Billerica Select Board Launches DEI Commission, Awards Town Manager 4.1 Score

BILLERICA -- January 23, 2023, Billerica Select Board kicked off a DEI commission, reviewed MBTA housing compliance status, and scored Town Manager John Curran at 4.1 out of 5 at its January 23 meeting. Human Resources Director Michelle Rivera presented a first-phase framework for the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commission, directed by the board after its June 2022 Juneteenth proclamation, outlining plans for an internal audit, multilingual signage, and broader job postings, with a consultant estimated to cost between $6,000 and $20,000. Director of Planning and Community Development Erica Oliver Jerem reported the town was on track to file its MBTA Communities action plan by January 31, keeping Billerica compliant ahead of a December 2024 deadline for multi-family zoning changes near transit stations; several board members flagged textual errors in the draft, including a reference to the Framingham Housing Authority that Oliver Jerem confirmed was a cut-and-paste mistake. The board unanimously appointed Joshua Rodriguez Ortiz as a permanent Billerica Memorial High School member of the Billerica Youth Advisory Committee and Treya Stanley as an alternate, and approved early voting for the March 2023 election on three days ending with a 7 p.m. close on Wednesday, March 29. The composite board score of 4.1 placed Curran in the "exceeds job standards" category, with financial management his highest-rated area and personnel management, engagement with employees below the department-head level, the lowest score given by every board member.