On the heels of her decision to pursue overturning (yet again) the court finding that racism operates within the Greenfield Police Department, Mayor RoxannWedegartner will not renew the term of the Human Rights Commission chair who is among her vocal critics. And it seems that she neither consulted the chair nor other HRC members in her discernment. Increasingly, Mayor Wedegartner seems to be operating in a silo that does not welcome voices from progressives and many people of color. I implore her to seek out not just sycophants but people representing the wonderful array found in Greenfield. And the City Council must begin work to remove mayoral executive power over the Human Rights Commission. A long-range endeavor would be for the city to revisit its “strong mayor” governance model. Would a different modus operandi encourage a rich conversation that invites all of us to listen?
Rev. Dr. Adele Smith-Penniman
Wendell