By Cecilia Chan
Independent Newsmedia

Glendale moved forward with the creation of a Human Relations Commission, which will advise the City Council with recommendations on how to promote mutual respect and understanding and discourage prejudice and discrimination in the community.

The new commission replaces the Commission on Persons with Disabilities, following the Council’s 7-0 vote on the ordinance last week. Council will make appointments to the 14-member committee.

“I am in favor of the Human Relations Commission because it unites us as a community and promote all of Glendale,” said resident David Metz, who lives in the Cholla District.

He said the language for the new commission does not single out specific groups, which is a good thing because it might minimize groups that might not have been included.

Howard and Sandra Jaeger of the Barrel District, also spoke in favor of the commission, urging the Council to approve it.

Human Resources and Risk Management Director Jim Brown told the Council at an April work shop, he was unaware of any problems or issues that would make the commission a necessity but noted Glendale had consistently been rated low in the municipal equality index because of a lack of language in contracts and a commission.

In 2014, the city signed the Unity Pledge, which called on businesses and government entities to support equal treatment in housing, employment and hospitality for the LGBT community and since February 2015, city contracts included a non-discrimination provision.

The idea of such a commission came from Councilman Jamie Aldama, who originally pushed for a Diversity Commission, which was supported by Councilman Bart Turner.

But Councilman Ray Malnar at the April meeting proposed language leading to the formation of a Human Relations Commission instead.

Councilman Malnar said he had problems with the staff-proposed ordinance because it singled out 23 differences and seemed to segregate people rather than bring them together.

Councilwoman Joyce Clark supported Mr. Malnar’s proposal, saying of the nine benchmark cities, seven of them used the title Human Relations Commission, which was all-encompassing.

Diversity was an opportunity to point out differences in people, which she was not sure that was the direction the Council should go.

Councilwoman Lauren Tolmachoff agreed, saying some groups may be left off the list and that Mr. Malnar’s proposed revisions covered eveyone.

Councilmember Turner acknowledged that Glendale was a forward-facing community and the future was important. He said prejudice and discrimination had existed and did still exist in Glendale. He said Council should call out that prejudice and the draft ordinance provided by staff did exactly that. He suggested peoples’ differences were not weaknesses, but were strengths. The ordinance proposed by Councilmember Malnar was described as generic, but no one preferred generic. He said the citizens and the community in Glendale was not generic and each and every one were special and the differences should be highlighted.