Apr. 2, 2023 6:30p
(WGTD)---Three Black women were in a pool of applicants for two seats on the Kenosha County Racial and Ethnic Equity Commission that eventually went to a pair of Hispanic men whose views have since been questioned.
The nominations by Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman of Albert Gonzales and Xavier Solis are to be voted on Wednesday evening by the Kenosha County Board.
Gonzales is a retired Kenosha police officer who shot and killed Michael Bell, Jr. and then wrote about it in a book criticized by the Bell family. Solis, whose parents were once migrant farmers, represented the foundation that raised bail money for Kyle Rittenhouse.
The nominations of both men have been criticized by a number of outspoken advocates for equity and inclusion, including Congregations United to Serve Humanity. But in nominating the men, Kerkman said she believed that both would bring "valuable perspectives to the commission."
According to the results of an open records request, passed over for consideration were three Black women: Tanya McLean, founder of Leaders of Kenosha; the Rev. Monica Cummings and Sabrina Morgan, a program coordinator at Gateway Technical College.
The other applicants were T.J. Harvey, a bi-racial marketing manager who sat on an inclusivity committee at his church, and three Caucasians: Psychotherapist Hollie White, retired Marine Charles Gundlach and Mitchell Ferraro, a real estate agent and United Way board member whose appointment was endorsed by Kenosha School Board member Todd Battle, among others.
Since the Gonzales and Solis appointments were made, three other members of the nine-member commission resigned, two of the three calling it quits in protest of the Kerkman appointments.
The vacancies and resignations left the commission with just four members, one short of a quorum.
The application deadline for the new vacancies was extended by a week last month because of a small pool of applicants. The list of applicants that was released does not reflect the new pool.
In creating the commission, the county board mandated that the panel reflect the diverse racial and ethnic makeup of Kenosha County.
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