Human Relations Committee

Laconia Human Relations Committee September 11, 2023 - Meeting Minutes I. CALL TO ORDER David Stamps welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Laconia Human Relations Committee. Committee member roll call was taken, a quorum was established, and the meeting was called to order at 3:31 pm. II. ATTENDANCE Present – Mayor Andrew Hosmer, Chair David Stamps, David Osman, Matt Soza, Pat Wood, Rev. Judith Wright, Janet Simmon, Heather Stanley and Carrie Chandler Zoom – Carol Pierce and Linda Thanas Excused – Seifu Ragassa, Trish Weatherbee and Kay Anderson III. OLD BUSINESS Minutes Approval – Motion was made by Pat Wood, seconded by Janet Simmon, to accept the minutes of the August 14, 2023 Laconia Human Relations Committee meeting (LHRC); with no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously. Multi-Cultural Festival – the committee shared their appreciation for all Becky Guyer did to make this year’s festival a huge success. The weather held, there was good attendance, the new parade of dogs and Kiwanis Kids Kraft’s Korner were hits and some of the vendors sold out of food. It was a great day. The secretary will send a thank you note to Becky from the committee. Sub-Committee Work: Martin Luther King Jr Celebration – there is a meeting scheduled for September 29th to gather school input for the event; to include videos of children around Laconia (with permission). The committee is hard at work and will frame an event budget for a future meeting vote. Pride Banner – the committee has met twice to make modifications to the city’s proposal (Pat Wood provided copies of the draft to the LHRC). The sub-committee will meet with the Government Operations Committee on Friday, October 13th to work on a collaborative product that shows reverence for the American, State flag etc. only to be flown on city flag poles and allows for banners of importance to be displayed on city banner poles. Kristallnacht – Motion was made by Mayor Andrew Hosmer, seconded by Pat Wood, for the LHRC to support this event/celebration; with no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously. Chair Succession - Chair David Stamps will put succession planning on the agenda for next month’s meeting. 1 IV. NEW BUSINESS Endowment for Health – would like the LHRC to continue to support efforts around Trust Making Community Engagement Activities as a continuation of the table discussions held across five communities - including Laconia. The organization is also interested in collaborating with the Laconia High School. It was suggested to ask a representative to come to a future LHRC meeting to explain the opportunities or programs they may offer. It was also suggested to invite a representative to attend the MLK Jr Celebration in January; David Stamps will reach out. V. PUBLIC COMMENTS There was opportunity but no public comments were made. VI. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Janet Simmon, seconded by Matt Soza, to adjourn the meeting at 4:40p; with no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 (due to the Monday holiday), 3:30p, City Hall Room 200A and via zoom invite. Respectfully Submitted, Carrie Chandler, Recording Secretary 2