Fountain Hills candidate Tate’s civility promise deserves scrutiny
OPINION — Fountain Hills deserves leaders who understand what civility actually requires.
Town council candidate Jeff Tate says one of his top priorities is to “restore civility.” That is a worthy goal. It is also a standard that must be measured by conduct, not campaign language.
Presumably in response to my recent opinion, “Easter and the missing report,” Mr. Tate posted on social media about a “Jesus conspiracy theory,” followed by the remark: “you can’t fix stupid.” These were not private comments. They reflect how a candidate chooses to speak about others when expressing disagreement.
Disagreement is expected in any community. But there is a clear difference between challenging an idea and insulting the person who holds it. That line appears to have been crossed here.
Dismissing a Christian viewpoint as a “conspiracy theory” and responding with “you can’t fix stupid” does not reflect civility. It reflects a level of public disdain that is difficult to reconcile with a promise to “restore civility.” Today, the target is a religious perspective. Tomorrow it could be any viewpoint this candidate happens to disagree with.
Promises matter.
The question is not one of agreement or disagreement. It is whether a candidate's conduct aligns with the promise of civility he is asking voters to trust. One might reasonably expect that a standard presented as self-evident would also be self-applied. Voters can judge for themselves whether the record meets that standard.
Civility was not imposed on Mr. Tate by his opponents. It was a standard he and his allies chose to campaign on. Voters are entitled to ask a simple question: If that standard is not applied before the election, why should anyone expect it to be applied afterward?
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