Santa Fe City Councilors have introduced a resolution directing the city manager to create an Office of Equity and Inclusion.
The office would base its work on the Cultural History Art Reconciliation and Truth or CHART committee recommendations that were presented to the Governing Body in August of 2022.
It was also a recommendation of the Charter Review Committee, which suggested it be placed on the ballot, but Councilors said it should be addressed legislatively.
Councilor Renee Villarreal, along with Carol Romero-Wirth, Chris Rivera, and Amanda Chavez are the resolution’s initial sponsors.
Vilarreal says she always thought the city needed an Equity and Inclusion office since she began serving on the council and even before the CHART process.
“I envision the OEI playing an integral role in engaging often with our community members,” she said. “I know we all know this but equity should be our North Star and I’m confident that creating this kind of office will create a path for more understanding, having hard conversations and working towards a more equitable community for everyone.”
The office would have internal and external roles including creating processes, plans and practices including conducting equity assessment of city departments, coordinating training on implicit bias, anti-racism and or diversity, equity and inclusion.
It will collaborate with community partners to build education and outreach opportunities to address and identify community needs.
