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Community Corner

Lack of Civility by Township Committee


At the March 17, 2014 Middletown Township Committee meeting, I was treated rudely by two of the people on the dais.
These committee people appeared not to be  listening to speakers at the public hearing until I began. Then, they "pounced like vicious animals," as a citizen noted.(Go to the videotape to see, at minutes 20:12 and 1:41.)http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=R_3tNaa5VjM
I urge the committee members to adhere to the following guidelines for civility when addressing  a public speaker from the dais.

Avoid Personal attacks or questioning people's motives or character ... Anything that approaches name-calling should be off limits.
Eye-rolling and grimacing can be nonverbal forms of heckling.
Interruptions  should be discouraged.
The whole guide is at:http://www.ca-ilg.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/tips_for_promoting_civility_in_public_meetings_2.pdf

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