Rell's Legacy Already in Action: Keep It Civil! Campaign Underway
/The passing, a week ago, of former Governor M. Jodi Rell, has brought renewed attention to an initiative that observers note is much-needed. It is a recently-launched initiative of the Governor M. Jodi Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford, in partnership with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST) and through support from the State of Connecticut.
It is an endeavor that draws on Rell’s career in government and politics, and a perspective that was not the norm then, and is even less often the default practice today.
At the center of the initiative are a series of seven “key strategies for success in public meetings” that are being promoted as pivotal for a more civil political discourse. The campaign’s title: Keep It Civil! The recommended strategies:
· Listen Attentively -Share your perspectives thoughtfully
· Stay focused on the issues at hand - Avoid personalizing issues or using personal attacks when you
· Assume positive intent - Assume others have an interest in the greater good.
· Be courteous - Treat everyone respectfully, even those you disagree with.
· Make room for respectful disagreements – Foster respectful disagreements. Dissent is a democratic right.
· Consider how your behavior seems to others - Being passionate is a good thing. Intimidation, threats, insults, shouting, or using offensive language erode civility in public meetings.
· Share your perspectives thoughtfully - Respect the time allotted to all members of the public and to meeting leaders.
Governor Rell described the effort this way: “With so much anger and frustration being displayed everywhere these days, I thought a gentle reminder of how we can all contribute to more civility would be helpful,” she explained in a brochure about the program.
“People know how to be civil, but sometimes in the heat of the moment we forget. We can all contribute to maintaining respectful dialogue while working towards building a better Connecticut. Remembering to maintain a respectful dialogue can go a long way to finding the right solutions for community concerns.”
She concluded her message with this encouragement: “Our goal is to foster environments where discussion – guided by courtesy, curiosity of thought, and understanding — flourishes. Please help us spread the message of civility far and wide.”
The mission of the Governor M. Jodi Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford is to provide a community and academic forum for the discussion of:
ethics in government,
the importance of civil discourse in politics, and
citizen involvement in public service and government
The Center also seeks to encourage students and others to pursue careers in public service and to assist in providing a clearinghouse for student public service internships.
Governor Rell, after having served in the Connecticut House of Representatives for a decade, and as Lieutenant Governor for nearly a decade, completed the term of Governor John Rowland upon his resignation in 2004 and then was overwhelmingly elected Governor for a full term in 2006.
She will lie in state at the Connecticut Capitol on Tuesday, with the public invited to share a final farewell, and then will be buried next to her husband in a private ceremony.
Her legacy continues through enterprises that reflect an approach to government and governing that was appreciated at the time, and remains so by those who worked with her, knew of her, voted for her, decades ago, and the many since who have come to understand what she stands for, then and now.
Learn more about the Rell Center at https://hartford.edu/rell
