Decorum is important

The ever-increasingly contentious political climate we see on the national level continues to trickle down into local politics, as more and more you can read stories about or see videos about people going to their local county, city or school board members and creating a scene while being downright nasty. It’s always disheartening to see such activity.
From time to time you can see it even here in Custer County. Anybody who was at the Buffalo Gap Town Board meeting last week saw it first hand. The meeting vacillated from organized to chaotic, as tensions boiled over multiple times, leading to shouting matches between various members of the public and town board members, or between members of the audience. There were shouts of liar, insults and even people telling other people to go back to where they presumably came from before living in Buffalo Gap.
We understand that these meetings can often have topics that bring out emotion, but it’s important to remember you can always catch more flies with honey. Screaming and yelling does nothing but divide people and make everyone upset. Think about your own life: how likely are you to listen to someone screaming and yelling and insulting you as opposed to someone calmly explaining to you their point of view? We venture a guess you’d prefer the latter.
At one point in the meeting in Buffalo Gap town attorney Lance Russell stood and implored those gathered that it was important to show decorum at the meeting, and we couldn’t agree more. The meetings cannot devolve into a free for all. That’s not how we run governments in this country (despite growing evidence to the contrary).
And this isn’t just to pick on Buffalo Gap. Hermosa Town Boards have grown frequently contentious, the Custer County Commission occasionally has some steamed citizens that have to be calmed down, and there was a time nearly every Custer City Council meeting had people at each other’s throats. It happens, but that doesn’t mean we should condone the actions.
It’s one thing to be passionate, it’s another to be a disruptive jerk. You can get your point across without swearing, without insulting, without screaming. You can certainly get your point across without suggesting someone should leave town because you don’t agree with something they say or do. If we all think alike, is anyone thinking at all?
As always, we thank those who take on the tough task of being on a government board, particularly in a small town when you have to see the people you may disagree with or vote against on a daily basis. It’s a tough job, but one that is necessary for our way of life. Take it easy on those who are doing their best and giving of their time to help out their respective town. We are all in this together.

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