Community Relations Advisory Commission

Overview

The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission (LCRAC) was established (LCO Chapter 142) in 2005 to serve in an advisory capacity for the purpose of educating, informing and making recommendations to City officials, departments, boards and commissions on matters relating to community relations within the City of Lakewood in an effort to advance:

• Respect for diversity: Acknowledge we live in a dynamic community with an ever- changing variety of group and individual experiences, and affirm values derived from the understanding of our differences (whether based on socio-economic class, culture, religion, race, ethnicity, age, gender, or sexual orientation).
• Bonds of mutuality: Recognize the interdependence of our different interests as we work toward serving the common good, and ensure community relations have substantive meaning by acknowledging, as Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
• Equity: Affirm our commitment to social justice, and assure all groups and individuals have the opportunity to participate fully in civic affairs with equal access to employment, community resources, and decision-making processes.

Membership

The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission is composed of thirteen (13) residents that broadly represent the social, economic, and cultural interests of Lakewood, Ohio. City Council has 7 appointments and the Mayor has 6 appointments to the Commission. Each member of City Council shall appoint one (1) member to the Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission.

Commission members shall serve a term of three (3) years. Whenever possible, one member shall also be a member of the Lakewood Board of Education, one member shall be a member of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and one member shall be a member of the Lakewood Ministerial Association.

The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission is to be advisory to and shall coordinate its activities with the Mayor, Lakewood City Council, Planning Commission, and any other such boards, commissions, agencies, or departments of the City of Lakewood, Ohio. The Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission is also authorized to undertake community relations tasks as requested by the Mayor and City Council.

Reports

• 2021 LCRAC Community Survey Results