PIEDMONT CITY COUNCIL & BOARD OF EDUCATION
Special Joint Meeting Minutes for Monday, May 16, 2022
A Special Joint Meeting of the Piedmont City Council and Board of Education was held May 16, 2022, in the Police Emergency Operations Center at 403 Highland Avenue. In accordance with Government Code Section 54954.2(a) the agenda for this meeting was posted for public inspection on May 13, 2022.
CALL TO ORDER Mayor King called the meeting to order at 4:33 p.m.
ROLL CALL City Council: Mayor Teddy Gray King, Vice Mayor Jennifer Cavenaugh, and Councilmembers Betsy Smegal Andersen, Jennifer Long, and Conna McCarthy Board of Education: President Cory Smegal, Vice President Megan Pillsbury, and Board Members Veronica Anderson Thigpen, Hilary Cooper, and Amal Smith
City Staff: City Administrator Sara Lillevand and Assistant City Administrator/ City Clerk John Tulloch
School District Staff: Superintendent Randall Booker and Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Dr. Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard
SPECIAL MEETING The City Council and Board of Education considered the following items of business:
Discussion on Equity, Mayor Teddy Gray King and Board of Education President Cory Smegal Inclusion, and Diversity welcomed the community, Councilmembers, Board Members, and staff to the special joint meeting. The City Council and Board of Education participated in a facilitated discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. Facilitators Dr.
Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard and Cornelia Sylvester led the discussion, which included history on the national and local levels. The facilitators detailed the history of the Dearing family, who were the first African American homeowners in Piedmont and were driven out of town by community and government actions.
There was no Public Testimony on this matter.
The City Council and Board of Education discussed shared values and individual and joint commitments to move forward to make Piedmont a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse community. Next steps, including small group discussions and a follow up joint meeting of the City Council and Board of Education were discussed.
ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor King adjourned the meeting at 6:03 p.m.