Youth Commission structure would leave City Council in the cold

Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton Harris takes questions on her proposal to recreate a Youth Commission, while Health and Racial Equity Coordinator Shenell Ford stands by.
Photo credit: Focus Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton Harris is hoping to resurrect the city’s Youth Commission.

City Councilors voiced support for the program, but not at the expense of their oversight.

City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti said a Youth Commission was established in 1986 under the Department of Health and Human Services. Under the ordinance that created the body, the now-defunct commission focused on truancy and student misconduct. The new commission would focus on issues that are important to young people, including mental health, social media use, food insecurity, public safety, healthy relationships, financial literacy and civic engagement.

The commission would include 17 seats, significantly larger than its predecessor. Terms would be staggered, and 11 seats would be open to youth in grades 7-12. As written in the ordinance drafted by Buoniconti, the mayor, the police superintendent, superintendent of schools, School Committee vice chair, parks director and Caulton Harris would round out the commission. The city’s health and racial equity coordinator, Shenell Ford, would fill a guidance role.

Ward 5 City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce said it was a “great initiative,” but pointed out that there was no oversight or appointing power for a member of the City Council. Buoniconti said, “We believed that the School Committee was a better conduit and a better body to oversee the Youth Commission, rather than the City Council itself.”

Ward 8 City Councilor Zaida Govan agreed with Click-Bruce that the City Council should have a role in oversight. She noted that Ward 7 Councilor Gerry Martin is the current liaison to the School Committee. For his part, Martin said he would be happy to sit in at the commission’s meetings, regardless of whether he was a participant.

“I find it very interesting that you are here before us, asking the City Council to amend a commission, but at the same time, having no input from the City Council,” said At Large City Councilor Kateri Walsh. She said she would not support it without the council having a role in the commission.

At Large City Councilor Justin Hurst wholeheartedly agreed and said he would also not support the ordinance change without council oversight.

The method of choosing the students to sit on the commission also became a sticking point for several of the councilors. Buoniconti said he expected that conversations would take place in the schools, alerting students to the opportunity, and the mayor would appoint members from a list of interested candidates.

Ward 6 City Councilor Victor Davila was uncomfortable with what he saw as a lack of structure in how children would be chosen. Ward 1 City Councilor Maria Perez agreed that criteria for the students and their selection seemed vague. Davila also questioned language in the ordinance that mentioned “compensation.” Buoniconti said that language was included in case there were reimbursable expenses.

Ward 4 City Councilor Brown asked if it would be difficult to insert language. Buoniconti said it would not be difficult, provided that the specific language is known.

City Council President Tracye Whitfield said the City Council president should have the opportunity to appoint someone to the commission because there are different skills sets among the councilors. She said she feels that vesting the appointing power with the mayor instead of the City Council president is an intentional effort to control who is appointed. Instead, she said appointment by the City Council president would be “fair and equitable.” Whitfield said that she also wanted to ensure that students from all neighborhoods were given the opportunity to sit on the committee.

The council voted 12-0 to send the ordinance to the General Government Committee for workshopping.