Framingham Seeks To Hire Diversity Officer, But Cost Is Divisive

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer is asking the City Council to approve the hiring of a city diversity and equity officer, a position Spicer has been trying to fill since she took office.

The City Council Finance Committee met with Spicer on Tuesday to discuss her proposal. Spicer wants to spend between $118,000 and $125,000 on the position, a higher amount than previous proposals due to recent nationwide social unrest over race, she said. Spicer sought to hire a diversity officer in a previous budget year, but said the finalist took another job at a higher pay rate.

Every member of the committee was in favor of the spirit of the position. But three of the five members opposed the cost, leading to a claim they were "nickel and diming diversity."

At-large Councilor George King Jr. suggested it might be better to hire one or two people a lower level to start. Committee Chair Adam Steiner said that the position should be at the executive level so that the person can tell other department heads what needs to get done.

"This is a highly skilled person we need who has studied these issues to promote diversity and inclusion," Cesar Stewart-Morales said. "We do need an expert in this area."

"I'm suggesting we don't need to go deeper into our pockets to pay for it, I'm suggesting the administration find somewhere else in the budget to pay for it," King responded.

Steiner sought to move the issue out of committee for a vote in front of the entire City Council. King amended the motion to reduce the salary to $100,000 — $1,000 less than what the Council had previously appropriated for the position.

That motion failed, with District 4 Councilor Michael Cannon joining Steiner and Stewart-Morales in opposition. The proposal will next head to the full City Council for a discussion and possible vote.

The diversity and equity position previously came before Council in June 2019, but failed to pass during budget talks. The position was cut from the mayor's budget during deliberations in June, but the Council asked Spicer to come back with a new proposal.