How many people should serve on the town’s new diversity, equity and inclusivity committee?

What should the qualifications be to serve?

And should the committee be an official town body or an informal group that does not need to follow the state Open Meetings Act?

The Barrington Town Council worked through these questions and more during its meeting on June 7, and the end result is a newly-formed DEI committee. Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll said the new committee is “a big step forward for us.”

How many members

In the end, the number was 11. That is how many members there will be on the new diversity, equity and inclusivity committee. Nine of those positions will be filled by full-time members, while two spots will be for alternates. 

Reaching the final number took some time.

Mr. Carroll opened the discussion by suggesting the committee feature nine members — seven full, and two alternates. But there were plenty of meeting attendees who said more members were needed.

Andrew Simon, the pastor at St. James Lutheran Church and a participant in the earlier DEI research group in town, said he did not see any harm in having more committee members, adding that he did not understand the need for alternates.

Mr. Carroll offered an explanation. He said alternates can play an important role in committee meetings, often times ensuring there is a quorum. 

Barrington resident Trinki Brueckner said seven full-time members seemed like too few, and Jack Van Leer later offered a similar opinion. He said it would be better to have a broader representation.

Barrington School Committee Chairwoman Gina Bae offered some insight — she said the schools have a DEI committee also, and it has 20 members. She said the school committee had more than 30 people apply for the committee, but they whittled it down to 20. 

Ms. Bae said the larger number of members allows them to avoid violating the Open Meetings Act — she said the committee splits up into working groups, and as long as those groups do not constitute a quorum, then they do not need to follow the state’s OMA laws.

Ms. Bae said the working groups report back for the full monthly meetings.

Barrington resident Waffa Freij asked the council why it was limiting the committee to nine members if the goal is to be inclusive. 

Mr. Humm offered a reason for having fewer members. He said there can often be a herd mentality in groups, and it becomes more difficult for dissenting voices to speak up if they are in the minority. 

Council member Annelise Conway said it is also important to remember that most people lead very busy lives, and she did not want the size of the committee to become an impediment for the work. Ms. Conway later made a motion to increase the number of committee members from nine to 11; the other council members endorsed that move.

There was also some discussion surrounding how many council liaison’s to appoint to the committee. Initially, Mr. Carroll called for a single liaison and suggested Ms. Conway fill that role.

Dani Brier, wife of council member Jacob Brier who was unable to attend the meeting, said her husband had suggested that there be two council liaisons. She strongly recommended Mr. Brier fill the role as the other liaison.

Interested in serving?

The Barrington Town Council is looking for volunteers to serve on the newly-created DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) committee. The committee is tasked with serving as “an advisory group seeking to ensure a welcoming and inclusive community for all Barrington residents, especially for those who experience discrimination and marginalization; and a goal to create and provide recommendations for inclusion and equitable policies to the Town of Barrington and to support and celebrate multi-cultural community through collaborative initiatives, education and outreach.” To apply, obtain an application through the town’s website at www.barrington.ri.gov, at the town clerk's office at the town hall, or at the library. The deadline to submit an application to the town clerk’s office is Monday, July 19.