During the Beltrami County Board work session on Tuesday, May 4, a presentation was made by Kathy Ross on behalf of the Respect Minnesota initiative. She explained that the program encourages governments, businesses, organizations and citizens to pledge honor and respect the opinions of others.
At the conclusion of her presentation, Ross was greeted with quite the opposite of respect by Board Chair Reed Olson . He questioned who pays her salary and the legitimacy of the grassroots effort she was claiming to be a part of. These things in themselves are fair questions to ask and important for public education. But the manner in which he did so was uncalled for.
He concluded, saying, “I’m upset you’re here. I really, with all due respect, wish you weren’t here, your organization wasn’t here, and your organization wasn’t on the agenda. I think it was inappropriate and a mistake that it was here at all.”
While he has the right to disagree and is free to his own opinion, as an elected official operating in a local government capacity, he has no right to treat a presenter with so little respect.
Whether one decides his comments were inappropriate or not, it is clear that Olson needs a lesson in civility. The Institute for Civility In Government defines civility as: “claiming and caring for one’s identity, needs and beliefs without degrading someone else’s in the process.”
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The website goes on to say, “Civility is about more than just politeness, although politeness is a necessary first step. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same.”
Civility is the hard work of staying present, even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power in a way that everyone’s voice is heard and nobody is ignored.
It appeared that was what Ross was calling for in her presentation, and while motives and background details of all community efforts such as Respect Minnesota should be called into question and researched, it can be done in an open-minded way to educate oneself and the community. Where it seemed our board chair was more interested in making blanket statements and accusations, rather than genuinely trying to learn in this instance.
It is also worth noting that whether this item should have been on the agenda or not is a moot point. As commissioner Jim Lucachick noted in his comments following the presentation, everyone should be welcomed at the podium. Our government officials should be open and inviting to diverse opinions on a magnitude of issues, and we should treat every presenter with dignity and respect -- no matter the topic.
The bottom line is the citizens of Beltrami County deserve better and should demand better than this from our county board chair and all of our elected officials and leaders.
