Diversity council meeting canceled from lack of quorum

Posted By: David Fortier July 25, 2023

By David Fortier

The cancellation of the regular Bristol Diversity Council meeting this month, originally scheduled later today, has to do with the chair of the committee being unavailable and the lack of a vice chair to run the meeting, as well as the difficulty in raising a quorum. The council has dropped from nine members to five.

“Unfortunately, I had to cancel the meeting because I wouldn’t be able to be there to run it and we have a couple of members on vacation,” Diversity Council chair Jayme Bianca texted in response to a text inquiry.

The July meeting cancellation coincides with the announcement last week that white supremacist signs had been hung on telephone poles along Farmington Avenue and at least one other location, as recently as Sunday, July 16.

A local group, Bristol Anti-Racist Brigade, had announced that it would be attending both the Diversity Council meeting, as well as the August City Council meeting, to address the white supremacist sign issue.

With the Diversity Council’s current membership almost halved, just a few members on vacation reduces the chances of a meeting. Three people of the five current members would make a quorum. A 10th position, that of city council liaison, is a non-voting member and not included in the count for a quorum.

On the website, the council appears to have full membership and includes the following: chair Jaymie Bianca, Mohammad Aziz, Kelly Pacheco Houston, Jeffrey Israel, Derek Jones, Reynardo Ortiz, Jr., Marcus Patton, Desira Nichole Powell, David Rackliffe and City Council liaison Sebastian Panioto.

The reality is that the board has five members. Bianca confirms that the current board includes the following in her text response: herself, Israel, Patton, Rackliffe and Allison Willette.

“We have to get our website updated,” Bianca said and added that there are people interested in membership on the Diversity Council, but the council is waiting for Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano to make a decision.

“He meets with all prospective new members as well as myself,” Bianca said. “I’m hoping to get them on very soon.”

She added that Willette has an interest in the vice chair position and that the council will be voting next meeting to fill the position.

The Diversity Council’s mission is “The Diversity Council will engage the community of Bristol as ambassadors of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” and its vision, “To cultivate an environment that embraces multi-cultural differences in a welcoming and open space.”

In the coming months, Diversity Council members will be present at the Bristol Farmers Market on Aug. 12 and Sept. 9, as well as at the Rockwell Festival on Aug. 19.

All TBE readers, supporters and donors                

The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.                

  • Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
  • Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
  • Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.                

Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.