LEOMINSTER — The Leominster City Council discussed whether the city should establish a human rights commission during its March 5, 2026, meeting, with councilors raising questions about the scope, authority and structure of the proposed body.
The discussion took place during a joint meeting of the council’s Legal Affairs and Ways & Means & Veterans Affairs committees and followed earlier debate over the city’s municipal electricity aggregation program.
The proposal, Petition 37-26, was submitted by Ward 5 Councilor Carrie Noseworthy, who told councilors the idea originated from conversations with constituents and research into similar commissions across Massachusetts.
“This is something that some of my constituents have been speaking to me about for quite some time,” Noseworthy said during the March 5 meeting.
Noseworthy explained that she reviewed ordinances from multiple communities before drafting the proposal.
“I went and looked at several, probably between eight and 10 cities in the Commonwealth who have human rights commissions, Fitchburg being one of them,” she said.
She said the language she prepared largely mirrored those existing ordinances and was intended to provide a framework for a similar body in Leominster.
Councilors then began examining what powers such a commission might have and whether additional discussion with city officials and residents would be needed before moving forward.
Ward 3 Councilor David Cormier, who is the chair of the Ways & Means & Veterans Affairs Committee, said that while protecting human rights was not in dispute, he questioned whether a volunteer commission could handle such work without guidance from experts with relevant degrees and professional experience, and whether the city would fund that kind of support.
“I don’t think anybody in their right mind is against anything that has to do with people’s human rights…I mean, I know I speak for me…but some of this stuff is very, very sensitive stuff…and I would want to have an expert, right?” Ward 3 Councilor David Cormier said.
Cormier said he believed any commission tasked with reviewing human rights concerns would need guidance from qualified professionals rather than relying solely on volunteers from the community. He said issues involving complaints or potential investigations could require expertise and raised questions about whether the mayor would allocate funding to hire staff or advisors with relevant training and experience to support the commission’s work.
“If you’re going to start talking about this stuff, you know, start doing investigations, start making recommendations, you need guidance from someone who works on behalf of the city, who has a degree in this field. Whether they work part-time or full-time, that would be up…to the mayor to fund,” Cormier said.
Cormier added that without that kind of structure and guidance, it was unclear how the commission would effectively handle such responsibilities.
Noseworthy responded that she did not envision the commission conducting formal investigations, explaining that she viewed it primarily as an educational body that would review or look into concerns rather than carry out investigative work similar to an inspector general.
“I only used ‘investigate’ because that was the legal language that I came across, but my intent was not like an IG [inspector general],” Noseworthy said of the wording in her petition.
Councilor At Large Brandon Robbins, who is the clerk of the Ways & Means & Veterans Affairs Committee, then said Cormier raised a good point about having an expert involved in the implementation of the human rights commission “because it definitely is something that could get into kind of deeper topics that are hard for people to talk about.”
Robbins added that the Ways and Means Committee would need more information before making a recommendation.
“I think that as the mayor would be the appointing body, we need to know, you know, whether he’s going to actually appoint people to a board,” Robbins said. “So, I think before we move, we need more information before we make a recommendation.
Ward 2 Councilor Pauline Cormier, who chairs the Legal Affairs Committee and serves as a member of the Ways and Means and Veterans Affairs Committee, agreed with Robbins and David Cormier.
“We need more information, but to Councilor Noseworthy, kudos to you for putting this on and thinking this through and doing your homework and your research on it,” Pauline Cormier said. Adding, “I think we do need more information. I think it’s such an important and difficult topic to discuss, to deal with. I want to make sure that we have some guidance, some experience that before we agree to get into this, we have the mayor’s office on board.”
Ward 1 Councilor Eladia Romero, clerk of the Legal Affairs Committee, said she didn’t see anything “difficult” about forming a human rights commission.
“As a person who is a strong believer in human rights for all, I don’t see it as a difficult thing,” Romero said. “So, when I hear that, and it’s no disrespect to anyone else, I don’t see it as a difficult thing. It’s for me human rights are rights for everyone across the board. And, so yes, I do believe and I have believed for many many years that we should have a human rights commission.”
Romero added that if or when the commission comes to fruition, it will, however be necessary to educate the public on what a human rights commission “actually consists of.”
“It’s something that folks may not understand what it is. I do believe more education needs to be done in our community to inform people what a human rights commission actually consists of,” Romero said. “In addition to that, we really need to hear from various communities, people who stand to directly benefit and be impacted by a human rights commission.”
Following discussion, the committees agreed to give Petition 37-26 further time, with members indicating the discussion would continue at a later date.
