Earlier this year, a group of engaged citizens formed the Fuquay-Varina Community Alliance to advocate for increasing the social, political, and economic well-being of Fuquay-Varina’s Black residents. During the group’s initial meetings, members identified multiple issues and prioritized making a request for a cultural assessment of municipal government as a first step toward meaningful change.
When, in early April, the Board of Commissioners voted to suspend the activity of the town’s Public Safety Committee, Alliance member Jovita Simons wrote to town leaders expressing her dismay. Town manager Adam Mitchell offered Ms. Simons and other Alliance members an audience with the town’s elected officials and, as many saw it, an opportunity to advocate for a cultural assessment. In conversations with Mitchell and the commissioners, the Alliance emphasized that the culture of a municipality is more than just a matter of policing; it includes, among other issues, the town’s efforts regarding public safety, community engagement, housing equity, education, economic development, access to healthcare, transportation, and overall transparency.
At Board of Commissioners meetings since late April, Alliance members have used the public comment period to bring forward a three-pronged request for assessment. The group requests that an independent entity conduct a cultural assessment of municipal government; that the Town make public the entire assessment report; and that the Town then engage an independent consultant to analyze, make recommendations, and manage the outcomes of the assessment.
At first, commissioners seemed to meet these requests with strong support. From a series of private meetings with Mitchell and elected officials, Alliance members understood that Mitchell would research independent assessment providers, that all commissioners supported assessment, and that, according to Mayor Pro Tem Blake Massengill, conducting an assessment was “not a matter of if, but when.”
Alliance members believed they were moving in a positive direction. But those feelings of hopefulness were short-lived.
At a June meeting with Manager Mitchell and Mayor John Byrne, the Alliance learned that Mitchell was not prepared to recommend an assessment and would instead recommend creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position within Town government.
Although Alliance members believe that a DEI hire could do some good, they’ve pointed out the stark difference between acquiring DEI personnel and conducting a cultural assessment. The one is in no way a sufficient substitute for the other, and the recommendation of the one in the absence of the other was a significant blow. Alliance members noted that the purpose of all meetings with Town officials was to get a commitment to have a cultural assessment completed by an independent entity in the very near future.
The Alliance launched an online petition to renew its ask and gather community support. Members who spoke at commissioners’ meetings in July argued for separating the DEI hire from conducting an assessment, noting that completing an assessment prior to hiring DEI personnel would impart important benefits.
The August 2 Board of Commissioners meeting stands out among recent public events that raise questions about the Town’s willingness to engage a citizen-led group requesting concrete data about the Town’s overall culture.
At that meeting, Commissioner William Harris made a motion in support of conducting a cultural assessment. Though the other commissioners had each expressed their support in private meetings with the Alliance, none of them seconded Harris’s motion. None of those commissioners, the mayor, or the town manager have engaged in conversation with members of the Alliance since the June meeting when Mitchell said he would not recommend going forward with assessment.
Ms. Simons has not given up hope. At the August 2 meeting, she noted the absence of nearly all elected and appointed officials’ public engagement on the matter: “Did you even hear the cry? I’m sure there have been discussions privately, but nothing in this forum where the citizens of this town can hear the concerns or issues at hand.” She emphasized that her family has called Fuquay-Varina home for three generations and that now is the time to address systemic racism. “Get the facts on the table,” she proposed, “and let’s move forward together from there.”
As of the August town board meetings, the official line is: now is not the time. Or, as Mayor Byrne put it: “I believe that we will move forward. I’m not sure it’ll be at the speed that everybody wants… I believe we’re in a process now, and I have a lot of confidence in our Town team here that we’ll get it done. …We’ll get there.”
One wonders about comments like the mayor’s that address the requests of citizen advocacy groups by indefinitely postponing any concrete actions that might directly address those requests.
In Fuquay-Varina, as in many small towns, those with power are selling the idea of progress via diversity and inclusion initiatives without taking necessary steps toward fundamental changes that would benefit the very residents who are requesting them. As a result, marginalized groups are still expected to be thankful for whatever quasi-benevolent offerings are made to them by people in power unaccustomed to making genuine concessions.
In an election season that will result in a new mayor (for the first time in 20 years) and several new commissioners, residents should be wary of candidate narratives about “progress” that ultimately substitute well-articulated plans for actual structural change. In November, the citizens of Fuquay-Varina will choose between candidates who uphold the status quo and those whose actions indicate that they are, in fact, listening to the community they’re sworn to serve.
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Op-Ed: With an Election on the Horizon, Officials in Fuquay-Varina Should Think About Listening to the Community Members They Serve
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Earlier this year, a group of engaged citizens formed the Fuquay-Varina Community Alliance to advocate for increasing the social, political, and economic well-being of Fuquay-Varina’s Black residents. During the group’s initial meetings, members identified multiple issues and prioritized making a request for a cultural assessment of municipal government as a first step toward meaningful change.
When, in early April, the Board of Commissioners voted to suspend the activity of the town’s Public Safety Committee, Alliance member Jovita Simons wrote to town leaders expressing her dismay. Town manager Adam Mitchell offered Ms. Simons and other Alliance members an audience with the town’s elected officials and, as many saw it, an opportunity to advocate for a cultural assessment. In conversations with Mitchell and the commissioners, the Alliance emphasized that the culture of a municipality is more than just a matter of policing; it includes, among other issues, the town’s efforts regarding public safety, community engagement, housing equity, education, economic development, access to healthcare, transportation, and overall transparency.
At Board of Commissioners meetings since late April, Alliance members have used the public comment period to bring forward a three-pronged request for assessment. The group requests that an independent entity conduct a cultural assessment of municipal government; that the Town make public the entire assessment report; and that the Town then engage an independent consultant to analyze, make recommendations, and manage the outcomes of the assessment.
At first, commissioners seemed to meet these requests with strong support. From a series of private meetings with Mitchell and elected officials, Alliance members understood that Mitchell would research independent assessment providers, that all commissioners supported assessment, and that, according to Mayor Pro Tem Blake Massengill, conducting an assessment was “not a matter of if, but when.”
Alliance members believed they were moving in a positive direction. But those feelings of hopefulness were short-lived.
At a June meeting with Manager Mitchell and Mayor John Byrne, the Alliance learned that Mitchell was not prepared to recommend an assessment and would instead recommend creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position within Town government.
Although Alliance members believe that a DEI hire could do some good, they’ve pointed out the stark difference between acquiring DEI personnel and conducting a cultural assessment. The one is in no way a sufficient substitute for the other, and the recommendation of the one in the absence of the other was a significant blow. Alliance members noted that the purpose of all meetings with Town officials was to get a commitment to have a cultural assessment completed by an independent entity in the very near future.
The Alliance launched an online petition to renew its ask and gather community support. Members who spoke at commissioners’ meetings in July argued for separating the DEI hire from conducting an assessment, noting that completing an assessment prior to hiring DEI personnel would impart important benefits.
The August 2 Board of Commissioners meeting stands out among recent public events that raise questions about the Town’s willingness to engage a citizen-led group requesting concrete data about the Town’s overall culture.
At that meeting, Commissioner William Harris made a motion in support of conducting a cultural assessment. Though the other commissioners had each expressed their support in private meetings with the Alliance, none of them seconded Harris’s motion. None of those commissioners, the mayor, or the town manager have engaged in conversation with members of the Alliance since the June meeting when Mitchell said he would not recommend going forward with assessment.
Ms. Simons has not given up hope. At the August 2 meeting, she noted the absence of nearly all elected and appointed officials’ public engagement on the matter: “Did you even hear the cry? I’m sure there have been discussions privately, but nothing in this forum where the citizens of this town can hear the concerns or issues at hand.” She emphasized that her family has called Fuquay-Varina home for three generations and that now is the time to address systemic racism. “Get the facts on the table,” she proposed, “and let’s move forward together from there.”
As of the August town board meetings, the official line is: now is not the time. Or, as Mayor Byrne put it: “I believe that we will move forward. I’m not sure it’ll be at the speed that everybody wants… I believe we’re in a process now, and I have a lot of confidence in our Town team here that we’ll get it done. …We’ll get there.”
One wonders about comments like the mayor’s that address the requests of citizen advocacy groups by indefinitely postponing any concrete actions that might directly address those requests.
In Fuquay-Varina, as in many small towns, those with power are selling the idea of progress via diversity and inclusion initiatives without taking necessary steps toward fundamental changes that would benefit the very residents who are requesting them. As a result, marginalized groups are still expected to be thankful for whatever quasi-benevolent offerings are made to them by people in power unaccustomed to making genuine concessions.
In an election season that will result in a new mayor (for the first time in 20 years) and several new commissioners, residents should be wary of candidate narratives about “progress” that ultimately substitute well-articulated plans for actual structural change. In November, the citizens of Fuquay-Varina will choose between candidates who uphold the status quo and those whose actions indicate that they are, in fact, listening to the community they’re sworn to serve.
Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.
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