By Julie Akins
Mayor About Town
It’s 8:30 in the morning and I am groggy and sleepless at the Denver airport where the dense fog offers an otherworldly secrecy for its lack of visible outside scenery. The only option for a weary traveler is to look around at the people passing by, the shops and the billboards.
And there in the center of all the coming and going is a long white billboard which simply states: “A house divided cannot stand. Civility is in you. Pass it on.” It’s punctuated by an image of Abraham Lincoln.
It’s the creation of a billionaire philanthropist who has an organization called, “The Foundation for a Better Life.”
We can debate if this offering is the best use of his money, but in the moment the message resonates.
The night before, we conducted a city council meeting to a packed chamber. The feelings were strong from those who testified as to the value of Art created by a local Black artist. And we also untangled the complex world of union negotiations in the context of a threatened city budget.
It gets tense sometimes at meetings of the city council. We, myself and my six colleagues are aware of what’s on the line.
But strong feelings are not uncivil, arguing a cause is not either. In fact it could be said that passionate discourse is more appropriate to public life than controlled conversation and a refusal to acknowledge the value of that passion.
Speaking truth is important.
And you have the chance to do that in November by way of the ballot. The eighth of November, to be exact. No matter what cynics may say it is NOT a waste of time nor is it “all rigged”.
Oregon will choose a Governor, Senators, Commissioners and in Ashland, three city councilors.
And most likely candidates and supporters will speak with passion. As long as what they say is true, be not concerned. If it gets mean, identify that and vote accordingly. If they obfuscate—run the other way. Double speak is the enemy of clarity. I suspect the motives of those who make things more complex than needed.
And, for me, the winner takes all battlefield perspective on local politics is absurd. Everyone running for Ashland city council is a neighbor and they are all volunteers. No one on city council nor the mayor get paid. It’s not in any discernible way about greed. For some, power may play a role, but you can screen for that. Yet, these elections become a blood sport where only one is left standing.
There’s a better, more civil way. I’d like to see serious consideration given to rank choice voting. That way the top three would win rather than the one versus the other. It would enable candidates to put their best ideas forward without cutting down a competitor.
Tuck that away as a future possibility. And for this season, don’t accept that it’s okay to be mean because it’s politics. It’s never okay for any reason.
Nice people need not finish last. Look for the helpers and the doers. Pick people who will help you and also those not doing as well as you. We’re all in this together.
We might find ourselves changed by looking at it that way.
We might find as the sign says “civility is in us.”
