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City of Schenectady
Affirmative Action Advisory Board
MINUTES
City Hall, Room 110
January 19, 2016
MEMBERS PRESENT: David Chetram, Vice Chair
Ellie Pepper, Secretary
Rev. Arnetta Dix
Adriel Linyear
Damonni Farley
Kanema Haynes
MEMBERS ABESENT: None, all current members present.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:15pm by Secretary, Ellie Pepper
Approval of Minutes:
The September meeting minutes were reviewed. Motion to approve, Kanema Haynes, second by Rev. Dix.
Accepted by unanimous vote.
While no quorum present at the November meeting, members present discussed relevant topics without voting
or making any decisions. Notes from the meeting were completed and have been made available for public
viewing.
Old Business:
Newly created position of Affirmative Action Officer: The city council discussed and finalized salary and benefits
for the newly created position at the most recent City Council Committee meeting on January 17th. Kanema
Haynes attended and reports that the salary for the position will be $70,000/year plus benefits. $47,000 of the
salary will come directly from the city budget with another $23,000 to come from the Community Development
Block Grant the city receives. The city did not enter into a new contract with the county but continues to
coordinate activities while the hiring process in underway for the new position. The City Council expects the
new Affirmative Action Officer to continue to coordinate with the county.
The position description has been finalized and approved and is expected to be advertised within two weeks.
The position description specifically outlines coordination with the Affirmative Action Advisory Board.
Annual Report: The report for 2016 has been completed. The draft was reviewed. Motion to accept, Kanema
Haynes, second, Adriel Linyear. Ms. Haynes then requested discussion related to one aspect of the report. Ms.
Haynes expressed concern that the job description for the Affirmative Action Officer lists investigation of
discrimination complaints as a duty of the job. The Board had specifically requested that discrimination
complaints be investigated by someone independent from the city. Adriel Linyear suggested that since there is
no formal discrimination complaint procedure formally adopted by the city at this time it will be the duty of the
new officer to develop those policies and include the Board’s recommendations to ensure transparency and
fairness. All members generally agreed with this stating we would monitor progress once the newly created
position is filled. Annual report accepted by unanimous vote.

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Officer Nominations:
Chair- Rev. Arnetta Dix nominated by Kanema Haynes. Rev. Dix accepted the nomination and was appointed
with a unanimous vote.
Vice Chair- David Chetram nominated by Adriel Linyear. Mr. Chetram requested that he be able to consider the
nomination until the next Board meeting when he will make a final decision. A final vote will take place in
February, 2017.
Secretary- No nominations, no volunteer. Ellie Pepper is the current Secretary and agreed to remain as such
until the end of her term in July, 2017. The Board hopes to have the three seats that are currently vacant filled
by then and will nominate a Secretary for the remainder of the calendar year at the June meeting.
Committee reports: None
New business:
Presentation of Annual Report: The Board would like to offer the public presentation of the Annual Report in
conjunction with the announcement of the new Affirmative Action Officer position. Rev. Dix will connect with
the mayor’s office about coordinating and the possibility of press coverage.
Damonni Farley offered to assist with this and all other public relations outreach related to Board activities.
After discussion of the importance of providing public information about the Board’s work, members decided to
create a Public Communications Coordinator position and nominated Mr. Farley to fill the position. Mr. Farley
accepted. Motion to approve by Kanema Haynes, second by Adriel Linyear. Accepted by unanimous vote.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: None
ADJOURNMENT:
Meeting was adjourned at 7:35p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for February 16th @ 6:00pm.
Submitted by Ellie Pepper