Friday morning, Mayor Cara Spencer announced she plans to restart a decades-long minority contracting program (M/WBE) she had paused in August reportedly due to threats from the federal government targeting DEI initiatives. A few months ago, Spencer paused the city’s minority certification and contracting programs and floated the idea of a “race-neutral replacement.

“This is a day to celebrate,” Spencer said during her press conference Friday.

After the presser, Spencer signed Executive Order #91” which will resume the program under a “strong legal framework” with policies that allow the city to resume non-emergency contracts involving its public works projects.

Although [Mayor Spencer] didn’t give specifics, the new program aims to set goals on a “project-by-project” basis rather than

See Full Page