OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

LGBTQI Plus Commission Regular Meeting - July 21, 2026

Common Council & Commissions — Tuesday, July 21, 2026
BodyMiddletown, Connecticut
SessionCommon Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, July 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

It's seven o'clock.

0:02

Oh, I'm looking at the time clock up there.

0:05

Sorry.

0:06

Um, it is 7 p.m.

0:08

And I am calling to order the regular meeting of the LGBTQI Plus Commission scheduled for Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 at 7 p.m.

0:20

Second order of business is approval of the minutes for the June 17th, 2026 regular meeting of the LGBTQI Plus Commission.

0:28

I'll make a motion.

0:30

Motion by Dolly.

0:32

Do I have a second?

0:33

I'll second.

0:34

I'll second.

0:35

We got a second in-house from Katie.

0:39

Any discussion.

0:47

All those in favor, say aye.

0:50

Aye.

0:52

All those opposed say nay.

0:56

Any abstentions?

0:58

Matter passes by unanimous consent.

1:01

Should we just mention who is on for the recording?

1:05

Um the names of the commissioners.

1:07

Thank you for doing that.

1:08

I'll let you kick off.

1:10

Sure.

1:11

Dolly Haddad, Vice Chair.

1:13

Annika Dane.

1:15

Commissioner.

1:16

Uh start with Derek, because you're the upper left-hand corner of our screen.

1:20

Derek Cartagena, Commissioner.

1:22

Hi.

1:30

Okay.

1:32

Angela Crow.

1:34

Laura.

1:41

I think Laura is frozen, but Commissioner Laura Timmins is joining us online.

1:48

Yeah, did you hear me, Laura Simmons?

1:50

Now we did.

1:52

Okay.

1:52

Perfect.

1:52

And Katie Mayor.

1:54

Awesome.

1:54

Katie Merritt Commissioner.

1:56

And Rihanna Bloomscavera chair.

2:00

We enter public session on agenda items.

2:02

I see no member of the public, so we will move on.

2:06

New business, freedom of information, ethics, minority representation, and private history workshop by Christopher Ford.

2:12

Christopher is dealing with a family emergency tonight, as is a council person Chine Fulton.

2:19

So I will briefly go over what Christopher has prepared for us.

2:28

I can answer some very high-level questions, but if you have specific in-depth questions about the workshop for the LGBTI Plus Commission packet, I am going to ask that you email Christopher directly, and he will have your questions answered.

2:48

It is Christopher's intent to be attending in person the remainder of our meetings of this calendar year.

2:56

Okay.

2:57

So at the beginning of this packet, there is the what is the LGBTQI Plus Commission, which talks about how we got established.

3:09

One of the important things is to note item five powers.

3:15

We are advisory to both the common council of the city of Middle and the mayor.

3:21

What this means is that when we vote on resolutions or movements, what is actually happening is I or Christopher are taking our the information and going to the mayor on a monthly basis and saying here are the actions.

3:37

And he either says move forward as he almost always does, or if there is a major concern, which there rarely, if ever has been, he will not take our recommendation.

3:47

An example of this though, however, was our policy review for personnel policies.

3:52

Once we escalated it to the mayor and provided our recommendations, it was entirely upon his discretion how he wanted to proceed.

4:00

Okay.

4:21

Additionally, there is a note in here that any gathering of seven or more members of the LGBTQI Plus Commission, no matter the place or the purpose, could be considered a meeting under the FOIA.

4:35

So be careful.

5:00

Um there is a backstory of Middletown Pride.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████17%
Public Engagement█████████████15%
Procedural███████████13%
Pending Litigation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

LGBTQI Plus Commission Regular Meeting - July 21, 2026

The LGBTQI Plus Commission held a regular meeting on July 21, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM. The meeting covered approvals, elections, financial challenges, and policy decisions. Commissioners discussed a projected budget deficit of $56,700 for Middletown Pride, options for cost-cutting, and the need to find a new financial sponsor after the Chamber of Commerce contract ended. Several motions were passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the June 17, 2026 regular meeting were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public were present.

Discussion Items

  • FOI, Ethics, Minority Representation Workshop: Postponed due to a family emergency of Christopher Ford. Commissioners were directed to email him with questions.
  • Election of Chair and Vice Chair: Brianna Bloomscavera was nominated and elected Chair for 2026-2027. Katie Merritt was nominated and elected Vice Chair. Dolly Haddad stepped down as Vice Chair.
  • Meeting Format: A motion to keep meetings hybrid (in-person and remote) for fiscal year 2027 passed unanimously.
  • Pride Fest 2027 Date: Selected as Saturday, June 5, 2027, with a rain date of Sunday, June 6, 2027. Discussion noted lower attendance in 2026 possibly due to Boston Pride on the same weekend.
  • Middletown Pride Scholarship Subcommittee: Beth Shapiro recused herself because her son will apply for the scholarship. The subcommittee was established with Angela Crow, Dolly Haddad, and Trevor Charles as members. Beth Shapiro will provide guidance but not vote.
  • Financial Overview: The commission faces a projected deficit of $56,700 for the current fiscal year, primarily from losing approximately $32,000 in sponsorships (Chamber of Commerce no longer serving as fiscal sponsor, and Wesleyan University reevaluating support). Three options were presented: 1) same activities but reduced scope, 2) focus only on Pride Fest with no year-round programming, 3) reduce Pride Fest significantly to keep year-round programming. Commissioners favored preserving community events and scholarships, and discussed cost-cutting measures such as reducing game night frequency, capping event costs, and exploring fundraisers. A motion to suspend rules of order allowed a 17-minute informal discussion. The meeting resumed with a motion to resume scheduled meeting.
  • Violation of Performer Contracts: A policy was adopted that performers or contractors who fail to fulfill their Middletown Pride contract terms will not be hired for future events. An amendment added a reconsideration option upon appeal to the commission. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Status of Chamber of Commerce Contract: The contract has ended. The commission voted unanimously to recommend that the mayor immediately issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for similar financial sponsorship services. The process is expected to take several months; a target for contract award is October 2026, with a drop-dead date of January 2027 to still host Pride Fest 2027.
  • Fundraising During Events: A suggestion was made to add a donation QR code at events. Commissioner Dolly Haddad will contact the Chamber to create a donation portal.
  • Game Night Report: The most recent game night had strong attendance with many new participants, building community.
  • Pride Paddle: A successful event with about 30 participants, including kayaking and invasive water chestnut removal. It was noted that ASL interpretation was not provided, saving $500.

Key Outcomes

  • Chair and Vice Chair elected: Brianna Bloomscavera (Chair), Katie Merritt (Vice Chair) – unanimous.
  • Meeting format: Hybrid for FY27 – unanimous.
  • Pride Fest 2027 date: June 5 (rain date June 6) – unanimous.
  • Scholarship Subcommittee: Established with Angela Crow, Dolly Haddad, Trevor Charles – passed with one abstention.
  • Performer contract violation policy: Adopted with amendment allowing reconsideration – unanimous.
  • Recommendation to mayor to issue RFP for financial sponsor: Approved unanimously.
  • Next steps: Commissioners to reach out about donation portal, and the RFP process will be initiated upon mayoral approval.

Meeting Transcript

It's seven o'clock. Oh, I'm looking at the time clock up there. Sorry. Um, it is 7 p.m. And I am calling to order the regular meeting of the LGBTQI Plus Commission scheduled for Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 at 7 p.m. Second order of business is approval of the minutes for the June 17th, 2026 regular meeting of the LGBTQI Plus Commission. I'll make a motion. Motion by Dolly. Do I have a second? I'll second. I'll second. We got a second in-house from Katie. Any discussion. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay. Any abstentions? Matter passes by unanimous consent. Should we just mention who is on for the recording? Um the names of the commissioners. Thank you for doing that. I'll let you kick off. Sure. Dolly Haddad, Vice Chair. Annika Dane. Commissioner. Uh start with Derek, because you're the upper left-hand corner of our screen. Derek Cartagena, Commissioner. Hi. Okay. Angela Crow. Laura. I think Laura is frozen, but Commissioner Laura Timmins is joining us online. Yeah, did you hear me, Laura Simmons? Now we did. Okay. Perfect. And Katie Mayor. Awesome. Katie Merritt Commissioner. And Rihanna Bloomscavera chair. We enter public session on agenda items. I see no member of the public, so we will move on. New business, freedom of information, ethics, minority representation, and private history workshop by Christopher Ford. Christopher is dealing with a family emergency tonight, as is a council person Chine Fulton. So I will briefly go over what Christopher has prepared for us. I can answer some very high-level questions, but if you have specific in-depth questions about the workshop for the LGBTI Plus Commission packet, I am going to ask that you email Christopher directly, and he will have your questions answered. It is Christopher's intent to be attending in person the remainder of our meetings of this calendar year. Okay. So at the beginning of this packet, there is the what is the LGBTQI Plus Commission, which talks about how we got established.

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