Hunter
03/17/21
In a marathon meeting that didn’t end until just before 12:30 this morning, the Iowa City City Council voted after two hours of public comment to temporarily suspend the Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Three members of the Commission and a facilitator resigned last week after accusations of then chair Royceann Porter creating a “hostile work environment” within the group and being openly hostile towards the public. Porter stepped down and resigned, followed by Vice Chair T’Shaylyn Harrington and commissioner Tony Currin. Newly appointed facilitator Jesse Case stepped down the day after the meeting, saying in his resignation letter that he couldn’t facilitate a commission that was “set up to fail.”
The council is looking to fill the vacancies and voted to suspend the Commission until April 15th.
Those speaking about the subject were mostly against a suspension, either temporary or permanent. The Daily Iowan reports that current Vice Chair of the Commission Amel Ali said that suspending the commission doesn’t give the new leadership a chance to show what they’re capable of, and gives the impression that the city doesn’t value their voices.
Still, the council voted 5-2 to suspend the Commission, Applications for new commissioners will be accepted through March 30th, and the council hopes to appoint the new commissioners by April 6th. The Commission would then reconvene with the new members on April 15th in a joint meeting with the City Council.
Councilor Laura Bergus came up with the proposal, saying that the tasks assigned to the Commission are among the most difficult the council has ever asked commissioners to do. She said after last week’s resignations, it was time to reflect and regroup.
Councilors Mazahir Salih and Janice Weiner voted no on the proposal.