Human Relations Advisory Group

Human Relations Advisory Group Meeting Highland Park Police Department October 9, 2025 5:00 PM Agenda PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with the Statutes of the State of Illinois and the Ordinances of the City of Highland Park, a Regular Meeting of the Human Relations Advisory Group of the City of Highland Park is scheduled to be held at the hour of 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at the Highland Park Police Department, 1677 Old Deerfield Road, Highland Park, Illinois during which it is anticipated there will be a discussion. Individuals with questions or feedback about an agenda item can address the Advisory Group in the following ways: 1. Emails for the Record. Email Christina Earle, the Human Relations Advisory Group staff liaison. If you wish to have your comments read into the record, limit your communication to 200 words or less. Public comments received by 3:00 PM the day of the meeting will be read under Business from the Public. Public comments should contain the following information: o • In the subject line, identify, “HRAG Meeting – Read into the Record” o • Name • City • Address (optional) • Phone (optional) • Organization, agency representing, if applicable • Topic or agenda item number of interest 2. Emails with Unlimited Information. Individuals who do not wish to have their comments read into the record can email Christina Earle an unlimited number of words. Emails will be forwarded to the Human Relations Advisory Group if requested. 3. Telephone. Individuals with no access to email may leave a message with Staff Liaison Christina Earle at 847.926.1861 by 3:00PM the day of the meeting. 4. Live Comments. Individuals are able to address the Advisory Group during the meeting. Questions/comments are limited to written testimony into the record or spoken comments, not both. Comments should be limited to three minutes or less. I. Call to Order II. Roll Call III. Approval of Minutes A. May 15, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes B. August 7, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes IV. Business from the Public (Individuals wishing to be heard regarding items not listed on this agenda) V. Old Business A. 2026 MLK Event Discussion (WP1) B. 2026 HP Awards Discussion (WP2) C. CommUNITY Conversations Update (WP1) VI. New Business A. 2026 Meeting Resolution Approval B. 2026 Work Plan Discussion & Approval VII. Other Business A. City Staff Update B. Chairman Update C. Advisor Comments VIII. Adjournment  MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS ADVISORY GROUP OF THE CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS MEETING DATE: May 15, 2025 MEETING LOCATION: Highland Park City Hall 1707 Saint Johns Avenue, Highland Park, IL CALL TO ORDER: At 5:03 PM, Chair Tiersky called the Human Relations Advisory Group (HRAG) regular meeting to order and Staff Liaison Earle called the roll. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Chair Tiersky, Vice-Chair Canchester, Members Buzard, Fishman (5;06), Gottesman, Jasenof (5:24), Luger (5:08), Lynch Members Absent: Members Harris, Weisskopf Also Present: Alternate Council Liaison Lidawer, Student Liaisons Rosenblatt, Dubin and Goldstein, NSSD 112 Liaison Fink, Staff Liaison Earle, Assistant City Manager Jason, Debbie Pierce (Park District of Highland Park) Chair Tiersky declared a quorum was present. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES (a) Approval of the March 18, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes Member Fishman moved to adopt the minutes. Member Buzard seconded the motion. Voice vote, unanimous. Chair Tiersky declared the motion passed. COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED None. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC Emily Robins, member of the Glencoe Council for Inclusion and Community, re-introduced herself and shared that the GCIC received approval from the Glencoe Village Manager to partner with HRAG & PDHP for Day of Service. The group is happy to participate/volunteer however the advisory group would like. OLD BUSINESS a) HP Awards Recap (WP2) Chair Tiersky invited the group to share feedback on the 2025 Highland Park Awards Ceremony. The group was very pleased with the execution of the event and the attention to detail, specifically tightening up the timeline and scripts. The backdrops for Highland Park Awards and Character Counts Awards were very well received, and the group asked that  more programs be printed for next year. Staff Liaison Earle suggested moving the check-in table into the hallway so recipients are less likely to slip by. Member Lynch suggested a map for parking & entrance information, along with signage directing attendees to the Auditorium. Staff Liaison Earle shared information with the Advisory Group regarding the role of the Character Counts Steering Committee and plans to reestablish the committee by inviting partner organizations (Moraine Township, Highland Park Library, Community Foundation, etc.) to have a representative sit on the committee. The committee would also work to bring awareness to the Character Counts Award to increase nominations and look at the National program and determine if there are ways to implement some of their programs within Highland Park. Staff Liaison Earle provided examples of perpetual plaques for the Humanitarian awards and will order one to be displayed, display location to be determined. b) Day of Service (WP1) Chair Tiersky shared that she met with Staff Liaison Earle and PDHP Staff Pierce to discuss feedback from the March meeting. Taking into consideration all feedback and the capacity of the group, it was decided to focus on selecting more meaningful service projects for the 2026 event. Staff Liaison Earle will send out an email asking members to respond with what committee they would like to serve on. Chair Tiersky set a deadline by the August meeting the committee should have established new parameters for service projects and the approval process. Invitations for applications should be sent out to the community by September 1, 2025. c) CommUNITY Conversations (WP1) i. Member Fishman shared that he was elected to the NSSD 112 School Board and would need to take a step back from leading the CommUNITY Conversations initiative, but would like to stay involved in a lesser capacity. Member Luger volunteered to step up as the Committee Chair and take the lead on this initiative. HPHS Student Liaisons Dubin, Rosenblatt and Goldstein shared potential contacts and opportunities for HPHS to get involved with this program. OTHER BUSINESS (a) City Staff Update Jon Center will be sworn in Monday May 12th – for a 2 year term. Also sworn in that evening are Councilmembers Lidawer, Bruckman, and Tapia for 4-year terms. Due to the Highland Park Library expansion, the outdoor sculpture “Ms. Nitro” is in the process of being restored and relocated to a new permanent location at the corner of Central Avenue and Deerfield Road.  The Highland Park Senior Center is nearing the completion of the renovation, wrapping up construction on the East Entry and Kitchen. (b) Chairman Update Chair Tiersky thanked the Members for their time and feedback. Advisor Comments Member Gottesman inquired about rentals at The Moraine event space; discussion ensued regarding the City’s exclusive caterer, Catering by Michaels. (c) Council Liaison Comments Alternate Council Liaison Lidawer thanked the Members for their dedication to the HRAG. (d) Community Liaison Comments NSSD Liaison Fink introduced herself and shared she is excited to be serving in this role. ADJOURNMENT Chair Tiersky entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion was made by Member Jasenof and seconded by Member Fishman. The motion passed with a unanimous vote of the members present. The meeting was adjourned at 6:39 PM. Respectfully submitted, Christina Earle Staff Liaison Human Relations Advisory Group  MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS ADVISORY GROUP OF THE CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS MEETING DATE: August 7, 2025 MEETING LOCATION: Highland Park Police Department 1677 Old Deerfield Road, Highland Park, IL CALL TO ORDER: At 5:00 PM, Chair Tiersky called the Human Relations Advisory Group (HRAG) regular meeting to order and Staff Liaison Earle called the roll. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Chair Tiersky, Vice-Chair Canchester, Advisors Fishman, Gottesman (5:27 PM), Harris (5:02 PM), Luger (5:22 PM), Lynch, Flores-Weisskopf Members Absent: Advisors Buzard, Jasenof Also Present: Council Liaison Lidawer, NSSD 112 Liaison Fink, Student Liaison Rosenblatt, Staff Liaison Earle, Alternate Staff Liaisons Cherry and Ford Chair Tiersky declared a quorum was present. COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED None. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC None. NEW BUSINESS (a) 2026 Meeting Schedule Discussion Chair Tiersky shared the tentative 2026 meeting schedule. The group will discuss and vote on the dates at the next meeting. (b) 2025 Work Plan Discussion Chair Tiersky introduced the 2026 Work Plan and asked the group to review it before the next meeting. Staff Liaison Earle shared that the proposed 2026 budget has not yet been finalized, but she will have more information at the next meeting. Vice-Chair Canchester mentioned the Glencoe Council for Inclusion and Community, and their desire to be involved in the City’s MLK Day of Service. He asked if they should be included on the Work Plan as formal collaborators. Staff Liaison Earle will reach out to Emily Robins of the  Glencoe Council for Inclusion and Community to start the conversation regarding a potential collaboration, and invite her and the group to future meetings. OLD BUSINESS (a) 2026 MLK Event Discussion (WP1) Chair Tiersky invited Vice-Chair Canchester and NSSD 112 Liaison Fink to provide an update on the keynote speaker/entertainment sub-committee’s activities. The sub-committee reached out to District 113 superintendent Dr. Chala Holland to ask if she would be interested in being the keynote speaker at the 2026 MLK Day of Service event. Dr. Holland would be honored to speak should the HRAG approve. NSSD 112 Fink also shared information about Urban Gateways as a potential entertainment option for the event. Advisor Harris asked that the HRAG check if Urban Gateways can do other forms of dance besides hip-hop, so as not to pigeonhole the Highland Park community as one that presents Black culture as only hip-hop. Chair Tiersky, Staff Liaison Earle and the Advisors discussed the timeline of the event, including whether or not to host both a performance and a workshop. The Advisors expressed interest in hosting a workshop as a way to engage the audience in an activity, in addition to a performance. NSSD 112 Liaison Fink will follow up with Urban Gateways. She will also follow up with Dr. Holland regarding the length of the keynote speech and the option to record her speech prior in order to circulate the recording on the day of the event. Chair Tiersky and Staff Liaison Earle discussed the service project/donation drive sub-committee, the role of this particular sub-committee, and how it should approach the service project portion of the event. If anyone is interested in joining Advisors Jasenof and Weisskopf on the sub-committee, they should contact Staff Liaison Earle. Staff Liaison Earle and the Advisors discussed the attendance at this year’s event, how to accurately track attendance at next year’s event. (b) 2026 HP Awards Discussion Chair Tiersky shared that the HP Awards sub-committee met, but decided to wait until the 2025- 2026 school year starts to reconvene and discuss future plans for the Character Counts Steering Committee. (c) CommUNITY Conversations Update (WP1) Advisor Luger thanked Advisor Fishman for his guidance with the CommUNITY Conversations Program. She shared that she would like to roll the program out at the beginning of 2026, and will have additional information at the next meeting. OTHER BUSINESS  (a) City Staff Update Alternate Staff Liaison Cherry shared information about the City’s Resident Academy program, and encouraged the Advisors to apply and spread the word. Staff Liaison Earle shared that the City’s social workers are revamping the City’s Dementia Friendly program and creating a long-term plan/goals for the program in the community. She also mentioned that Faith & Action have changed their name in order to better clarify their mission and goal. Staff Liaison Earle and the Advisors discussed what it means to be a Dementia Friendly community, and shared information about other organizations focused on helping various groups in the community, such as the Disability Inclusion Working Group. (b) Chairman Update Chair Tiersky did not have an updates. (c) Advisor Comments Members Advisor Gottesman shared that she took Stop the Bleed training provided by the Fire Department. She found the program to be valuable and educational, and encouraged everyone to take the class. Council Liaison Council Liaison Lidawer shared that the City is introducing an ordinance that adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism. Thirty states have adopted the definition, in addition to 1,200 local jurisdictions/governments. City employees will receive training regarding anti-Semitism, and the City will educate its vendors on the definition. The ordinance is on the August 11, 2025 City Council agenda. Community Liaisons NSSD 112 Liaison Fink shared that Ravinia Elementary School is set to open after renovations/constructions, and that NSSD 112 is working to ensure that all school playgrounds are ADA-compliant. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES (a) Approval of the May 15, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes Advisor Gottesman would like to amend the minutes to include the conversation about The Moraine event space. Chair Tiersky advised that the HRAG would vote on the amended minutes at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT Chair Tiersky entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion was made by Advisor Fishman and seconded by Vice-Chair Canchester. The motion passed with a unanimous vote of the advisors present. The meeting was adjourned at 6:12 PM. Respectfully submitted, Megan Cherry Management Analyst