Lexington city council voted Thursday to keep its Office of Diversity and Inclusion as it reclassifies its diversity officer to a different department.
An original version of an ordinance reclassifying diversity officer Arthur Lucas would also have abolished the one-man office. Councilmember at-large James Brown filed an amendment that would keep it intact.
Lucas will still be moved to the city’s HR department to work in a similar role, which involves recruiting and training employees.
District 1 councilmember Tyler Morton says they’ll be reviewing what the diversity office will look like moving forward.
“That's gonna be a council decision,” Morton said. “That's gonna be a city decision, working with our community to get input of what's best for the city for that position, working all 14 other councilmembers to figure out how we refill the position and what is needed within that role.”
The original draft was filed in response to federal and state efforts to eliminate DEI programs. Citizens opposed said during a public comment period that it caved in to those efforts. Debraun Thomas was among those citizens.
“We can't necessarily stop what's happening in Washington right now, but you all got an opportunity to stand up for Lexington, and that's what every single person who voted for y'all, or didn't vote for y'all, did,” Thomas said.
The council voted mostly in favor of the amended resolution with 13 yes votes and three absent.
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