Lexington, MA: On June 25, the Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee released a report noting significant progress, since 2013, in expanding the participation of Lexington’s Asian residents in Town governance and on PTA and PTO boards.  The report, based on results presented at a May 13 meeting of community leaders, describes the many initiatives that have supported that expansion and identifies further efforts to continue the progress.

 

Recommendations on increasing civic participation made in 2013

Lexington has one of the largest Asian populations of any community in the Commonwealth, comprising some 22% of the Town's residents.  Yet these groups have historically been significantly under-represented on town and school committees and on elected bodies.  In response, the Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee formed a subcommittee in 2012 to identify barriers to participation and to recommend countermeasures.  The subcommittee’s findings and recommendations were released in December 2013.  They included data, diagnosis and a set recommendations for Lexington’s Town leaders, PTA/O leadership, and for the Chinese and Indian community organizations – the Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL) and the Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL). 

 

“Bright Idea” recognition by Ash Center

As the recommendations were being implemented, the Town submitted the report to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University for recognition.  In February 2015, the Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation honored the recommendations as one of its “Bright Ideas,” the Center’s designation of innovative government programs. 

 

Progress on increasing civic participation

On May 13, 2015, the Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee convened a session to review how well Lexington is doing in translating the ideas embodied in its recommendations into real-world implementation.  The results are encouraging.  From 2013 to 2015, participation on the Town’s elected and non-elected bodies rose from 4.9 percent to 7.0 percent, while the number on just its elected bodies (Town Meeting, Planning Board and Housing Authority) rose from 4.3 percent to 7.2 percent.   On PTA/O general boards, the percentage of Asian parents almost doubled – from 13.4 percent to 24.2 percent – while representation on executive boards rose to 16.7 percent from 13.6 percent. 

 

Participants in the review session traced the rise in civic participation to an increasingly active dialogue and collaboration between civic leadership and the Asian community organizations.  Speakers emphasized both the “pull” from civic leadership and the “push” or motivation from leaders in the Asian organizations.  For example, Lexington’s PTA/O Presidents Council and CAAL jointly sponsored a forum, aimed primarily at CAAL members, whose objective was to describe how and why to get involved in PTAs and PTOs.  In addition, administrative assistants at the Town’s schools have been asked to add brochures on CAAL and IAL in their welcome packets, and some important school notices are being translated into Chinese and Korean to ensure that they are accessible and welcoming to all parents.  IAL succeeded in getting six new candidates elected to Town Meeting after convening a meeting of interested members and inviting a member of the Board of Selectmen to describe how Town Meeting works and why it’s important to serve.

The meeting highlighted a few recommendations that have not yet been put into effect, but which are likely to be implemented in the coming months. They include the writing of clear charters for the Town’s volunteer committees and instituting a more open process for filling committee vacancies.

 

Next steps

Meanwhile, the Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee is launching a study of how other communities around the country with large populations of Asian origin have increased civic participation of Asian residents.  After identifying the potential model communities using census data, the study team will collect data and information with a view to narrowing the selection to a small number of communities for detailed study including, potentially, a dialogue with their civic leaders.  To support this initiative, Lexington’s Town Meeting has approved a budget of $15,000.

 

 

About the Organization: In 2000, the Lexington Board of Selectmen established the 20/20 Vision Committee of citizens to engage the community in thinking about the Town’s future. Through an ongoing public process, the Committee identifies goals and actions to guide municipal decision-making. In 2012, the 20/20 Vision Committee formed the Subcommittee on Demographic Change to conduct the current study.