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Letters to the Editor: Civility and Respect Needed at Village Mtgs.
March 02, 2012
To the Editor:
To teach about Citizenship in the Community I took my son to the Village Board meeting on Monday night. What a great teaching moment!
He saw that our community is overseen by representatives who are not professional politicians but community members and realized that the Board is an entity all to itself, larger than the individuals there seated. He saw how different views are represented by these Board Members and how the democratic process decides an outcome, sometimes by a single vote. He saw citizens afforded the opportunity to both criticize and compliment the Board, the essence of free speech, but there were also negative lessons.
He saw how a community consumed by conflict over past choices can be obstructed from fixing its problems and planning its future. He saw volunteer leaders endure ruthless and disrespectful personal condemnation. He saw the governing body's rules of order ignored by both community members and Trustees and saw the position of Mayor disrespected when a silencing hand was thrust forward by a community member.
Democracy is messy, imperfect and certainly not efficient but we must move forward whether we like the past or not. We need continued public involvement and scrutiny but we require civility and respect for the Village Board. I believe that electing Mr. Kane and Mr. Russell will help restore that civility. They are calm, intelligent and open minded citizens whose only agenda is the welfare of our community, a focus around which I hope we all can rally. In pursuit of that worthy cause please join me in supporting Mr. Kane and Mr. Russell.
Respectfully.
Dave Terwilliger
Cornwall-on-Hudson
Comments:
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I can't help but respond to the numerous calls for "civility" within our Village Government. What's wrong with our government is not about manners, it's about taxpayers wanting answers and becoming appropriately upset when they don't get them. It's about being saddled with 15 years of paying a public bond that is valued at much more than the cost of the covered project with no explanation as to why. I'm all for civility but it seems that many are equating "civility" with the silencing of legitimate dissent. The Mayor has done an effective job of muzzling the public with his rudely enforced "three minute rule" at Village Board Meetings. Now just let us get rid of the dissenters on the Village Board and all will be well? To think that the solution to the problem lies in voting for trustee candidates who might behave more politely is to miss the most important lesson the "teaching moment" provided.
posted by Robert Anderson on 03/02/12 at 4:37 PM
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Very well put. Sorry your son had to see the ugliness but it is all an education. Hopefully more people will see the video and vote for Mr Russell and Mr Kane.
posted by Vishwa Chaudhry on 03/02/12 at 5:40 PM
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I sure hope you didn't take him to last years mayoral debate when the videographer proceeded to cough and grunt every time Gross spoke . also I guess you weren't seated close enough to the mocking of Gosda by the few behind me during mondays meeting. I could not even hear some of what was going on.
Maybe it happens on both sides so I wouldn't write a teary letter about it.
posted by J Buescher on 03/02/12 at 6:44 PM
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