69´«Ã½

Cayuga 69´«Ã½ Legislator Brian Muldrow, D-69´«Ã½, has authored a resolution that would require the county to establish a program with the goal of "expanding the representation and participation of a wider range of people within the community." The outreach would target "unreached areas and demographics," such as individuals with disabilities, minority groups and veterans.

Part of the program would be the formation of a committee to work with the county's Human Resources Department. The county's operations officer and human resources administrator will report on the program's development in June 2025, with implementation planned in 2026. 

Muldrow told 69´«Ã½ that he believes the program will help the entire county and open more opportunities to the populace. 

"If we include a bigger pool of people, a more diverse group of people, we're going to get diverse ideas," he said. 

The introduction of the resolution follows Muldrow's frustration with the process to fill a vacant county Civil Service Commission seat. The county Legislature appointed Donna Adams, a Throop town board member who works in commercial real estate and insurance. 

As a Black woman, Adams changes the makeup of a commission that's had mostly white male members over the years. But Muldrow, who preferred another candidate for the position, said at the time that diversity "doesn't just mean Black and Brown people." 

"It also means different ideas and people," he said in July. "It seems like we continue to get the same board members, we get the same people elected and me, being newly elected, that was apparent to me." 

In an interview with 69´«Ã½ on Wednesday, Muldrow said the county is "very far off" from meeting his definition of diversity. 

"To me, there's no effort. There's zero effort because I think we just put the application out and what comes in, comes in," he added. "People that know people from the county and frequent the county websites and follow the county wait for those opportunities, but I don't know if it's reaching everybody." 

Despite the county's plan to cut 23 positions in the 2025 budget, Muldrow believes it's the right time to adopt a recruitment outreach program. Beginning the process now, he explained, can prepare the county if fiscal conditions improve and positions can be restored. 

Muldrow has discussed the recruitment outreach program with department heads, who he said are supportive of the initiative. However, it must be approved by the county Legislature at its regular meeting Tuesday. 

Ahead of the vote, Muldrow is unsure if the county Legislature will pass the resolution. He is hopeful his colleagues will support the creation of the program. He is encouraging constituents to attend the meeting to back the measure. 

"I think it's important that I just bring it up and put it out there for the legislators to vote on and we'll see where it goes from there," Muldrow said.