The Clinton Town Council unanimously voted July 7 to create an advisory committee on human rights. The committee aims to create an atmosphere of understanding in town with through educational campaigns.

Last month, two members of the public asked the Town Council permission to form a human rights commission. Under the initial proposal, the commission’s charge would be to recommend possible programs that promote equal opportunities for all, as well as cooperating with various town departments and private organizations. The commission would also take part in research or study programs that aim to increase understanding of issues affecting different groups in the community.

On July 7, the council voted to create a group that follows the same basic principles as presented but with some key changes. The council adopted to create the Advisory Committee on Human Rights rather than a commission. The designation is important as a commission is required to abide by minority representation rules, meaning there is a limit to how many members of one party can be named to the commission.

An advisory committee does not have to follow such rules, so the council can appoint whomever the members think is fit to serve without considering party affiliation.

Under the language adopted by the council, the committee’s purpose is to “promote mutual understanding and respect within the Town of Clinton among all racial, religious, ethnic, and other groups and among individuals of differing genders, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities”.

This will be accomplished by community education programs, partnerships with civic organizations and businesses, and recommendations made to the Town Council for new programs or initiatives that should be perused.

The committee will also study and report on any relevant issues in the community. This could also include alerting the council to state funds available for any project they deem appropriate. Annual updates will be made to the council of the committee’s progress.

The committee will be made of up of seven members serving staggered term lengths. The committee members will be appointed by the council at a future meeting. In addition to the seven members, there will also be space available for two student members and the director of the Human Services Department. The students and human services department will be non-voting members.

During the meeting, Laurie Jaffe, a member of Clinton Human Rights Imitative (CHRI), the group to propose the idea of a human rights board, spoke to the council and inquired about the changes to the draft submitted to the council last month and the one that was adopted by the town. The initial proposal had the group as an official commission and did not include the human services director.

The council explained that with a committee, the council could appoint any interested members regardless of party affiliation. The creation of the new commission would also require a town ordinance as opposed to the immediate ability of the council to create a committee. The council also added that, once Human Services Director David Melillo found out about the possibility of a commission, he was very interested in joining. The council agreed to make the director a nonvoting member.

The impetus for the formation of the committee came last month after a presentation by two members of the CHRI. That group was described as a group of concerned citizens who want to promote respect for people in town regardless of personal characteristics like race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, nationality, or disability. These concerned members include members of the school community, young people in town, and small business owners, too.

During that meeting, it was noted that Clinton has a small but growing minority population in town and that they sometimes feel isolated or not included by the town. The hope is that a committee or commission would be able to more effectively reach out to them to foster a more inclusive community.