The Rowlett City Council voted on Tuesday, May 7, to disband its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission. In March, we reported that the council was considering renaming the commission because the term DEI was “toxic and divisive.”
One member of the commission wrote Dallas Voice that members of the commission “fought to maintain the name and the important meaning of each word.” However, “the City Council said we were uncooperative and voted on Tuesday to completely disband us.”
But this member went farther in their accusations.
“Based on a text discovered thanks to a Texas Open Meetings Act request, we now know that disbanding was the intent since at least 2/19/24,” the commission member wrote.
“In the text, Council Member Jonathan Reaves is asked if he would vote to disband, he replies that he would, and the sender replies that he is the third vote in favor of disbanding,” the commission member wrote. “I strongly dispute most of what was said by Councilmembers Reaves, Shinder, and Schupp. I hope to speak with you soon to give a truthful account of what the Rowlett City Council did. Also, be on the lookout in the video for Councilmember Deb Shinder to accidentally reveal that she violated TOMA, then try to take it back and say she only knew what another Councilmember “was thinking” rather than actually speaking to him and breaking quorum.”
— David Taffet
