opinion
march22
2011
An Opinion: How Do We Agree To Disagree?
By Scott Laird
A month ago, when the
Vernonia City Council voted 3-2 to
begin a search for City Administrator
candidates instead of offering the
position to current Interim Bill Haack,
I was... well, extremely disappointed
would be one way of saying it. Furious
would be another. And I certainly
didn’t feel any better two weeks later
when Council actually started that
search, voted to approve spending the
$6,000 associated with the search, and
basically ignored the pleading of the
members of the community who had
packed City Hall asking them to change
their minds. And I wasn’t the only one
who was unhappy.
Since that decision was made,
our community has been in turmoil
and a line has been drawn in the
sand. Which side are you on? was the
question of the month. Are you with us
or against us? Sides have been taken,
battle plans have been drawn up and
words like “recall’ and “boycott” have
been thrown around.
It was a familiar feeling, this
“us” versus “them.” We know it well
here in Vernonia. And many of us
had the same thought the day after the
March 7 th City Council meeting, ”Here
we go again!” Fighting with each
other, encouraging conflict and discord,
pointing fingers and blaming each
other.
And it was at that moment
that several people saw what we were
doing. Saw the danger in the course we
had set for ourselves. Saw the damage
we were doing and starting working to
change the course of our conversations.
Several people, almost simultaneously,
asked themselves and each other, “How
can we find a way to disagree with each
other in a respectful and constructive
manner. How can we work through this
without tearing ourselves apart? How
can we agree to disagree?
We are obviously not the only
ones dealing with this issue. Wisconsin
comes to mind and so does Capitol Hill
in Washington. Anywhere governments
are struggling with difficult decisions
and representing constituents, we
see the same things— divisiveness,
rhetoric, alliances and the choosing of
sides.
Except that here, in Vernonia,
we should all be on the same side. Here
in Vernonia, these are our neighbors
and friends we are disagreeing with.
We should all be working for Vernonia.
It’s time we all take a good,
hard look in the mirror, myself
included. We are all passionate about
what happens to our community. We
all care and want what is best. We all
have good intentions and believe we are
right. We all have worked so hard to
recover from 2007 and move forward.
And sometimes we let our emotions get
the better of us.
But maybe this is an
opportunity to harness those emotions
and that passion. Maybe this conflict
is a chance to make a shift in how we
work with each other. Maybe this is a
way to get citizens who are energized
to become more engaged. Maybe this
is a chance to turn talk of recall into
talks about mediation. Maybe this is
a chance to turn ideas about boycotts
into community conversations about
solutions.
Which brings us back to the
question-- how do we find a way to agree
to disagree over extremely important
issues in a way that is respectful,
constructive and solution-oriented?
How do we find a way to hear different
points of view that honors that person’s
right to have their own opinion? How
do take these emotions and use them
as a positive force? How do we come
back together and, instead of drawing
a line in the sand and choosing sides,
draw a circle that contains all of us?
How do we agree to disagree but still
work together for what is best for our
community? Because, quite honestly,
we have a lot of work to do.
I am still not happy with the
decision City Council made to start
the search process. I believe they
are making a big mistake and going
against the wishes of city staff, other
city leaders who are engaged in the
work of the community and the city
partners in some of the major projects
the city is working on. A poll taken two
weeks ago of 33 members of the City
Planning Commission and City Parks,
Public Works, VCLC, Airport and
Economic Development Committees
was responded to by 21 members: 19
said Council should have hired Haack
directly; 2 said they didn’t have enough
information to weigh in. 0 agreed with
our City Councilors in starting a search.
These
Councilors
have
stated their reasons for starting this
search publicly, but they also have a
responsibility to listen to the majority of
citizens they represent who want to see
some continuity at City Hall.
I will not stop telling them
what I think as they go through the
search process for a permanent City
Administrator— they represent us and
they need to hear what we think. We
have so much at stake and the eyes
of many important resources are on
us. Hopefully, Bill Haack will decide
to apply for the job and, hopefully,
his experience, qualifications and
commitment to Vernonia will be
considered fairly.
That is my opinion.
Over the last month, I have
talked with many people and listened to
their thoughts and ideas. I have heard
from people who were angry, confused
and dismayed by what is happening
in Vernonia. Many courses of action
have been discussed and several good
thoughts have percolated to the surface.
I write these ideas here not just for the
rest of the citizens of this community
to consider, but also as a reminder to
myself.
Direct Conversations— We live in
a place and time where information
spreads by word of mouth and quickly
becomes rumor. Emails and social
networking don’t allow us to read
body language and expressions when
we communicate with each other and
forces us to sometimes assume the tone
or meaning behind messages. Messages
get mixed and things are written in the
heat of the moment and sent out to
several, maybe hundreds, of people that
cannot be taken back. We need to go
back to face-to-face conversations with
each other.
Belief vs. Truth— Just because we
believe something doesn’t make it the
truth. We need facts. We need honesty.
We need information. Let’s get all the
issues out on the table and really talk
about what is driving our decisions.
Let’s be honest and forthright and find
the truth. Our new City Councilors
3
need to know more before they make
major decisions; the rest of us need to
know more before we start spouting off
about what is wrong or right.
Don’t
Make
Assumptions—
Information needs to be confirmed
by asking directly before it is spread.
Let’s stop the rumor mill.
Ask Questions and Listen— When
we are looking for more information,
go to informed sources. Ask questions
of our leaders and our elected officials.
And really listen to the answers. Ask
about and listen to the reasons behind
the decisions. Ask more questions.
Really try to understand what is
happening and why.
Speak Up— If you don’t agree with
what is happening, tell someone.
Make sure you have all the information
and do it in a thoughtful and respectful
way. Don’t do or say things that you
wish you could take back later.
Look in the Mirror— Do you really
believe what you are saying, or are you
just repeating what someone else told
you? Do you have the facts to back up
what you are saying? Are you being
completely honest? Is what you are
doing and saying really helping? Will
your actions help bring about what is
best for Vernonia? Can you agree to
disagree?
None of this will be easy.
Right now, our community is polarized.
People are passionate and fired up.
A lot is at stake. But we need to
remember that we all want what is best
for Vernonia. We may have different
approaches and methods. But, in the
end, we need each other and we must
work together.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
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