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 The wrong decision
Topeka City Manager Norton Bonaparte’s idea to nix Topeka’s human relations department and terminate three employees isn’t a healthy idea.“Fair and equal rights for all Topekans in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodation is the mission of the human relations department,” according to a May 18 article in the Topeka Capital-Journal.
The department has a director, an office assistant and a civil rights investigator, according to the article, which also said that Bonaparte told City Council members that his proposal was to “disband as an acknowledgment of the financial challenges we face balancing the needs of the city government.”
Discrimination complaints would be sent to the state’s human rights commission.
Nixing the department would save the city an estimated $71,000 this year and $163,000 next year, according to the Capital-Journal.
But at whose expense?
Cutting such an important service — even in the wake of budget constraints — isn’t a good idea.
The rights to equal housing, employment and public accommodation are rights for which citizens have worked hard . These issues are not going to go away. Sending the issues on up to the state level will likely slow down the investigation process and put the burden unfairly on Topeka citizens who potentially may have to wait longer for their complaints to be investigated.
Most governments are struggling in this economy, but cutting precious services such as the human relations department isn’t a positive cut.
It will be a hurtful cut for not only the employees who work in the department but the citizens these employees serve. They are, after all, the reason for the department.
(2010-05-25/ Emporia Gazette )
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