R-E-S-P-E-C-T
For the second time in a year, a member of the public was escorted out of the BOCC meeting (though this time it was after the meeting adjourned). And as has frequently been the case, members of the public were spoken to with something well beyond disrespect. From the dais came rude and inappropriate remarks, the phrase “shut up,” and a tone of utter disdain.
It is incomprehensible to me that anyone in a leadership position could be so disrespectful of the individuals who elect them and who pay their salaries. Maybe it’s because I was raised by a teacher who was retired Navy, but I just cannot tolerate such rude antics, and I’m dismayed that the non-offending Commissioners are reluctant to speak out against it.
As my dad used to say (a quote attributed incorrectly, I think, to Voltaire), “I disapprove of what you say but I defend to the death your right to say it.” I believe it is the responsibility of elected officials to respectfully listen to input from constituents, even when they don’t like what they hear — or maybe especially when they don’t like what they hear. The kind of language and remarks that routinely emanate from some at the BOCC are undignified, outrageous, and, if they’d been made in my dad’s classroom, would have been grounds for detention or a “private talk” in the hallway.
It is often difficult for private citizens to take the time and make the drive to attend every meeting. Perhaps the BOCC should consider allowing folks who attend a particular meeting to speak on the agenda item that brought them there, even if the item is then tabled. Their remarks could be cited the next time the item is discussed, or better yet, replayed from a recording. That way, the public is heard and their time is not wasted. And perhaps they should be treated with respect.
