The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities will be thrown into new phase of leadership in June, when its executive director retires.
In preparing for that change, Governor Dannel P. Malloy last week announced a new chairman for the agency that investigates and judges claims of discrimination in the workplace, housing and other arenas. In his new role as commission chair, Gary Collins will lead the search for a replacement for Robert Brothers, who will retire June 28. Brothers has been at the helm of the agency for 20 years.
Malloy's decision to tap Collins, 47, of Portland, Conn., to lead the nine-member volunteer board comes at a critical time for the agency. In addition to facing the budget challenges of other executive branch offices, the organization is defending itself in a federal lawsuit brought by employers who allege the agency acts as an advocacy organization instead of neutral finder of fact.
Collins said a search committee has already been formed to identify and hire a replacement for Brothers, who has spent nearly the last 25 years with the CHRO, the last seven as executive director. Brothers began his career in 1986 as an investigator. He steadily rose through the ranks at the commission — investigator, attorney, acting regional director and managing director prior to his appointment to the top spot.
According to state records, about 85 percent of the commission's caseload is employment matters. About 10 percent relate to housing, with the remaining five percent tied to credit discrimination or other claims. The commission runs on a budget of about $7.1 million each year.
The next executive director will be called upon to improve the efficiency of the agency, while expanding its outreach and educational efforts, Collins said. One recent improvement, he said, is the number of new cases closed out within the 370-day statutory deadline. Before 2011, that rate was lower than 70 percent. In the past year, the closure rate has improved to 94 percent. Collins is looking to build on that progress.
"If you look at some recent improvements with the agency, Robert Brothers was very instrumental and we thank him," Collins said. "But as we look to the future, the new executive director of the organization has to have a passion for civil rights and a passion for its mission, to be more effective and more efficient."
The CHRO has met with its share of criticism and controversy over the years. Most recently, lawyers who represent employers in defending discrimination claims have argued that the agency has been improperly awarding plaintiff's legal fees and emotional damages when it lacks the jurisdiction to do so.
Collins was not yet versed in those complaints. But he indicated his vision for the agency will put more emphasis on "the advancement of opportunities and education of the problems of discrimination."
Over the last three years, budget cuts have led to sharp staff reductions. About 70 employees, many of them lawyers, currently do the same work that once required 103 people. Part of the goal moving forward is to work harder to deter employers from implementing hiring and other employment policies that contribute to complaints.
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