The civility question some candidates won't answer in Fountain Hills
OPINION — Eric Landau’s response to my recent letter unintentionally reinforced the point I was making: actual civility must be more than a flashy campaign promise.
Mr. Landau labeled my opinion a “misguided lecture on civility.” Apparently, calls for civility now begin with a scolding. He also insists the Flourish-endorsed candidates are not a coordinated slate, even though they campaign together, endorse one another and promote the same agenda. If it walks like a slate, talks like a slate and campaigns like a slate, calling it “independent” does not make it so.
Eric objected to my observations about political conduct while comparing Mayor Friedel to Sauron and Medusa. Fountain Hills residents may be surprised to learn that mythical monsters now qualify as examples of civil discourse.
But none of the commentary addressed the central civility question facing this election.
I previously asked every mayoral and council candidate whether Jeff Tate's public description of a Christian viewpoint as a "Jesus conspiracy theory," followed by "you can't fix stupid," reflected the civility he and his Flourish campaign partners have promised voters. The conservative candidates answered directly and strongly rejected the remark. The Flourish candidates did not. They avoided the question or remained silent.
That silence speaks volumes.
More than half of Fountain Hills identifies as Christian. If candidates cannot say that publicly ridiculing Christian belief on social media is uncivil, then their promise to “restore civility” deserves serious skepticism. Even for voters who are not Christian, the issue remains the same. Civility means applying one standard to allies and opponents alike. In my opinion, civility that depends on whose side is speaking is not civility at all.
Voters deserve leaders whose conduct matches their promises. That’s why I’m supporting the truly civil candidates: 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.
