‘All part of the plan’
Rowlett City Councilmember Debra Shinder Rowlett City Council disbands its DEI commission CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer CaroSavoWrites@gmail.com A 4-3 vote by the Rowlett City Council on May 7 has killed the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission.
The move started in February when a council subcommittee talked with the commission about changing its name to something less “controversial.” Instead, the council decided to ax the commission altogether.
City Councilmember Debra Shinder made a motion to delete the DEIC from the city’s handbook while discussing a resolution to adopt the Boards and Commissions Handbook.
But, said Kellie McKee, an attorney and 18-year resident of Rowlett, “This was never about the handbook.” Shinder disagreed: “It was not a pretext to change or abolish the board,” she said during the meeting. “The vote on this amendment is not about supporting or not supporting the ideas and the ideals of diversity and inclusion,” Shinder said. “It’s not about whether the city should serve the members of its diverse population equally.
