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Date: 5/13/2021
LONGMEADOW – The Longmeadow Coalition for Racial Justice Task Force presented its report and recommendations at the Select Board meeting on May 3.
Task Force Chair Zach Verriden began by calling the board’s July 2020 declaration of racism as a public health crisis, “a true act of leadership and courage.” The task force that was created as a result of the declaration conducted seven months of meetings and public listening sessions. Of the recommended investments in people, budget, time, strategic planning, partnerships, education, data collection and policy, Verriden said no one was more important than another.
“They are all key as this is a systemic problem with multiple interlocking pieces and parts,” he said. The biggest takeaway is, “It’s going to take a significant investment over time to move the needle to create a more equitable and anti-racist Longmeadow.”
Specific recommendations from the task force include the creation of a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer, a long-term task force for implementation of anti-racism efforts, and a liaison with the school district. There is also a call for data on home and business ownership by race as part of an equity audit, DEI training for town employees, detailed hiring and promotion practices that incorporate anti-racism and the inclusion of social justice elements in existing spaces and events.
Financially, the report recommends regional funding initiatives and grants and funding for programs that bring attention to anti-racism in Longmeadow.
Select Board Clerk Steven Marantz said the board should first focus on recommendations that can be implemented immediately. He described hiring practices and anti-racism signage around town, “low-hanging fruit.” He also identified the evaluation of and consequences for racist behavior in employees and students in the school system.
Task force member Neena Grover suggested community events to share culture and experiences. She said that this would help introduce residents to other traditions and connect with the people who celebrate them.
Marantz asked if “the schools were an issue,” as the report seemed to imply.
Lauren Rollins, another task force member, said that the main critique of the school department is that the feedback outreach effort was limited and did not work to include representation from all demographics. “There is a big divide between the feedback about the schools given by primarily white residents of Longmeadow and the feedback given about the schools by students of color,” Rollins said. That said, Rollins noted that the task force was “not entirely critical” of the work done by the school district.
Select Board member Richard Foster asked about continuing the work. Verriden responded that he is concerned about the report and data that was collected being “siloed” and not being implemented. He said that the DEI officer and the training on equity and the history of oppression for marginal communities will be important.
“As a white guy that grew up in a predominantly white community, I didn’t know what I didn’t know” about how “socialization and habits and the way I view the world and unintentionally perpetuate racism,” Verriden said. He said the training should help town employees see from other people’s perspectives.
Task force member Ryan McCollum added that work will have to continue even after the initial implementations. “If your cancer goes into remission, there are still some things you have to do to keep it in remission. The doctor’s got you on a certain plan so you don’t go back,” he said. “That’s exactly how we should look at this and some of the sustainable things we can put in place.”
Foster stated that the work could take “five, 10, 15 years,” but Grover cautioned against that thinking. She said the hope is that the board will begin implementing the recommendations by September because “families are suffering,” including her own children.
Charlotte LaForest, who is also a member of the task force, agreed. She compared the health crisis or racism to that of the pandemic. “If we address this public health crisis – the racism and the severe impact it has on our community – if we address that with the same urgency [as COVID-19], things can change,” she said.
Select Board Chair Thomas LaChiusa spoke about the need to change thinking around race and behaviors, especially for students. He also said that the town will need to devote funding to this, as it does with all its priorities.
The board unanimously approved the appointment of two new town department heads. Geoffrey McAlmond was appointed as the Department of Public Works (DPW) director, filling a position recently left vacant by Mario Mazza’s departure. McAlmond has been Longmeadow’s deputy director for DPW operations since 2015. Before that, he occupied similar positions in West Springfield and Enfield, CT, and in the private sector. McAlmond said that becoming a DPW director has been his career goal.
Jennifer Leydon will be taking over the finance director position from Paul Pasterczyk when he leaves the post in June. Leydon has been the director of business and technology for the Springfield Police Department, and as such is familiar with financial planning, forecasting and budgets. In her previous position, she was responsible for a $50 million payroll. She was also a senior budget analyst for Baystate Health Systems. Leydon said that she has experience in “taking numbers and turning it into information and [being] able to communicate it.” There will be a period of overlap between Pasterczyk and Leydon for training.
Marantz opined that the town should begin quarterly billing as soon as possible, whether or not winter averaging has been implemented.
The board approved the use of $29,628 for an update to the Longmeadow Adult Center. Mary Beth Bergeron of the building committee explained that a change in building codes was enacted in 2019, after the building plans were created. The code change involves a complicated system of pipes designed to keep oil in the elevator system from mixing with water in the event of a flood and draining into the stormwater system. The money will come from an account set aside for contingencies.
The town attorney has referred questions from the board to a lawyer specializing in employment law and benefit systems. The consulting attorney will review how the town would withdraw from the Hampden County Regional Retirement System and whether existing employees and recent hires can be moved into a defined contribution retirement plan, as opposed to the defined benefit plan that is currently in use.
Longmeadow Town Manager Lyn Simmons updated the board on the challenge of enacting winter averaging with software from Munis, the sewer billing company with which the town contracts. She said that only one town, Acton, that uses Munis has been able to use a winter averaging system. Unlike Longmeadow’s decision to bill quarterly, though, Acton bills monthly. A meeting with Munis is scheduled for mid-May.
Active cases of COVID-19 in Longmeadow are in the single digits for the first time “in quite some time,” Simmons reported. If the cases continue to stay low, she said the town will reinstall basketball hoops in the parks. Select Board member Mark Gold asked if there was data of vaccination rates by town, but Simmons said that data is tracked by county rather than by municipality. Marantz asked Simmons about the latest mask guidelines, which state people can go maskless outside when they can adhere to social distancing, regardless of vaccination status.
Town Meeting is on May 16 at 1 p.m. outside at the Longmeadow High School, with a rain date of May 23. Town elections will be conducted on June 22 at the Town Meeting House.