WILLMAR - The Willmar City Council approved the final three appointments to the restarted Human Rights Commission Monday and now the commission is ready to hold its first meeting.
The meeting is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. Thursday at the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.
The commission will appoint its chair and vice-chair, update the commission by-laws, elect officers and review the ordinance which created the Human Rights Committee.
The three new commissioners are Jill Benson, Kristal Dahlager and Richard Engan.
Benson is a college writing and reading instructor at Ridgewater College and has served with several organizations including Willmar Music Matters, Barn Theatre Board of Directors and was an alternate for the Blandin Leadership in 2014.
As a teacher, Benson said in her application, she has worked with students of all ages and abilities and from a wide range of backgrounds. Benson wanted to join the commission to give a voice to the voiceless and help provide a recourse for the underserved.
Dahlager is an associate attorney at Anderson Larson Saunders & Klaassen PLLP in Willmar. She has also been involved with the Willmar Area Women’s Fund, the Lions Club and West Central Industries.
As a person with a physical disability, Dahlager said she could bring a unique perspective to the commission and wants to give a voice to the disabled community.
Engan is a partner at Engan Associates Architects and also served with the Lions Club, Sons of Norway and Willmar Downtown Development.
Engan is widely traveled, having lived three years in Latin American and one year in East Africa.
He said he wanted to serve on the commission because Willmar needs to know its neighbors.
The trio of new appointees will join Abdara Abdulahi Mohamed, Abdirahman Abdi Hussein, Barbara Little, Bashir Abdi, Columba Ferdinand, Denis Anderson, Lynn Travaglio, Marlin Breems and Shelly Huseby on the commission.
The mission of the Human Rights Commission, as posted on the city website, is to “facilitate equal opportunity and improve human relations for all citizens in the City of Willmar. Also to assist the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in implementing the Minnesota State Act Against Discrimination.”
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