Lower Gwynedd’s Board of Supervisors approves anti-discrimination ordinance. Township seeking volunteers to sit on human relations commission

During its May 10th meeting, the Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors voted four to one to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance. The ordinance establishes a Human Relations Commission (HRC), prohibits discrimination in housing, commercial property, employment, and public accommodations, outlines procedures for filing a claim, and provides definitions and penalties.

The lone dissenting vote was Supervisor Kathleen Hunsicker (R) who expressed concerns that the human relations commission established by the ordinance was a “mediation service” that wasn’t binding or enforceable. She believed that residents of the township would be best served to go through the state’s human relations commission.

Supervisor Janine Martin noted that the “benefit to having a local HRC [human relations commission] is not just to facilitate mediation, but to also educate. The local HRC provides an avenue to help remedy a claim before going to the state, and it is also meant to educate and promote the rights that our community has.”

If you are interested in serving on the human relations commission, you can find more details here.

You can watch the portion of the meeting regarding the ordinance below.