Ledyard — The town's Community Relations Committee says it will stay focused on its mission statement of informing residents of available social services and addressing any issues of discrimination in accessing those services, if it's a systemic problem.

In a prepared statement read Wednesday night, committee Chairman and Town Councilor Michael Washington said, "That's where we're going right now. There maybe things that come up in the future that may be going on in the background. I'll leave it at that."

Committee members didn't specifically speak about a request from some Ledyard residents that town officials undergo cultural competency training and/or host a social justice speaker to talk about racial issues in the town.

Committee member and Town Councilor Andra Ingalls' suggestion that Ledyard also offer a counter viewpoint to the discussion prompted a protest last month outside Town Hall, questioning whether her viewpoint had racial overtones. Ingalls claims such training can exacerbate racial issues.

While the committee didn't discuss the recent controversy, town residents did speak about it during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Nicole Cruz-Glacken, who brought up the idea of the cultural competency training for town officials, thinks the committee should discuss racial issues in the town.

"In my mind, that advocacy (by the committee) for those experiencing discrimination in obtaining social services, along with matters of social justice, are more related than unrelated. I'm perplexed as to whether this conversation would even be held if it weren't for the Community Relations Committee."

Mike Cherry said the committee should at least advocate for a place where discussions on the issue could take place on a larger scale, if the panel has determined it's not within its purview.

"You need to avoid group-think in these discussions," he said. "You need to make sure that people who show up for these discussions represent the full gamut of the town."

Carmen Garcia-Irizarry said the committee's purpose is to bring social justice to those who haven't felt welcomed when they go to the town to seek services. She said the panel has to have a complete written plan on how to accomplish its goals, and that townspeople need to listen to one another more and "put yourself in the other person's shoes."

The committee is in the process of holding public informational sessions highlighting services offered by different town departments. The next one is scheduled on June 2 featuring Ledyard's Visiting Nurses and senior citizen programs.