After Facebook furor, Kennewick seats a diversity commission

Three months after a Kennewick City Council member’s private Facebook post outraged the Latino community, the city has seated a seven-member volunteer commission to advise it on diversity.

Councilman Bob Parks set off an online uproar March 25 when he re-posted a Facebook meme some Latinos found offensive.

The incident wasn’t directly linked to the city, but triggered calls of racism, an online recall petition and demands for the city to publicly address the issue. Parks issued a partial apology that said his comments targeted illegal immigration, not race.

The Latino Coalition threatened a boycott of Columbia Center, which it called off when the city agreed to form the commission and to discuss other measures, such as an update to its social media policy.

Leo Perales, a member of the coalition, applied for the commission but was not selected.

Perales bears no ill will for the choice, but said he will attend its meetings and the coalition will continue to monitor the city’s commitment to make diversity a priority,

“We will make sure our voice is heard,” he said.

Fourteen applied for the voluntary job. The city appointed seven at its July 5 regular session.

The members:

▪  Nichole Banegas is director of government affairs, communication, green programs and membership for the Home Builders Association of the Tri-Cities. She is formerly of Coos Bay and earned an associate’s degree from Oregon State University. She is studying human anatomy and physiology at Columbia Basin College and is active in Soroptimist International of Columbia Basin and Pasco-Kennewick.

▪  Ubaldina “Uby” Creek is an educational program specialist and site coordinator at Eastgate Elementary School. The child of immigrant field workers, Creek attended Columbia Basin College and earned a bachelor’s in multicultural studies from Cambridge College in Boston. A 35-year resident of Kennewick, Creek has attended the Police and Citizens academy and has run for public office.

▪  Ed Frost is retired after a career as an executive with Ben Franklin Transit and with local and state human services departments. He earned a bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Idaho and a master’s in social work at Eastern Washington University. He is a former Kennewick School Board member and is involved with the Dispute Resolution Center of the Tri-Cities, Mid-Columbia Literary Festival and Columbia Basin Badger Club.

▪  Clarence Hill III is an eight-year Air Force veteran and a student at Walla Walla Community College, studying plant operations. In his application he identifies himself as a married, African American man who seeks diversity and equality in society. He has two young children. He is a volunteer with the annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk and has supported the Tri-Cities Cancer Center, Junior Achievement and United Way.

▪  Zelma Jackson-Maine is a licensed hydrologist with the Washington Department of Ecology’s nuclear waste program in Richland. She is a 25-year resident of Kennewick who has held five gubernatorial appointments on commissions addressing welfare reform and other topics. She serves on the Department of Ecology’s diversity committee and is a past chair and member of the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs.

▪  Becca Lingley is director of operations for Flex Rental Solutions and an adjunct instructor for Liberty University. She is a co-founder of the Fuse co-working space and co-organizer of the Tri-Cities Startup weekends. She is a past member of the Richland Economic Development Committee.

▪  Brenda Still is a retired educator who spent 24 years teaching at Kennewick’s Desert Hills Middle School. She also worked as an adjunct professor for Eastern Washington University and Washington State University Tri-Cities. She volunteered with low-income students in Pasco and is a regular volunteer at her church.

This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "After Facebook furor, Kennewick seats a diversity commission."