CAO: Finding, sharing common ground | Letters

Published 4:37 pm Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Last week’s meeting about wetlands, sponsored by Friends of the San Juans, was— surprisingly—extremely civil in tone.

I had come expecting lots of the usual rancor and “attack” mode of discussion (e.g., I disagree with you, and therefore you are an idiot), and was delighted to sit through a set of interesting, informative presentations, followed by a question and answer period with thoughtful questions and articulate answers that were all directly on point.

I learned a lot at the meeting, and left thinking, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all island meetings about such controversial topics were as non-confrontational? We’re a pretty smart bunch of people…just think what we could accomplish if we worked together to find solutions to our common challenges rather than spending our time and energy denigrating those who have points of view that differ from our own.”

Lori Stokes, San Juan Island