Lee’s Summit Commission to Focus on Diversity & Inclusion
The City of Lee’s Summit’s Commission for Diversity and Inclusion will hold its inaugural meeting at 5 p.m. on April 15. City Council adopted a resolution in January creating the commission to assess the current state of diversity and inclusion in Lee’s Summit and draft an action plan to improve the quality of life for all citizens.
The commission consists of 15 members - seven male and eight female - with various backgrounds. All four City Council districts are represented on the commission. Each member will bring their unique perspective and life experience to the conversation to develop a plan to improve upon the state of diversity and inclusion in Lee’s Summit.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to take a leadership role, address these challenging topics and have a healthy dialogue that will move Lee’s Summit forward in a positive direction,” said Lee’s Summit Mayor Bill Baird. “We want to be an inclusive city where everyone feels welcomed and valued as part of the community. I’m excited for the commission to begin its work and anxious to see the recommendations.”
The commission will engage with citizens, businesses and school representatives to assess the needs of the community and identify biases or barriers to success in Lee’s Summit. It will present those findings to City Council within 12 months after the first meeting. The commission will then draft a vision statement and action plan to present to City Council, which will consist of goals and objectives that may be achieved within five years. Along with goals and objectives, the action plan will have performance measures to track the success of the efforts.
The Commission for Diversity and Inclusion will be in effect for 18 months. The April 15 meeting will be broadcast on the City’s government access channel and is available to stream on the City’s website, cityofLS.net.