From the Editorial Board: Evanston City Council has seen some tantrums. But a Civility Pledge would stifle free debate.
Opinion content—editorials, columns and guest commentaries—is created independent of news reporting and is exclusive to subscribers.Evanston Ald. Devon Reid, 8th, and chair of the city's Human Services Committee, during a meeting on Sept. 6, 2022.
Tempers have been fraying among those who govern the feisty college town just north of Chicago, and it’s not only about, its football stadium, and include live concerts in its plan going forward. Plenty of neighbors are upset about that, we hear, but Evanston City Council has not exactly provided a model of decorum. According to Evanston Now, the impulse to create a so-called civility pledge for council members was sparked by “a tantrum” thrown by Ald.
, we also defend Reid’s right to storm out of meetings and to characterize the council as too beholden to wealthier interests or whatever else he wants to say in a meeting. He should not have to sign a pledge stating that “we are all striving to support and improve our community,” when he may not believe that to be so.Raucous debate is good for Evanston, reflects Reid’s free speech rights and can be a helpful safety valve whenever the fix is in, from whatever end of the political scale.
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