Bare bones operation at D.M. civil rights agency

The Des Moines agency responsible for combating discrimination is down to one employee, prompting officials to rethink how the city handles civil rights issues.

Rudy Simms served his final day as director of the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission on Friday. The three-person department lost another employee last month. And it remains uncertain whether either position will be filled.

Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders said this week that civil rights responsibilities could shift to other city employees and residents may be directed to a state agency that investigates discrimination complaints.

"Protection of our citizens' rights is pretty high on the priority list. The question though is really how much resources to put into that versus other priorities," he said.

"The state (Iowa Civil Rights Commission) is literally 10 minutes away."

State and local commissions investigate complaints about discrimination — often involving housing or employment — and offer mediation when necessary. They also lead outreach and educational efforts regarding citizen rights.

More than 20 Iowa cities have volunteer commissions, but only Iowa's largest cities provide paid staffers to investigate local complaints.

In Des Moines the seven-member Civil and Human Rights Commission has been supported by three full-time employees: the director, an investigator and an education specialist. A temporary part-time employee, funded through a federal grant, joined the department last year.

Even when fully staffed, Des Moines' civil rights agency is smaller than similar departments in several other Iowa municipalities.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second largest city, has five full-time employees dedicated to civil rights issues, plus two other positions funded through federal grant dollars.

Davenport, with half the population of Des Moines, has four full-time employees and one part-timer. It has two temporary employees paid for through federal housing grants.

The Davenport commission investigated 152 discrimination cases in 2014. By comparison Des Moines' civil rights agency averaged 31 cases per year between 2011 and 2014, according to city data.

Simms, who served as director for more than eight years, says the numbers reflect a lack of support for civil rights in Des Moines. That perception, combined with new job exceptions, drove him toward a sudden retirement announcement last month, he said.

"I don't feel like I was supported by the council or the commission," Simms, 65, said.

"They wanted to require all these detailed reports that detracted from the work of the commission."

Commission chairman Michael Bowser said the staff turnover is a golden opportunity for a fresh start. But that hinges on hiring a new director and replacing Mikel Johnson, a civil rights investigator who resigned from the department in March.

"There has to be staff for the commission to accomplish anything," Bowser said. "There are people (in Des Moines) who need to have their cases heard and the state's not doing that for them."

Alma Shannon, 52, reached out to the commission last year for help resolving a housing issue after her leg was amputated.

"I was hobbling up and down steps constantly, and even falling," Shannon said.

The commission helped her secure a first-floor apartment.

"There's people out here who really need help and they don't know how to pursue it or who to pursue it with," Shannon said.

Sanders, who oversees the agency, said Friday that he has no immediate plans to hire a new director or investigator. He's gathering information and research from the city and state commissions before determining the department's future.

"It's really just how large should the department be at this point and how broad of a scope of services should they offer," Sanders said.

With three employees, the city spent roughly $322,000 and $374,000 that past year years for civil rights operations. That figure could drop if the state begins handling the city's investigations.

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission received 1,540 complaints of discrimination in the latest complete fiscal year. An annual report showed the average complaint took 245 days to resolve.

That compared to an average resolution time of less than 100 days in Des Moines, according to the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission annual report.

By the numbers

Des Moines allocates fewer staff positions for its civil rights commission than several smaller cities in Iowa.

Cedar Rapids: 7 full-time staff

Davenport: 6.5 full-time staff

Des Moines: 3.5 full-time staff

Waterloo: 3.5 full-time staff

Sioux City: 4.5 full-time staff

*Data provided by department directors and human resources staff in each city