Speaking Truth to Power: A Personal Stand for DEI

Part Two: Standing in the Arena

Read Part One: The Decision to Speak

As I arrived at the City Council Chamber in the evening of February 11, 2025, I saw that even getting there 20 minutes early didn’t get you a seat—all chairs were full, and it was standing room only. A friend had called and texted me to see if I was going, and as I entered the packed room, I headed over to stand with her.??

I looked around and realized how many TV cameras were trained on the council dais and the podium where speakers would stand. There was a count-down clock on the wall behind the podium, and I wondered if it was visible to the speakers.?

Mayor Lisa Borowsky went through the agenda and finally got to Agenda Item 14, Merit-Based Employment and Discontinuation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs. She informed us that since there were so many of us, we’d each get one minute to speak. If we wanted more, we had to speak to someone who was willing to give up their minute. There was a low roar of “NO!” in the chamber. My friend quickly scanned my statement and gave me her minute, so I got two minutes to speak.?

I don’t think I’ve been so nervous to walk up to a podium in a very long time. I speak for a living! And yet, the stakes are a lot higher when you are speaking on behalf of humanity vs sharing ways to lead better.?

Here’s my three-minute speech; the italicized part is what I didn’t get to say due to time limitations. And the bolded part is what was quoted in AZ Republic articles.?

Mayor Borowsky, Vice Mayor Dubauskas, and Members of the Scottsdale City Council,

I am Laurie Battaglia, CEO of Aligned at Work, a leadership consultancy headquartered in Scottsdale. I’m a 15-year resident, and a business owner of 14 years.?

I’ve come here this evening to address Agenda Item 14, Merit-Based Employment and Discontinuation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs. It’s a matter I care very deeply about.?

I was raised by WWII parents, who met when they both worked in Naval Intelligence in Washington, DC. They raised me and my two older brothers with traditional values – do the right thing. Be kind to others. Donate your money to those less fortunate.?

But when I was 3 or 4, I realized that if I, a little girl, did EXACTLY the same things as my brothers did, spoke my mind about things, I was labeled a bad girl, while they were labeled good boys. How could that be??

And from that time on, I watched for equality for all, for what we now call a meritocracy. I believed that if I worked just as hard, I’d achieve the same things that they did. That never fully happened, until I launched my own business.?

“We’d like to believe that if people just pull themselves up by their bootstraps, they’ll get ahead in this world. While that’s true for some, it simply isn’t true for a vast majority.

And like it or not, if you AREN’T straight, white, affluent, and Christian, you likely have stories about bias and discrimination.

I am here to ask you to do what you were elected to do, to represent ALL of us. Those who voted for you, those who didn’t, and those who didn’t vote at all. We ALL deserve to be included, listened to, and acknowledged.?

Scottsdale’s diversity focus has been around over 25 years, but we didn’t pass an anti-discrimination ordinance until 2021, lagging other cities in the Valley. It was clear in 2018 during the Saguar-Bro marketing campaign that all voices were not represented at the table. Scottsdale called a public meeting, which I and many others attended, and we created an inclusive path forward.?

Now it appears that you’d like to dismantle a system that’s been working, in favor of making a human issue into a political one. From a business leader perspective, if you have concerns about the efficacy of DEI programs, appoint a bipartisan team to dig into the program, analyze it, and put recommendations into place. Don’t toss the entire program because one group of people decided to be offended. Again, focus on humanity, not politics.

Let’s keep Scottsdale as a place of inclusion and kindness, where all can thrive. Thank you.”??

After I spoke, another 40+ people came to the podium and weighed in. All but two were in favor of keeping DEI in place. There were equal numbers of men and women, from observation, mostly white, but also people of color.?

The most compelling argument of the night came from Don Logan, the former Director of Diversity and Dialogue in Scottsdale in 2004 when white supremacists sent a pipe bomb to his department and it exploded in his hands, tearing a hole in the counter and injuring him and his assistant. He lived to tell, yet even his testimony in not letting those who victimized them win did not sway the hearts and minds of the Council.?

Ultimately, two Council members put forth a motion to do a work session on the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and its programs. They noted that the vote on the issue came out of left field, with no reason for it other than political reasons. Thank you to Maryann McAllen and Solange Whitehead who made the motion and seconded it. It was defeated.?

Then the ultimate vote happened.?

Would the Council actually vote down Diversity and Inclusion? Yes. Yes they would and yes they did. With a vote of 5 to 2.?

After an evening where 40+ people restored my faith in humanity, 5 people further destroyed it. Five people who are supposed to represent all of us. Five people who will be on the wrong side of history as we move forward. And two that stood up for what’s right when it mattered greatly.??

I had taken my stand, but the real challenge was only just beginning. Tomorrow, I’ll share what I learned on the path forward.

Livestream of Scottsdale City Council meeting 2.11.2025

36:50 – Scottsdale Council starts DEI discussion

43:00 – Laurie Battaglia addresses the Council

43:30 to 44:25 (edited by the paper) is the quote that got into the newspaper

AZCentral: Scottsdale scraps DEI programs despite opposition from residents. What to know

AZFamily: City of Scottsdale Votes to End DEI Initiatives – segment on CBS affiliate ArizonaFamily Channels 3 and 5