Following a closed-door negotiating session in Boston with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), town officials indicated they expect to sign an affirmative action agreement on September 4 to establish formal equal employment and fair housing plans.
Reporters were barred from the two-hour meeting by MCAD Commissioner Alex Rodriguez, who designated the gathering as a private negotiating session. Participating local officials included Selectmen Joseph F. Curran, Walter J. Dempsey, and Martin J. Lydon, alongside Town Counsel Justin S. Barton, Town Manager John J. Carroll, Assistant Town Manager Bernard Cooper, housing authority members Phyllis McDonough and Margaret Kennedy, and housing executive director Kevin Maguire.
Commissioner Rodriguez explained that the primary hurdle in finalizing the agreement centered on tenant selection policies and local residency priorities for public housing. Local leaders expressed concern that outside applicants from municipalities lacking public housing might displace Norwood residents or minority groups. Rodriguez emphasized that the MCAD shared these concerns and was actively revising the agreement’s wording to prevent outside exploitation, stating, “We do not want affirmative action to be used as a catalyst for people from towns unwilling to provide housing for poor people.”
While employment affirmative action plans—to be drafted by Bernard Cooper—will set hiring goals and timetables without quotas, housing provisions focus on removing artificial barriers rather than imposing quotas. Securing the agreement is critical for pending municipal applications, notably a federal grant from the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation slated for filing by August 31 to acquire playground land in the Sumner Street and Union Street area. Attorney John J. Mulvehill, representing the housing authority, will collaborate with the MCAD on refining the document ahead of the September 4 selectmen’s meeting.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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