I am writing to express my concern regarding a recent incident at the Select Board meeting of July 28. As The Plymouth Independent has reported, a member of the Select Board responded angrily to another board member’s vote with a profane and personal attack. This is unacceptable and a dangerous precedent. Disagreements are a natural, healthy, and expected part of local governance, but for an elected official to speak to a colleague — in public– with tone and language like this crosses the line from passionate debate into a vulgar and dangerous personal attack.
When public figures at any level of our government use offensive, personally targeted language in official forums, they abandon their duty to the public. I am not suggesting that elected officials should not have strong feelings — far from it — but they must be able to express them in a constructive and professional manner befitting a public servant. More alarming than the single outburst, however, is the dangerous precedent it sets, both for other elected officials and for the public. If our leaders behave like this in public view, responding to professional disagreements with personal attacks and swearing, we risk normalizing this conduct.
Our community leaders should elevate public dialogue, not drag it down. I urge the entire board to hold itself to a higher, not minimal, standard and reaffirm a strict code of professional conduct.
– Sybil Holland
Holland is a Town Meeting member representing precinct 8.