay in the city workforce, and males dominate management positions. A commission would add value with its advice and add volunteer support to the work of the busy council and lean city staff.

Rogers, however, understands the political context. The majority of the council has little interest in understanding the issues or seriously considering how it can support diversity, equity, and inclusion—much less discuss a human rights commission.

Future Steps Unclear

Mayor Gunderson asked what can be done next—take the issue back to the community engagement committee, or handle internally. “What is our goal and what is our action?” she asked. Gunderson volunteered to schedule a meeting with the Vadnais Heights Elementary School principal.

Rogers said he would like to contact people from different communities. He said he will take on Heritage Days and work with the Vadnais Heights Lions and the list of block captains.

Sandvik said he walked away from the workshop meeting with an understanding that these efforts continue to be important to the council—“and these include some efforts the city is doing that human rights commissions are doing in other communities.

“The city council and staff continue to place a high importance on promoting communication and engagement (this includes ensuring efforts to promote being welcoming). We will continue to work on these efforts.” For example, city staff is working with a translation service, he said.

In my September 30, 2021, blog, I concluded that a needed first step toward understanding diversity and achieving equity and inclusion is to educate elected officials and the community. If everyone learns the history of these issues and develops cultural understanding, progress can occur.

To enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion, I offered several recommendations. One of my seven recommendations is to contact the League of Minnesota Cities for help in finding a consultant to meet with the city council for an initial conversation to enhance understanding of the importance of equity and inclusion and to learn about other cities’ efforts.

A second recommendation is to adopt and publicize a statement on inclusion and respect that articulates the city’s commitment to making our community a welcoming place. A third proposal  is to create a human rights commission.

I listed six suggestions from the League of Minnesota Cities. One important proposal is to organize training for staff and elected officials that focuses on developing shared terminology and concepts of race and race equity (such as implicit and explicit bias).

Meaningfully pursuing diversity, inclusion, and equity requires transparency, commitment, hard work, resources, and, most important, strong leadership by elected officials and city administrators, I stated in my previous two blogs.

Our elected officials did not follow through on their July commitment to discuss a human rights commission. The city lacks the necessary strong leadership.