Stumbling out of the gate: New city council backtracks on library board picks
Seven spots and just one woman on the shortlist.
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Seven spots and just one woman on the shortlist.
London’s new city council nixed its own vote to select members of the public library board, opting instead for four women and three men in the name of gender diversity.
The wrangle over representation that played out during the first meeting in council chambers this week may be a harbinger of what’s to come from the new rookie-heavy council.
Politicians had to choose seven library board members from 31 applications – more than any other civic agency.
But after the first round of voting, the results were “quite white and very male,” one political scientist said, with only one woman on the list.
“Inclusivity and diversity isn’t just about what does policy look like when it comes out of the policy-making machine, it’s also about what do the decision-makers look like?” said Jacquetta Newman, a politics professor at King’s University College.
“If council is really, truly committed to an inclusion and diversity lens, they have to walk the walk,” she added.
Ward 7 Coun. Corrine Rahman asked colleagues to consider whether their initial picks accurately represented the city’s gender diversity. Her comments sparked debate and a new vote.
More women were appointed – four out of seven – but in the process, council lost diversity in other areas, including a candidate of colour and one who is non-binary, meaning they do not identify as male or female.
Ryan O’Hagan, a teacher and non-binary candidate initially chosen for the board, but dropped in further rounds of voting, called the process beyond disappointing.
“Let me be clear: I’m not upset that council voted for gender diversity,” O’Hagan wrote on social media. “But when in search of gender diversity you remove the only gender non-conforming person, you’ve missed the mark.”
It created an awkward political process, too, as councillors first debated a proposal to remove one shortlisted man in favour of a woman. Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis offered to switch his vote, which would have resulted in two woman on the board, but the motion was voted down.
“We’re talking about real people here as well. I don’t want to keep talking and saying names,” Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins eventually said, asking instead to start over.
It took city politicians three more rounds of voting – considering only candidates who won five or more votes during the initial selection – to settle on final candidates.
Not everyone was on board.
“I can’t imagine if I were one of these people who earned the votes of us, and now, based on certain other criteria – gender or whatever – we’re going to say, you don’t qualify,” Ward 5 Coun. Jerry Pribil said. “That’s potentially discrimination in my eyes.”
Beth Allison, Scott Andrew Collyer, Sharon Desserud, Brian Gibson, Zeba Hashmi, Heather Jack and Jeremy McCall were the final candidates chosen. Their appointments still must be approved at next week’s council meeting. Barring changes, they’ll join two councillors – Ward 3’s Peter Cuddy and Ward 6’s Sam Trosow – to oversee the London library system that has a budget of more than $20 million.
Committee appointments are sometimes political, though candidates must fill out an application form and councillors are expected to choose based on the best fit for the role. Gender information is not collected on applications, but O’Hagan, who uses they/them pronouns, said they’d written to councillors to ask that gender be included on future applications.
Council, sitting as a committee, met Wednesday night to sort out appointments to its standing committees and dozens of city agencies, boards and commissions, including the public health, London Transit and police services boards.
Some boards wrote council to suggest candidates or skills they hoped to add. A striking committee also made recommendations to council after reviewing all applications.
Newman said London likes to talk about progress on diversity, with many politicians citing city hall’s anti-racism and anti-oppression department. But staff and council have to ensure that vision becomes reality, she said.
“It’s kind of fragile,” Newman said of London’s diversity focus. “So much of it feels like . . . it’s being done to say, ‘We’re doing this.’ ”
OTHER CITIZEN APPOINTMENTS
London Police Services Board: Susan Toth
Middlesex-London Health Unit: Matthew Reid
London Transit: Scott Andrew Collyer, Stephanie Marentette, Sheryl Rooth
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