Over the past few years the Township Committee hasn't seen fit to appoint any new members to the Human Rights Commission, preferring instead that it die a slow death that could be blamed on the apathy of volunteers not willing to serve on the commission, which of course is not the case. Since 2009, there has been nearly a dozen applicants willing to sit on the commission, so why haven't they been appointed?
Here is the letter:
Your Feb. 13 editorial, “Nip sexual harassment cases in the bud,” was right on! The editorial stated that “There should be structures in place in every workplace designed to nip harassment in the bud.”
Middletown Township has had such a structure, the Middletown Human Rights Commission (MHRC), in place since 1968. It is the right body to offer guidance to prevent all types of discrimination.
Unfortunately, although Middletown has settled several costly harassment complaints, it essentially destroyed the MHRC at the January 2014 reorganization meeting. It neither reappointed its last two members, nor appointed new ones. So, the 11-member board now has exactly none, yet the town officials said it still exists.
When asked if the board is now terminated, the town clerk replied in Alice-in-Wonderland language: “The board has no members at this time. That’s why it’s not on the web page. The township has not appointed anyone and will appoint when ready.”
Yet at the Feb. 18 Township Committee meeting, Committeeman Anthony Fiore stated that he is having a resolution drafted to “dissolve” the MHRC because it “has no members.”
As Alice would say, “Curiouser and curiouser.”
Carolyn Schwebel
Middletown
1 comment:
They should havew been ready to appoint during the reorganization meetin in January, when the other volunteers were appointed to the other boards. There were many applicants expressing interest in being appointed.
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