December 17, 2020
Kelly Bouchard, Portland Press Herald
AWTT honors not only high profile people who are changing the world on a global scale. Progress also depends on many people who serve creatively and tirelessly at the local level. Deqa Dahlac is one of those people. First elected to her local city council in 2018, Dahlac was sworn in again this month to serve another council term.
During the inauguration ceremony Mayor Misha Pride underscored Dahlac’s work, along with other community members, to create the city’s new Human Rights Commission. The Commission is charged to work with marginalized groups “in order to build community, provide education and training, celebrate diversity and inclusion, increase community engagement, and review policies and provide policy recommendations to the city council and the city manager.” Pride also reaffirmed the Council’s support of the city’s One Climate Future Plan, “reducing carbon emissions, and making sure our residents have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.” Dahlac’s priorities of “promoting affordable housing, fighting homelessness, protecting open space, connecting neighborhoods and striving for greater diversity in municipal hiring and decision-making” were also highlighted by the Mayor.