Listening before speaking, treating others with respect, and finding ways to work with others even when viewpoints diverge — there are many basic lessons of civility.
But when angry attacks and infighting become commonplace in public forums ranging from the council chamber to social media discourse, it can be easy to wonder what happened to the widely agreed-upon idea that civility should be a basic part of life.
A growing sense of incivility has emerged at every level of government, including municipal government, where emotional issues can be at stake in any debate. Residents and elected officials are often concerned about undesirable development in their community, or safe neighborhoods and roadways, and tempers can flare when discussing these issues.
To combat these concerns, the Municipal Association of SC developed an initiative to promote civility in local government. At its 2022 Annual Meeting, it officially launched the initiate, and offered a variety of civility-related resources for city and town officials.
These included a “civility pledge,” which can appear on meeting agendas to remind everyone involved of the value of civil behavior. The pledge reads, “I pledge to build a stronger and more prosperous community by advocating for civil engagement, respecting others and their viewpoints, and finding solutions for the betterment of my city or town.”
The resources also included a sample resolution that councils can use as a way of pledging that its members will practice and promote civil discourse.
The City of Inman posted the Municipal Association's civility pledge behind its
council bench, and opposite from the text of the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo: City of Inman.
The City of Inman is one of the first municipalities to take up this initiative, in the council chamber and the community at large, but Mayor Cornelius Huff pointed out that civility is nothing new for his city.
“Before the civility pledge was introduced by the Municipal Association, we were already doing this, but it wasn’t written down,” said Huff, who served on city council for three terms before being elected as mayor in 2014.
When the Association introduced the civility pledge in July, Huff was determined to bring it to Inman’s council meetings.
“And it’s on the wall,” he added, alluding to the banner the city printed that is prominently on display in the meeting room.
This commitment to civility is restated at every council meeting — the third item on the agenda, right after call to order and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Huff noted that the City of Inman has created a community that advocates for civil engagement, and that push for working together for the benefit of all goes hand in hand with the push to revitalize the city. For the first time in over two decades, Inman is seeing a community development renaissance as it carries out its master plan for the city’s renewal.
“Respecting each other was one of the biggest parts of this process. We have had so much respect for one another and their viewpoints, because it’s okay to disagree, but just do it respectfully,” Huff said. “I’m honored to have a council that believes in that so much — we let people speak, but we’re going to respect one another’s viewpoints and [together] we’re going to find a solution.”
Noting the change in atmosphere since the city’s commitment to civility, Huff added that “if you come to our city council meetings, we have this small room of about 35 to 40 chairs, and it is packed every single time we have a regular general meeting — it’s unbelievable.”
With the large attendance at meetings in mind, Mayor Huff acknowledged that a new city hall will soon be necessary.
“We’ve blown this room away with our civil engagements,” he said. “We pull it together — we call it ‘Team Inman.’”
Newberry Mayor Foster Senn and City Clerk Fabrienni Chaplin hold a large-scale
version of the city's civility resolution. Photo: City of Newberry.
The City of Newberry is another community where the mayor and council are making sure that civility is at the forefront. The city council passed the civility resolution in August, but Mayor Foster Senn said he did not want the idea to just come to that level of focus as a one-time thing.
“We wanted this to be our standard going forward,” Senn said.
To take the city’s commitment to the civility pledge one step further, City Clerk Fabrienni Chaplin took the display version of the resolution created by the Municipal Association and had it enlarged and framed to go on the wall the council chamber.
“It’s right there when you come into the [room],” Senn said, adding that having the civility pledge on display is a good reminder for council to uphold its values and to get along congenially and civilly.
“Fortunately, we have a long history of our city council getting along well,” he said.
Senn came onto council in 2006 and was elected mayor in 2010.
“That culture was already established, and we’ve continued it,” he said.
Newberry’s pledge to the pillars of civility extends beyond the council. Senn intends to speak about the initiative for civility in government and stress its importance at a council meeting planned for February to take place at Newberry College, with students of various disciplines in attendance.
“I’m glad that the Municipal Association did this,” Senn said. “I think it’s a really good reminder, because things happen, and you can have strong feelings about something, but if we all reign them in and make our points cordially and have a good healthy discussion, we’ll all be better off and be more effective elected officials.”
As for any challenges upholding the civility pledge, Senn said that council has not had any difficulties yet. “It’s a quick reminder to behave when you see [the pledge] on the wall,” adding that staying positive helps.
“I would recommend it to other towns,” he said. “I’m glad we did it.”
The cities of Inman and Newberry are proof that civility in local government is possible. Having a strong commitment to the values behind civility is a good place to start.
For municipalities interested in adopting the civility resolution, the customizable template for a resolution can be found on the Association's website. Other resources include the nine “Pillars of Civility” developed by the Association as starting points for talking about what kind of behavior can promote healthy and respectful deliberation and debate.