Less than half of surveyed Swampscott residents believe the town’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are effective, describing them as  “well-intentioned” but ultimately “one-off.”

Jesse Turk, a principal consultant and facilitator at ReadySet, presented data to the Select Board from internal process documents, staff and community surveys, listening sessions and social media reviews. While the town has publicly committed to DEI, Turk noted that residents and staff “experience these efforts unevenly.”

“Diversity, equity and inclusion isn’t just about the things that are considered ‘DEI.’ That’s really just one piece of the puzzle,” Turk said. “Equity and inclusion really touch any function that a town can have with its residents and with the folks that work for it. It’s really a mindset. It’s really a way of viewing things.”

Participants described Swampscott’s DEI efforts as “siloed” and “more symbolic than actual structural changes.”

“Both staff and residents expressed a desire for deeper DEI integration, broader inclusion – meaning how do we actually include everyone, not just some people – and greater clarity around how actions are meeting those commitments,” Turk said. “Really wanting to see action behind words that have been previously stated.”

Just 53% of town staff surveyed said they understand how DEI applies to their daily work, and only 31% believe advancement opportunities are equitable. Within the broader town, 41% of the community surveyed said Swampscott communicates clearly about its DEI efforts. 

Turk added that residents want broader inclusion efforts that go beyond race and gender.

“As much as we know it, maybe we can put a little more action behind the thought to see how we can make some changes,” Select Board Member Danielle Leonard said. “Nobody’s perfect, but we can certainly be better. I think we’re taking steps to do that.”

Staff and community members also perceive leadership as “inconsistent in communication and accessibility,” according to Turk. He suggested creating communication norms, feedback mechanisms, and guidelines for events to be more inclusive.

“This is going to require commitment from us. This is going to require commitment from the community. It’s going to require financial commitments,” Select Board Member David Grishman said. “If we are to be serious about this, as a board we have to make a commitment.”

Grishman expressed concern for poor communication, questioning how the board can amplify the voices of the two-thirds of residents who feel unheard.

“What’s unfortunate is that none of this is actually shocking,” Select Board Chair Katie Phelan said. “I don’t think it would shock a lot of us to hear this feedback…We could be better. We should be better. But we don’t know how to get to better. I think that’s one of the reasons I felt that this was a very important initiative.”

Turk did warn that the results of his surveys were objective, but he did advise that “perception is just as powerful as reality.”

“Ultimately this is about including everyone, not just those who have not been included in the past,” Turk said.

Turk said that the figures are consistent with survey results from other communities.

“It’s generally low across the board,” Turk said. 

Select Board Member Dough Thompson shared that he’s worried responses were confused due to the variety of topics and how “many people may be blocking out” questions as soon as they see the “DEI” applied idea, even outside of politics. 

The internal review drew from sources including social media posts, DEI mission statements, ethics letters, anti-harassment policies, bylaws, employee metrics, job descriptions, newsletters and emails. The document and social media review took place in fall of 2024.

About 27% of the town staff responded to their survey, and there were three one-on-one interviews and three focus groups. Just over 300 community members answered survey questions as well. The surveys took place in the fall of 2024, with the interview sessions happening in early 2025.

“We have a really good sense from different data sources about where things are at, and any kind of finding mentioned in here has been corroborated by at least two of these data sources and within those data sources have at least three mentions,” Turk said. “Almost everything in here was mentioned way more than that.”

78% of the staff surveyed and interviewed showed pride in their workplace. 70% said their department works well together through team collaboration. They also see growth opportunities, as 75% shared there is career transparency.

Within Turk and ReadySet’s statistical analysis, anything rated about 70% is considered “positive agreement.”

On the community side, 81% of responding residents shared pride in Swampscott. 76% feel safe in their neighborhood, and 72% feel a sense of belonging.

“Residents are really proud to call Swampscott home,” Turk said. “Folks feel safe adn connected and they really value the spirit of community that local events help foster.”