THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 18, 1997 TAG: 9702180306
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GREGORY GOLDFARB, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 74 lines
When Sylvia Strickland Primm was appointed to the city's Human Rights Commission five years ago, she and other commissioners questioned city officials about how many minorities were serving on other advisory boards and commissions.
The city's response?
``It wasn't as good as I had expected,'' Primm recalled. ``There may have been a few, but that was all. There was some African-American representation, but I didn't know of any Asians or Hispanics.''
Since then, things have improved.
Primm, who is of Asian descent, now chairs the 11-member commission and city officials say that more than half of the city's 37 City Council-appointed boards and commissions are culturally diverse.
The city also is working with the commission about possibly compiling a complete gender, ethnic and minority membership profile of each board and commission, or at least the ones with from five to 11 members, in an attempt to ensure that their future membership rosters accurately reflect Virginia Beach's continually growing multicultural community.
``I need measurement tools. I need numbers,'' said Primm, a computer specialist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dam Neck. ``There's been a lot of cooperation so far, but we still need to see how we're doing.''
Although the boards and commissions are strictly advisory and cannot set policy for the city, they do meet publicly and have an indirect influence on city policy, which is usually set by the City Council. The boards and commissions also can serve as a springboard into politics.
There are currently about 350 Virginia Beach residents serving on the city's various boards and commissions, with terms in office varying in length. When vacancies occur, the City Council selects names of potential candidates to fill those slots from a standing talent pool of about 750 confidential applications and resumes that the city clerk keeps on file.
As they are now written, the application forms ask candidates for personal, educational and professional information. But barring any legal impediments, city officials said they would consider revising the forms to include asking for some strictly voluntary information about gender and minority background.
``In principle, I truly believe that all of the boards and commissions in the city should be culturally diverse, and I'd say that about 60 percent of them are,'' said City Councilwoman Louisa M. Strayhorn, who is the council's only African-American member and the second one in its history. ``They should represent all factions in the community, as much as possible.''
The Human Rights Commission should be given credit, Strayhorn said, for trying to make sure the boards and commissions are culturally diverse and says she will assist the commissioners in their efforts in any way she can.
``There are some very strict laws about what we can do,'' the Kempsville Borough councilwoman said, ``but I would welcome the commission's recommendations.''
Vice Mayor W.D. ``Will'' Sessoms Jr. agreed that it's a worthy pursuit.
``If a person is qualified, I'm not looking at color when appointments are made,'' Sessoms said. ``We want the boards and commissions to be reflective of the community, of the city. I don't object to that (voluntary minority background information) being made available.''
Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf, the City Council's first and only Jewish member, said the city is sensitive to its minority population and that it's a ``legitimate'' goal for the commission to seek diversity on the city's boards and commissions.
``I want folks to know that they are all part of the magnificent fabric that makes up this community,'' said Oberndorf, who served for 10 years on the city's Library Board before first being elected to council.
The Human Rights Commission itself is comprised of four men and seven women, including five whites, three African-Americans, one Asian and one Hispanic.
Because vacancies on the boards and commissions occur infrequently, it could take years before they are all culturally diverse.
``The very fact that Virginia Beach has a Human Rights Commission is a big step in the right direction,'' Primm said. ``Cultural diversity should evolve naturally. It should reflect proportionate representation.''
KEYWORDS: DIVERSITY