Is “restore civility” a governing principle or campaign slogan in Fountain Hills?
I recently asked every Fountain Hills council and mayoral candidate a simple question: Did they agree with Jeff Tate's statement I believe was about my Easter letter. It appeared Mr. Tate called it a "Jesus conspiracy theory" on social media and added, "you can't fix stupid."
The question wasn’t about free speech. Of course, Mr. Tate has a constitutional right to express his views. The question was whether the statement reflected the civility he and his allies have promised to pursue.
The conservative candidates answered directly. They strongly disagreed with the statement. The candidates aligned with Tate — Kalivianakis, DeGennaro and Mirick — avoided the actual question. Instead, they discussed freedom of religion, freedom of speech, positive campaigning, collaboration, or the need for verification. In my view, those responses answered a different question than the one that was asked. Tate himself simply chose not to answer.
I was disappointed. When candidates campaign on civility, I believe voters are entitled to know whether they consider a remark such as "you can't fix stupid" regarding Christian beliefs to be civil or uncivil. If a candidate cannot answer that question when it involves a political ally, what exactly does "restore civility" mean?
In my opinion, leadership requires a straightforward answer even when that answer is politically inconvenient. Character is revealed not when a question is easy, but when answering it carries a cost.
Based on the responses I received, I am left wondering whether "restore civility" is a governing principle or simply a campaign slogan. Voters can judge for themselves.
The conservative candidates answered the question directly and rejected Tate's questionable comment. They demonstrated the integrity, independence and willingness to speak plainly that voters should expect from those seeking public office. That is why I recommend voting for Gerry Friedel, Matt Corrigan, Dan Kovacevic and Ben Larrabee.
Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
