To The Eagle:

While attending the July Town Council meeting, I was saddened to realize that we have been influenced by the national trend to be caustic and lacking in basic civility at a public meeting, regardless of the issue over Ms. Goodroe’s property.

I have the impression that some of us will no longer engage each other in what used to be called “civil discourse.” That is not an impression drawn just from public conduct alone. Even some of our elected council members lost awareness of their duty to conduct themselves as examples of proper decorum. Addressing “the chair” (in this case the mayor) is required for good reason. It is intended to avoid the very personal attacks that took place at the council meeting where individuals and audience members got into targeted attacks.

Regardless of the current lack of national civility, we on a local level should not come apart. We need to live together.

If “all politics is local,” then we can set a better example of how to conduct business, no matter how passionate the issue might be, so future generations will have an example of how to conduct business in a “civilized society.”

Craig Brown

Cathlamet