Chair of Commission on African Americans says recent state audit provides an opportunity for improvement

The chair of the Nebraska Commission on African American Affairs said a recent audit is providing the agency with an opportunity to improve.

Findings showed the agency failed to provide advance notice for all 10 quarterly meetings audited from 2022 to 2024.

Following the Open Meetings Act is a priority moving forward, commission Chair Tim Clark said.

“We will do everything within our power to live up to the statute and the rules of public meetings and conduct ourselves in that manner,” Clark said.

It took time for the commissioners to learn how to work together, he said.

The audit outlined poor accounting, contracting and employment practices. Leadership will ensure accountability in the future, Clark said.

According to the audit, former interim executive director John Carter was improperly elected and wrongly paid for the job.

There’s some discretion in the state statute governing the commission, Clark said, but “there may not have been proper sign-offs” on Carter’s election.

The commission chair said he’s working with the state “to make sure we have a smooth onboarding process, so everyone understands the rules of operations and engagement.”

According to a law passed in 2020, the agency’s goal is to improve the lives of Black Nebraskans by advocating for legislation and educating the state government.

The commission’s mission is a necessity as the state grows, Clark said.

“We must embrace and play to the strength of our diversity, cultures and the people in this great state,” Clark said. “And it’s how we make people feel. Sometimes our practices, in terms of our policy, legislative kind of things, do not support that growth.”

He said housing, economics, education, incarceration and health are all possible areas of legislative interest to the commission.