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City of Medford considers forming a commission to reach out to Hispanics The Medford City Council is looking at establishing a Hispanic commission, a bridge between the city and the community's growing Latino population. The Hispanic commission would be an advisory board to benefit the city and the Hispanic community, said Medford Mayor Lindsay Berryman. "I've had several contacts with Hispanics who were looking for a way for the city to reach out to Hispanics and for Hispanics to have a link to the city," said Berryman, who made the proposal. The City Council reviewed the proposal at a study session on Thursday afternoon. The council will take up the issue at a later meeting. In 1990, the Hispanic population was the largest minority group in Medford, representing about 5 percent of the population or 2,387 people. The proposed commission would be a five-member board. The commission's duties would include developing a forum for Hispanic community members, encouraging the Hispanic community to construct solutions to issues in that community and acting as an advocate for Hispanic representation in Medford government. But Berryman said she hopes the commission would set its own goals. At Thursday's meeting, Councilman Sal Esquivel said he thought the commission was a good idea, but he said the Hispanic community in Medford is fragmented. He said finding good leaders would be the key to a successful commission. "I only think it's going to be as good as the people we put on it," Esquivel said. He and Councilman Skip Knight also said there are cultural differences between people who are originally from South and Central America and those from Mexico. At the session, council members said they thought the commission was a good idea, but didn't want to appoint members to a new board until next year. Berryman noted that the city has taken several steps toward becoming more accessible to the Hispanic population in the past couple of years, adding Spanish-speaking police officers and providing forms in Spanish. "I think this is just another positive step in that direction," Berryman said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA