Candidate Pledge of Civility

Candidate Pledge of Civility

I believe all Americans value Prosperity, Liberty, Equality, Family, Faith, Love and Respect, Community, Contributing to Others, Opportunity to seek the American Dream, Success and Doing the Right Thing. These values unite us as uniquely American, meaning we are more similar than we are different. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, however, which give us unique perspectives on issues of public interest. This causes us to view these values differently in terms of which are more important than others. Thus, it is not surprising that we would have differences of opinion on not only which are the most important issues to address, but also, what are the best approaches to address those issues.

I will make a conscious effort to:

·         be civil in my public discourse and behavior,

·         acknowledge the good faith, good intentions and common values of people with whom I may disagree,

·         be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them,

·         view different perspectives on issues and policies as opportunities to listen respectfully to people who have views different than my own, learn, more firmly establish the key facts, and objectively evaluate different options for resolving commonly felt problems.

·         critically evaluate and discuss areas of disagreement without speaking ill of one another personally,

·         seek to find common ground,

·         tell the truth and avoid misuse of statistics, cherry picking facts and false or exaggerated disagreement,

·         avoid demonizing others,

·         avoid name calling and language that is insulting or derogatory,

·         encourage and support efforts to bring people of different points of view together in our community to have civil and respectful conversations, and

·         stand against incivility and attempts to fuel division, resentment, prejudice, discrimination and hate by others when I see it, even by friends and groups who may be trying to help me to the extent I can do so without violating the concepts stated above.