Old Lyme Selectmen Revisit DEI Policy Language Amid Concerns Over Outside Scrutiny

OLD LYME, CT – The Board of Selectmen is reviewing town policy language that references “diversity, equity and inclusion” after Democratic Selectman Jim Lampos raised concerns the terminology could draw outside scrutiny. 

The discussion comes as selectmen revise and consolidate town policies into one document for easier reference. 

Lampos, at the June 1 meeting and again Monday, expressed concern that the specific term, commonly shortened to DEI, has become politically charged amid a broader national debate over its use in public institutions. 

He said he doubted there would be much objection to the overall intent of the section of the Human Resources policy titled “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” in the draft policy manual. The language calls for “ensuring fair treatment, equal opportunity, and the celebration of individual differences” among town employees and volunteers.

The policy goes on to describe the town as “committed to fostering a workplace culture that embraces and celebrates diversity, promotes equity within policy and practice, and ensures all constituents of the Town are included within the community.”

Lampos focused his concerns on the DEI label itself. 

“Obviously that’s become a very, very loaded term,” he said. 

He pointed to a review of DEI-related content in federal agencies, including photos and online posts flagged for removal from military websites in 2025 by the U.S. Department of Defense. The examples included references to the Navajo Code Talkers, Tuskegee Airmen and the Enola Gay World War II bomber. 

The Associated Press has reported Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to remove content highlighting diversity efforts following President Donald Trump’s executive order ending those programs across the federal government. The government later said some material had been removed by mistake as part of an overly broad artificial intelligence-assisted review and began restoring parts of it.

The federal government has also warned that educational institutions could risk losing federal funding if they continue DEI programs. 

Lampos said he is calling for a discussion, not advocating for a particular outcome. 

“But it’s going to get brought up,” he said. “Because it’s now part of the ‘culture wars.’” 

First Selectwoman Shoemaker, a Democrat, said Monday she would research how other area towns address the issue before bringing the policy section up for a vote at a future date. 

After the meeting, Lampos said he worried referring to DEI by name in the policy could be an “unnecessary provocation” in the face of the recent actions by federal officials. 

“I know that they have their buzzwords, and they just use AI to indiscriminately rip through government policies and procedures and records,” he said. “It might compromise the town’s ability to do things that we would like to do.”

He acknowledged people could argue that the town should retain the terminology as a matter of principle, but said such a move would likely draw objections from critics. 

“And that’s just red meat that we’d be throwing out there,” he said. 

He reiterated he would not want to lose the section’s intent.

“I think if you read it to people without that title, they’d be like ‘yeah, sure,’” he said. “But they’re not going to get past that title.” 

Republican Selectman John Mesham said after the meeting he had no comment.