Naperville is considering converting its Housing Advisory Commission to a Human Rights Commission that would investigate all types of discrimination complaints, not just those related to housing.
City Council members Tuesday directed staff to prepare an ordinance that would create the new commission that, if approved, would also provide community outreach on discrimination and fair housing. Staff will also prepare a job description for the corresponding new city position.
If approved by City Council members at a future meeting, the commission would receive discrimination complaints and issue judgments, advise the city on human rights and affordable housing issues and perform community outreach and engagement on human rights and fair and affordable housing.
The new full-time city position dedicated to diversity and inclusion would support the commission and its work and help with the city’s internal work on diversity and inclusion.
Some council members initially opposed the idea of creating a new full-time city position, citing uncertain financial times amid the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of a specific job description.
“I would say let’s give it a shot and see if we can stress the system a little bit here before we go out and hire,” Councilman Paul Hinterlong said at the beginning of council discussion. Hinterlong later said he didn’t realize the workload of the position.
Councilman Kevin Coyne said he likes the move to expand the commission, but he was hesitant to approve a full-time position without a job description.
But the scope of a diversity and inclusion position includes the processing of discrimination complaints and outreach work in the community, Deputy City Manager Marcie Schatz said. The staff position would also support the city’s internal work on diversity and inclusion.
“We’re long overdue for a person who’s doing this sort of work in the city,” Councilwoman Theresa Sullivan said. “We’re talking about how we are hiring in our 900-person staff, we’re talking about this new commission we’re putting together, and then we’re talking about our community-based programs that we’re trying to make sure people feel welcome and a sense of belonging, that’s more than a full-time job, this isn’t a small thing.”
Councilwoman Judy Brodhead agreed.
“If there was ever a time when we should be hiring someone for this position, it is tonight,” Brodhead said. “This is the thing to do. Think of the sorts of issues we have run into within the last year where if we had someone in a position like that, they could have helped us a lot.”
Having someone dedicated to diversity and inclusion might have been able to prevent some incidents from happening, she said.
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“This is crucial, we need to do it,” Brodhead said. “Just like any substantial institution — school district, corporation — would do, we are a city of 150,000 people and we need this.”
The impetus for creating a Human Rights Commission comes out of the council’s decision last year to expand its mission statement to include language on inclusivity and diversity.
Naperville City Council members in May adopted a resolution denouncing racism and commending diversity following attacks on Asian Americans, some of which were tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
Other allegations of racism occurred in Naperville in the past two years including an incident at Buffalo Wild Wings in which a group of diners, some of whom were African-American, were asked to move because a patron didn’t want to be seated by them. Other incidents include a gas station clerk who told a group of Latina girls and women that they should return to their home country, and a Naperville high school student who posted a social media ad with the photo of a black student and the words “Slave for Sale.”
City of Naperville staff recommends the creation of a single intake, investigation, mediation and hearing process be created for the Human Rights Commission if City Council approves. Staff also recommends the complaint process include an opportunity for mediation before going to a hearing.
Staff research found complaints are often resolved in a mediation stage with outcomes including an apology, a remedied issue, training or other non-monetary solutions, city documents show.
Staff recommends any hearing be held in front of an administrative hearing judge with the judge and mediators as outside contractors, and estimates each mediation or hearing costing between $500 and $1,000.
An administrative judge would make a finding to be voted on by the Human Rights Commission.