Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, along with Battle Ground Mayor Michael Ciraulo, on Friday invited elected officials and community leaders in Clark County to explore creating a Clark County Cultural Task Force to focus on the rewards and the challenges of living in a diverse community.
“A diverse community is a dynamic community,” Leavitt said in a news release. “Inclusion and innovation are powerful tools that can help us resolve complex issues in our local community and remain competitive in a global economy.”
He said he envisions the task force as an opportunity to:
• Create awareness of the diversity of cultures in Southwest Washington and recognize their contributions.
• Share and learn about the experiences and perspectives of multi-ethnic and multicultural residents.
• Cultivate new opportunities to dissolve barriers to participation and engage the diverse citizenry through efforts such as mentoring and leadership initiatives.
Leavitt said the task force could help the community by building a better understanding of citizens’ similarities as well as differences.
As leaders continue to explore the task force proposal, the city said that more information will be provided to the community on how to get involved.
