Out of respect for my family I am participating anonymously this evening.There is one person who violates the code of conduct for town meetings consistently. We are so fortunate to be able to share our views publicly. But our bully pulpit was not meant to be an actual "bully pulpit" to harass and intimidate. It is meant to influence and persuade. Everyone should be able to express their opinion, but to publicly shame and tell untruths about individuals on the council or the public is different than public discourse, and it sets a mood of intolerance that affects everyone in the meeting, even the speaker who is violating the code of conduct. I would like it if the precedent of active listening was encouraged and open discourse that allowed for the possibility of less rigid solutions. It is hard to take someone seriously when they speak in a derisive tone. Their intentions appear to be based on something other than the common good. I encourage the town council to enforce the rules of decorum at town meetings.
Accepting anything less is a great disservice to us all. We live in difficult times. Let's make Fairfax a model of unity and do the hard work of being open to changes that are for the good of all of us. Let's think of our opinions like grains of sand in an oyster, rubbing against each other, so a pearl of wisdom can emerge.
OCT O 7 2026