Campaign decorum essential.

A plea for civility in local politics

You would be hard-pressed to find avowed supporters of United States President Donald Trump in Cape Breton.

But it's not hard to find Trump imitators, especially when it comes to the way some people treat local issues and candidates.

The behaviour of a few loud candidates, some of their supporters and many social media commentators is disturbing. The arsenals include drive-by personal insults against anyone who dares to disagree, alternative “facts” manufactured from thin air, misogyny, racism, homophobia and stoking fear of newcomers.

Most of the people who engage in this defamation appear not to have done serious reflection on local government, community development or public policy. They have no plan other than to “fight” anyone and everyone.

And their manners are atrocious. They would not last long in serious workplaces or organizations. No school would consider this conduct acceptable. And yet they absorb oxygen by figuratively or literally shouting – pre-empting serious discussion about how to turn around a depressed region, how to actually become masters of our own destiny.

They set a bad example for community organizations, too many of which are unfortunately also dysfunctional because of the bad behaviour of a minority of disruptive members.

One mayoral candidate in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality has called for the “arrest” of the presumptive leading candidates, complete with an image showing handcuffs. It's reminiscent of the “lock her up” chants of the Trump mob.

A recent mayoral “debate” descended into chaos as an unruly audience tried to pronounce verdicts before the candidates were even on the stage.

Another debate (very well moderated) was condemned by a citizens' group suspecting an intentional, “fishy”, anti-Cape Breton manoeuvre when technical issues interrupted the live feed for a short time, although a full recording was posted and the full discussion was intact for radio.

Meanwhile, in another forum, a candidate for councillor raised his voice to tell us we should vote for him because he will have the “loudest” voice. In effect, he would drown out the others.

Passion and competing visions are healthy and needed, but this behaviour is neither passionate nor healthy. It is gratuitously offensive and a disgrace to our community. No one will take us seriously if defamation and intimidation become the defining characteristic of our local politics and our civic life.

I should be clear: Most candidates and most citizens are courteous and do not behave destructively.

But then again, most people in the United States don't behave like Donald Trump. The problem is that bullying behaviour in politics, the aggressive spewing of falsehoods over and over, and daily name-calling can hijack democracy and scare off caring citizens. It can poison an entire society and weaken it to its core.

How do we address this?

One modest and constructive step might be a voluntary community code of conduct for candidates and organizations. You would have the option to sign on. It would not be formally binding. There would be no police to issue tickets and there would be no circumvention of free speech. But by signing on, a candidate or an organization would pledge to maintain a certain standard and to take corrective action in the event of violations. It would set a tone.

A possible model is the City of Vincent, Australia. It has a “Voluntary Code of Conduct for Candidates in City of Vincent Elections.” It's two pages long and includes 10 “ethical and behavioral principles,” including things like refraining from making “public statements about another candidate's personal affairs," avoiding conflicts of interest and avoiding the propagation of unsubstantiated information.

Again, a voluntary code like this could also be offered to community organizations ( not just candidates) to sign. It would reinforce the community's expectation of decorum and respect.

For further reading – and some soul-searching – I recommend P.M. Forni's book "Choosing Civility." The late professor Forni headed The Civility Project at Johns Hopkins University.

“Civility's defining characteristic is its ties to city and society,” writes Forni. In other words, the city ( broadly defined) enriches us not just through public services and budget allocations, but by the politeness, dignity and restraint with which everyone is treated by fellow citizens – and by the example set by our leaders.

Doing otherwise adds “to the misery of the world,” Forni laments. It makes us sick.

And our region needs to heal.

Passion and competing visions are healthy and needed, but this behaviour is neither passionate nor healthy.