City boards largely white, male

White men wield outsized influence in Colorado Springs.

That’s clear from the makeup of the City Council, with five of the nine members being white and male. It’s even more evident among the volunteer boards and commissions that advise council members, a citysponsored survey found.

Volunteer boards offer the council guidance on issues such as public art projects, urban planning and recreation. Roughly 330 people serve on dozens of boards, and 169 of them responded to the survey. Members are appointed by the City Council.

Among survey respondents:

- 62 percent of board and commission members are male. That compares with 48 percent males in the city’s adult population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimate for 2006.

- 86 percent of board and commission members are white. The Census Bureau estimates whites account for 76 percent of the adult population.

- The biggest disparity was for Hispanics, who make up 12 percent of the city’s adult population but 4 percent of board members.

City leaders said there’s no official goal or policy regarding female and minority representation on boards and commissions. Staff members try to reach out to diverse applicants by sending announcements to minority groups such as black and Hispanic chambers of commerce.

“Part of the challenge is you can’t be put on a board or commission if you don’t apply,” said city spokeswoman Sue Skiffington-Blumberg.

Still, the city tabulated only the race and gender of people who hold the appointed positions, not the makeup of people who applied for the spots.

The lack of minority representation concerns Vice Mayor Larry Small, who requested the survey, which was completed in November. Small said he frequently heads up meetings where council members appoint volunteers to the boards. He said he now factors in the figures when deciding who should fill a vacant seat.

“It’s important because we want the community to be represented in these boards and commissions so that we get a cross-section view and make sure that we’re taking into account the needs of the entire community,” Small said.

The role of women and minorities on volunteer boards has attracted attention in recent months from members of the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum. The forum is a private group of businesspeople and activists trying to change what members view as the city’s sometimes unwelcoming attitude toward minorities.

Many women and members of minority groups want to be involved in community decisions but don’t know how to go about it, said Jay Patel, the forum’s co-chairman.

“People are intimidated sometimes because they don’t have expert knowledge,” he said. “Boards and commissions typically don’t require everybody to have expert knowledge.”

The forum is one of several groups that’s recently tried to publicize information about how women and minorities can get involved in volunteer positions. Former Colorado Springs Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace and businessman Bill Mead are studying the issue and planning workshops to help people who want to participate, Patel said.

Part of the goal is to help people get in position to run for elected offices. Volunteer boards and commissions have been a springboard to positions on city councils, school boards and other panels.

Another group encouraging minorities to get involved is the Colorado Springs-based El Pomar Foundation and its Emerging Leaders Development Program. The program, operating since 2001, helps prepare people to serve on government boards and panels that oversee charity organizations.

During the past two years, the program has compiled a database of 144 people who are interested in volunteer work. The database identifies each person’s race or ethnic background and lists areas of interest or expertise.

The Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center sends out notices to its members when a city board has a vacancy. Gay representation is important for offering different perspectives to the boards, said community center director Ryan Acker.

The city survey didn’t ask respondents to identify their sexual orientation, but Acker said it should have.

“Having that viewpoint is essential to creating something that’s vibrant and strong in the community,” he said.

Small said sexual orientation wasn’t included because it would be impossible to compare the numbers with anything in the community. No government survey asks people to identify a sexual orientation, although the Census Bureau reported that 711 local households are headed by two people of the same sex.

“I’ve just never felt that was an important thing to make a decision on or consider,” Small said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0187 or perry.swanson@gazette.com