The spirit of civility

It’s easy to believe that our nation is more divided than it’s ever been. Anyone who spends enough time on social media can see how quickly posts and threads can devolve into extended arguments between strangers. Headlines in legacy media outlets highlight conflicts among people and groups of differing political ideologies. Neighbors, friends, and family members are now routinely cut off from each other based on these perceived divisions. The simple fact is that none of us are better off because of it. The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way.

I started my career over 20 years ago as a reporter, covering city council meetings in small towns, many of which are similar to Rainier. The vast majority of the city councils I’ve been around were both civil and productive. The citizens’ concerns were heard and addressed. Elected and appointed officials worked together for the betterment of their communities and statesmanship prevailed.

I’ve also seen cities struggle through council meetings lasting several hours, in which very little ever actually got accomplished. Council members spent most of those meetings bickering among themselves and having the same discussions go absolutely nowhere for months on end. Citizens grew increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress. Confidence in those local governments was eroded. Trust was lost.

The second phase of my career was spent in the Oregon Legislature, where I worked in both the House and Senate. Most people think that legislative sessions are filled with lawmakers fighting nonstop over controversial bills. However, having spent years in that setting, I can tell you they aren’t. The vast majority of bills considered in Salem are genuine attempts to solve problems, help constituents, and make technical fixes to the law. Most pass through committees unanimously and get through the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support.

Legislators are not allowed to impugn each other’s motives on the House or Senate floor. Debates can still sometimes get contentious, and it’s true that lawmakers sometimes ask pointed questions of each other as part of the process. Still, what most people don’t know is that those questions are provided to the other legislators in advance. I know this because, as a staffer, I would personally hand those questions over to those legislators.

It's basically political theater, and not unlike some of the dynamics found in professional wrestling, where the two guys you watched fight it out in the ring are actually very close friends in real life. You would think that legislators from opposing political parties consider each other enemies. They don’t.

The most effective lawmakers are the ones who reach across the aisle and work constructively with their colleagues. Some of my favorite current and former legislators are people that I disagree with on most major issues, but we developed a sense of mutual respect and relationships; some of which have lasted for almost half of my life and still continue to this day.

That spirit of civility that I learned in local city council chambers and at the highest levels of Oregon state government is, fortunately, alive and well here in Rainier.

Our councilors come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Despite that, they’re able to work together to shape policy outcomes to benefit the city’s residents. Decisions are made, consensus is achieved, and everyone generally walks away happy at the end of every meeting and feeling good about what they’ve all been able to accomplish together. Statesmanship and decorum are still alive and well. We just need to know where to look to find them.

Now that the holidays are on the horizon, maybe we all need to make it a point to unplug from the nastiness of social media. Instead, maybe we should enjoy spending time with our loved ones and getting to know our neighbors. This is the only way we are going to build up our communities and have any hope for a better future. Let’s make it a point to embody and embrace the spirit of civility in the coming year. I think we’ll all be better off for it in the end.