City Government Committee
Mission Statement
The goal of the City Government Committee is to research community issues related to the Woodbury for Justice and Equality mission, and advocate for city government policies and candidates to address them. “City government” encompasses the City Council, Police Department, and other city-level government functions.
Our Political Policy
As a deliberately nonpartisan community group, our actions and objectives are not tied to any political party. However, we recognize that meaningful systemic transformation often arises through policymakers influencing policy shifts. While remaining nonpartisan, we acknowledge that advocating for impactful change necessitates some political engagement.
Read the W4J&E Political Policy Statement here.
Committee Goals
Activities to Engage
1. Learn about the existence and effectiveness of policies, efforts, and committees that support or oppose the W4JE mission
2. Identify unmet needs in the community that could be addressed through policy changes or engagement with Woodbury’s city government
3. Propose, raise public awareness of, and advocate for city government policies, candidates, or efforts that further the W4JE mission
Activities to Engage
Activities to Engage
Activities to Engage
- Human rights commissions - learn about how these operate in similar communities and determine if we should advocate for one in Woodbury.
- Attending City Council meetings (online agenda published ahead of time to decide which meetings to attend) Review previous recordings to understand recent decisions.
- Research housing zoning, effects on high-density housing and segregation.
- Gold Bus Line - Understand plans, impacts, and any issues the city government is still deciding on or involved with.
Current Actions
Activities to Engage
Current Actions
April 19, 2023 Comments on 2023 Affordable Housing Action Plan: In April the City Government committee drafted and submitted comments to the City of Woodbury. Affordable housing emerged as a key issue during our W4J&E 2023 Kick-off Event in February. Consequently, group members did a deep dive into this year's action plan and developed several questions and comments for the city around how well the current plan is addressing housing affordability. The city responded and offered to meet with us to discuss our questions and concerns.
September 25, 2022 Local Candidate Meet & Greet: The City Government & Education Committees joined forces this year to host a Local Candidate Meet & Greet at Powers Lake Park. Candidates were asked to complete a questionnaire of equity focused questions which were posted on this website. Most were then invited to attend a casual event to meet with community members. Many of these candidates went on to be elected in November and are now serving our community.
March 19, 2022 Woodbury Community Foundation Antiracism Stakeholder Event: W4J&E members were invited to join local city leaders in an event hosted by the Woodbury Community Foundation. Those who attended made connections to other community groups and got a better idea of the work already underway in Woodbury. Through a brainstorming activity, several areas of challenge were identified including affordable housing, social media, political engagement, and community reengagement events and opportunities post-covid.
August 30, 2021 MAC Picnic: Members of the W4J&E core team attended an event hosted by the Woodbury Police Department and their Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC). MAC and W4J&E discussed the work each of their groups were doing, including MAC's involvement with police officer recruitment and hiring. This committee looks forward to working closely with the MAC going forward.
W4J&E
Join Us!
In order pursue our mission to support tangible equity work in our community, we have created sub-committees to focus on engaging in targeted areas. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering your time to support this mission.