Have some respect

I, like so many, attended the County Council meeting on Sept. 4 to testify to stop Resolution 30-18, however, there was another moment at that meeting which gave me pause.

The bill dealing with clinics such as methadone distribution, transitional housing, and plasma centers. We can debate the legitimacy of this legislation but there was a moment that struck me profoundly, when an elected official who is running for state office asked the question: “What kind of people sell their plasma?” and continued questioning the ability to clean the blood which was being donated.

This week, the headline on the cover of TIME magazine was “I have a master's degree, 16 years of experience, work two extra jobs, and donate blood plasma to pay my bills.” This statement was from a teacher working in the United States.

I brought this example up at a meeting Friday morning and at the end another gentleman approached me saying he survived college by selling his plasma to pay for basic needs. I raise this concern because as a constituent and a candidate, I am distressed to see elected officials who do not seem to respect the people they are campaigning to represent.

We are not all going to agree on policy, we are not all going to get along However, if we cannot at least approach our constituents concerns with empathy and respect, we should not be in office.

Regardless of what you may privately think, “those people” are your friends, neighbors, family, and community and when our elected officials lose sight of this fact, when they choose bigoted arrogance over community engagement, then perhaps it is time we use our vote to remind them. HEATHER BAGNALL Arnold

EDITOR’S NOTE: Heather Bagnall is a Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates in District 33.