The Estacada City Council voted Monday to dissolve its diversity, equity and inclusion committee that was created to improve the city’s outreach to underrepresented groups and advise the city council.
The 5-2 vote to dismantle the committee makes Estacada at least the second local Oregon government to roll back its diversity and equity initiatives since President Donald Trump moved to halt federal programs to promote such efforts upon entering office last month. Deschutes County commissioners dismantled its DEI committee on Feb. 5.
Councilor Matthew Blevens, who voted to end Estacada’s committee, said he supported the group’s original mission, but said diversity, equity and inclusion has become the opposite of “what it was intended to be, and I can’t go along with it.”
Nearly 100 community members signed a petition before Monday’s meeting asking the council to not dismantle the committee. And dozens of residents attended the meeting to debate the committee’s merits.
Multiple city councilors who voted to disband the committee argued that diversity and equity had become overly politicized and divisive, claiming the committee was harming Estacada residents. They also said that keeping the committee could jeopardize the city’s chances of receiving federal funding.
However, several community members who testified Monday, along with city councilors who opposed dissolving the committee, noted that its critics did not provide any examples of the committee’s adverse effects on Estacada residents.
“Nobody’s bringing up examples of the actual harm the committee is doing to our residents,” said Councilor Heidi Prokop, who voted to keep the committee intact. “I’m hearing bizarre off-the-wall reasoning to get rid of it. Everyone is bringing up national issues that don’t have anything to do with the committee’s work and its actual purpose.”
The seven-member committee was established in October 2020 with broad support from city councilors and Estacada residents, committee members said in a workshop session prior to the city council meeting.
It formed months after Estacada Mayor Sean Drinkwine said on social media that he was “working tirelessly” to shut down public demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. He apologized after widespread backlash. On Monday, he voted to dismantle the DEI committee.
Since the committee’s inception, its members have provided feedback on city policies, hosted speakers from community groups at its meetings, partnered with public health organizations to distribute drug overdose reversal kits, increased public engagement and recommended strategies to improve accessibility at city facilities, according to its members.
Multiple committee members said Monday they have received frequent scrutiny from city councilors regarding the committee’s work. They asked the city council to consider changing the name of the committee to a less controversial one instead of discontinuing the group.
“This committee wasn’t formed to divide us,” said Kimberlee Ables, committee member and former city councilor. “It wasn’t built on the extremes of any political agenda, one way or the other. It was built on a simple, powerful belief that everyone deserves to feel like they belong.”
— Carlos Fuentes covers state politics and government. Reach him at 503-221-5386 or cfuentes@oregonian.com.
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