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2 League of Women Voters Roseville Area 2020-2021 Equitable Representation Study on Appointed City Boards and Commissions INTRODUCTION Just prior to the League of Women Voters (LWV) Roseville Area chapter annual meeting in June 2020, the City of Minneapolis became yet another City where inequality reached a boiling point. The death of an African American, George Floyd, while he was being arrested, became an agonizing plea for racial justice here and now. This occurred during a devastating pandemic that was already exposing inequities in housing, health care, education, and in public life. LWV Roseville Area members advocated undertaking a study to look at equitable representation in our own backyard—in the five cities represented in our chapter. It was a small step, but nevertheless, something that we could do to bring awareness to the current state of diversity and equity on City appointed Boards and Commissions. Serving on a commission can be a step toward becoming more involved in politics, and thus is an important gateway to more equal representation in local, state, and national governance. With demand for City services such as low-cost housing and green space continuing to grow, residents and cities alike welcome sound management and a range of voices contributing to public discussion of city needs and priorities. The study team chose to define diversity broadly, to include race/ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, disabilities, and sexual orientation. The spirit of this report is to focus on what is working well, emphasizing equity strengths that can be shared across the cities. This aligns with positions of LWV and City leaders to foster opportunity for efficient, effective City boards and commissions including resident participation. STUDY GOAL The purpose of this study was to identify the current status and highlight respondents’ recommendations for best practices in equitable representation for Boards and Commissions appointed by the City Councils of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, and Roseville. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The study team collected the following information which informs the current situation with appointed Boards and Commissions in the five cities: • Email requests to City clerks or managers for current and former commission member e- mail contact information, details such as purpose of the various commissions, term lengths, commissioner qualifications, and recruitment and onboarding. Information from City websites was also used. • Online anonymous survey to 116 current commissioners in Falcon Heights, Little Canada, Maplewood and Roseville (Lauderdale currently has no commissions) with a response rate ranging from 19-73 percent (median=61 percent). Note that since Roseville has the most