LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – The city of Lexington hopes to increase the diversity of its volunteer boards and commissions through a public education and awareness campaign encouraging more citizens to get involved.
“Our boards and commissions do very important work. They make decisions and recommendations about all kinds of projects and activities in Lexington,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “We need diversity on these boards so that we ensure that we hear from all of our citizens.”
A task force has put together a set of recommendations that hopes to improve the diversity on boards and commissions.
The education and awareness campaign includes:
- A new diversity statement, now on the City’s website. It establishes diversity as a goal for board and commission membership. Diverse board membership encourages the exchange of different perspectives and supports social equity in communities.
- A 2019 survey of current board members. The survey will ensure improvements in diversity over time can be measured.
- A recruitment fair on Saturday, April 13, designed to educate community members and increase diversity in the applications the city receives.
