KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Is the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County diverse enough? Some county commissioners want to know if the department that keeps county roads fixed is doing enough to hire black and brown workers.
On a split vote, the county board sent a request that the Road Commission administration ask their staff to “self identify” their race and gender, and supply the results within 30 days.
Board chair John Taylor says it should be a simple request, but acknowledges that the Road Commission’s legal staff has advised against it.
It’s just the latest point of friction between the Road Commission board and a few commissioners who seem to have problems with the independent operation. Here’s commissioner Monteze Morales.
Commissioner Jen Strebs says knowing the data will help them in their hiring practices, but commissioner John Gisler says you can’t ask those kinds of questions on an application, and shouldn’t be asking it now.
The local Road Commission, which has some of the best ratings in the state for road maintenance, says they have vacancies that they have been aggressively seeking to fill, especially with winter just ahead.
