Diversity Across the Boards

By Barbara Foushee:

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro/Orange County area has a very diverse population. There are many different cultures and races.

Our local governing boards make decisions that affect all of us and these boards should be a direct reflection of the populations that they serve.

This is not the case.

There is approximately one minority member per local board in this area, which is a good indication that the needs and the concerns of some are not being met. To summarize that statement, there is not adequate representation at the table for everyone when important laws, ordinances, appointments, etc., are being discussed and subsequently voted on.

This troubles me because I know that there have been some qualified applicants in the past and recently that have been looked over in favor of the “status quo.”

I am here to encourage all of you to be a part of your local governing bodies. The decisions that they make will ultimately affect you and your neighbors. Get involved and be the change that you would like to see.

I would also like to challenge the local government entities to take a good hard look at your membership make-up, the efficiency of the board, and whether the board is actually serving the general population or a specific group.

In my opinion, it is definitely worth looking into.