In an unprecedented vote, on July 17th, Waukegan City Council Alderpersons Keith Turner of the 6th Ward and Michael Donnenwirth of the 7th Ward voted against the Illinois Municipal League’s Civility Pledge, which you can find below.
WHEREAS, the City of Waukegan recognizes that the public exchange of diverse ideas, viewpoints and robust debate are essential to democratic self-governance; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council, as elected officials of the City, recognize the importance of engaging in free and spirited debate, while maintaining the highest standards of civility, honesty and mutual respect; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and the City Council desire to adopt the Civility Pledge, which states in part, “[i]n the interest of civility, I pledge to promote civility by listening, being respectful of others, acknowledging that we are all striving to support and improve our community and understanding that we each may have different ideas for achieving that objective” (“Civility Pledge”); and
WHEREAS, all elected and appointed officials of the City are encouraged to sign and abide by the Civility Pledge; and
WHEREAS, in order to publicly declare a commitment to civil discourse and to express concern for the common good and wellbeing of all residents of the City, the Mayor and City Council have determined it to be in the best interests of the City to adopt the Civility Pledge in accordance with this Resolution.
While yelling over his colleagues on the City Council and the City’s Corporation Counsel, Alderperson Turner falsely claimed that voting for a pledge of civility in public service would infringe on the right to freedom of speech. In addition, Alderperson Turner made a direct attack against Mayor Ann Taylor for bringing the civility pledge to the City Council and implied that because Mayor Taylor immigrated to the United States from England as a child, she should not be imposing this pledge upon the City Council.
Thankfully, the rest of the City Council members recognized that being civil to each other is vital in public service. And they also realized that being civil sets a good example for our residents, both young and old.
It should be noted that Alderperson Turner has a history of being reprimanded at the City Council for incivility by colleagues and the public. He has filed restraining orders against those he disagrees with who speak during public comment time. In one instance, while listening to a community activist, Alderperson Turner turned his chair around while lifting his middle finger at members of the public.
The rest of the Council outside of Turner and Donnenwirth voted in favor of the pledge to be civil to each other as it serves the best interests of Waukegan residents. It should also be noted that City Clerk Janet Kilkelly also refused to sign the IML civility pledge.
コメント