NORWICH – Members of a new informal community forum group are preparing to tackle public discussions on the most pressing and delicate issues in the county and are extending an invitation to all who would like to join in.
Plans are in the works to hold the monthly Chenango Community Forum to discuss and debate controversial issues in a civilized manner. The first forum will spotlight concerns of federal, state and local taxes and will be held from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, in the community room of the Guernsey Memorial Library.
“We’ve set up a community forum with conversations about difficult topics with the expectation that we’re going to disagree,” said Tom Holmes, coordinator of the new group. “If it’s going to be productive, it needs to be about the things we disagree on,” he added. The hope is that civilized discussion will instill different view points and opinions, and encourage open-mindedness when it comes to hot-button issues.
“Like many other people, we have been distressed at the level of vitriol being expressed in the media and among our political leaders,” wrote Holmes in a public invitation earlier this month.
Core members met at Guernsey last week to organize and plan upcoming forums, which they hope will persist throughout the summer. Pending discussion topics include: the value of taxes; term limits for government office holders; balanced budget amendment for the national government; war and peace; and hydraulic fracturing.
Other potential matters to be discussed are: women’s rights; national defense; gun control; energy alternatives; the national deficit; and cultural differences.
The challenge presenting itself in each forum is drawing out viewpoints that are “not personal and not angry,” said group member Bruce Webster.
Rennie Korver, another member of the small group, said, “I think the main point is that we don’t fall into the trap – the trap that we keep track of which side is winning.”
While the intent is to encourage participation among all who attend, the group is currently discussing ways to also maintain order during each forum. They’re setting certain parameters, including a time limit for each speaker, that will keep the discussion on topic and maintain a civil atmosphere.
Moreover, the group is seeking local professionals to speak on behalf of all sides of the issue related to that night’s discussion to give each forum more credibility. They want to encourage open lines of communication between the speaker and the audience, as well as between audience members at each forum. There is even potential of bringing in people from outside Chenango County to offer a third-person perspective, keeping in mind that more viewpoints leads to better discussions, said the group.
“While we may not be able to change our national culture, we believe that we can contribute to elevating the level of discourse in our own small part of the world,” said Holmes.