Chris Harris Puff Piece : Ridgewood to hold public discussion on civility in society
NOVEMBER 24, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Mayor Paul Aronsohn will lead a public discussion tonight on the overall need for more civility in society.
“I’ve been in municipal government for more than six years and most of the time there’s a good exchange that happens — whether people agree or disagree,” Aronsohn said. “But there’s this certain level of hostility that sometimes takes the conversation in a bad place.”
Tonight’s event also will feature Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, the Rev. Jan Philips of the Religious Society of Friends and Rabbi David Fine of Temple Israel.
Aronsohn said that during his years in municipal government, he’s seen coarseness be a distraction and watched as people berate experts testifying at public meetings. He has fielded complaints from parents, who sometimes deal with incivility on athletic fields, and he’s seen the issue pop up in online comments on articles reporting on village news.
“It’s good and fine to disagree, but we should be able to disagree without being disagreeable,” Aronsohn said. “I don’t want to sound Pollyanna-ish, but there has to be a better way to do this.”
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/civility-in-society-is-topic-of-ridgewood-meeting-1.1140233