Racism Resolution Opposed By Some In Stratford After Changes

STRATFORD, CT — Several Stratford residents recently spoke against the many changes made to a resolution on racism before it was approved last month by the Town Council.

“Stratford is not the squeaky clean place that we think it is, there is a lot of implicit bias and there is a lot of discrimination,” resident Barbara Heimlich said at the public forum preceding the council’s meeting last week.

The changes to the resolution removed language that: referred to racism as a public health crisis, sought periodic reports to town administrators and councilmen on racial equity goals, and requested improved data on and analysis of inequities within town initiatives.

“Racism is a public health crisis,” Stratford resident Kathleen Callahan said at the Dec. 14 forum, during which she expressed “deep disappointment” about the changes to the resolution, and called on the council to provide funding, education and training pertaining to racism and health.

When the resolution, originally proposed by Councilwoman Kaitlyn Shake, D-District 2, was on the council agenda last month, many residents turned out to show support.

“The input from the public wasn’t really considered,” resident Karen Tracy said Dec. 14, urging the council to revisit the resolution.

Heimlich, Callahan and Tracy are all members of the Stratford Democratic Town Committee.

At the council’s Nov. 9 meeting, town attorney Christopher Hodgson said that calling racism a public health crisis could make Stratford more vulnerable to lawsuits, while Chair Christopher Pia, R-District 1, said Stratford was already collecting the data the resolution requested.

In the end, the amended resolution passed 7-3, with Shake voting against it, along with councilmen Paul Tavaras, D-District 3, and Gregory Cann, D-District 5.

In a prepared statement, Shake objected to the timing of the changes, and said issues with the resolution were raised only in the days leading up to the vote, even though she proposed the action in September. By removing the language about racism and health, the council diluted the purpose of the resolution, she said, adding she hopes to see the measure revisited.

“Instead of listening to our residents and community partners, the majority of the council voted in favor to amend the resolution as originally submitted,” she said. “During the December meeting the public comments reflected the disappointment and concerns many residents felt after the original resolution failed to pass.”

In addition to removing language, the amended text added sections about Stratford adopting a resolution in 2003 that condemned racism and about the town’s support for equity programming. The goals of the amended resolution included finding activities to ensure anti-racism in governance, promoting equity through town policies, advocating for policies that improve health in communities of color, and identifying objectives to advance racial equity.

“I have had far more people compliment us on taking a stand against racism by passing this resolution than the 3 members of the Democrat Town Committee who called in to complain,” Pia said in an email after the Dec. 14 meeting. “The 7 members of the council that voted on the final resolution did so to make it better and more inclusive to ensure no stone was left un-turned and no group and or individual was alienated by being left out. The town of Stratford will always be a leader for change and a truly welcoming community to all.”