Newtown Township Human Relations Commission Feb. 18, 2026 Meeting — Key Takeaways

The Newtown Township Human Relations Commission (NTHRC) met on February 18, 2026 to address administrative transitions, strengthen outreach, and discuss how technology (including AI) can improve documentation and public transparency.

Present at the meeting:

John Gyllenhammer, Chair
Susan Sciarratta, Voting Member
John Mack, Voting Member

Key outcomes included the election of John Mack as Secretary and a renewed focus on making the Commission more visible and accessible to residents.

At-a-glance: What Came Out of the Meeting

New Secretary: John Mack was nominated and unanimously elected.
Better Documentation: The Commission discussed using AI-generated “briefing” documents as a foundation for official minutes—while also flagging accuracy risks.
Website Problems: Members described the Township’s HRC web presence as “ill-maintained” and “convoluted,” limiting transparency and access to minutes.
Outreach Plan: Partner with Newtown Borough HRC, use physical signage and QR codes, and participate in community civil-rights forums.
Recruitment: Two openings are a priority, including a potential non-voting student seat.

Administrative Updates: Leadership and Records

Secretary Position Filled

The Commission formally addressed its Secretary vacancy and unanimously elected John Mack. Members also reviewed and approved the January 21, 2026 minutes.

AI as a Documentation Tool—With Guardrails

The commission discussed using Google’s “Gemini” to generate detailed “briefing” documents from meeting recordings, noting these can be more comprehensive than traditional minutes, but should be treated carefully as a foundation for official records.

Members specifically cautioned about possible AI “hallucinations” and misinterpretations—citing an example where a generated bullet point incorrectly suggested the Township HRC already had a rotating ad running at the Newtown Theater, when it was actually a Borough HRC advertisement.

Technology and Transparency: Website Concerns

Commissioners voiced dissatisfaction with the current Township website experience, describing it as difficult for residents to use—especially when trying to locate minutes and commission information such as the complaint form.

The page was described as “ill-maintained” and “convoluted,” creating a barrier to transparency.
Members noted the Township’s future IT Director will be focused on police data security and camera systems rather than commission pages.
There was discussion of needing dedicated support (IT/programming) to make the site more user-friendly for all commissions.

Outreach Roadmap: From “Silent” to Visible

A central theme was shifting toward proactive outreach—building visibility so residents understand what the Commission is, what it does, and how to reach it.

Learning from Newtown Borough’s HRC

The Township Commission discussed using the Borough HRC as a model for community engagement—especially low-cost, high-visibility materials.

Physical signage: The Borough uses Canva-designed cardstock signs placed in businesses, service centers, and places of worship.
QR codes to intake: Those signs include QR codes linking directly to a Google Form, avoiding paper-based intake.
Budget reality: The Borough has a $1,000 budget; Township’s 2026 budget is approved, but members discussed “squeezing out” funds for promotional materials.

Projects and Partnerships Discussed

Veteran recognition concept: A “Hometown Hero” banner program was discussed as an idea to honor local veterans.
Inclusivity awards: A proposal was raised to recognize individuals/groups supporting a welcoming, non-discriminatory community.
Community forums: The Commission planned to attend and participate in discussions at the Feb. 23 NAACP Bucks County open forum titled “Black History and Democracy at Risk,” for networking and potential recruitment.

Recruitment: Two Open Seats

The Commission emphasized the need to fill two openings: one voting member seat and a potential non-voting student member seat to add a youth perspective.

Recruitment Channels Discussed

Word-of-mouth via local political and community organizations.
Informational articles in The Patch and the Township newsletter.
Target outreach to better reflect the diversity of the community (including parents of children with disabilities).

Mission and Legal Limits: Education, Mediation, Access

Education vs. Enforcement

Members stressed that the Commission’s mission includes education and outreach—because awareness is a prerequisite to residents using the Commission as a resource.

Jurisdiction: Mediation-focused

The ordinance frames the Commission primarily as a mediating body for disputes.
The Commission does not have “enhanced authority” to make formal determinations of discrimination if mediation fails.
Formal complaints must be submitted to the Township Manager, though the Commission wants more accessible digital tools for intake.

Notable quotes from the briefing

“Our mission is education as well as handling complaints. You can't get complaints if you don't educate people about what their rights are.”
— John Mack

“There is an undertow... just because we don't have any complaints means that there's no discrimination going on in the town is not accurate.”
— Commission Member

“I think we need to have a recruitment initiative that involves participating with other HRCs and learning from them... we need to bring it forward to the Board of Supervisors.”
— Commission Member

Suggested Practical Next Steps

Publish a simple “How to reach the HRC” page and make minutes easy to find (one-click access).
Launch QR-code signage linking to an intake form and basic “What we do / What we don’t do” FAQs.
Recruit to fill vacancies, including exploring a student member model.
Show up in the community (forums, partner orgs, and local events) to build awareness.
Use AI carefully: treat it as draft support, then human-review against recordings before publishing.