Editor,

Civility First… So We Can Work Together wants to remind our Island County neighbors that we are still that: neighbors. During this time of year, it is easy to get lost in the energy and rhetoric of election season. Name-calling, accusations and inflammatory statements abound. As an organization committed to cooling the tone of public discourse, we see the toll it takes on families, neighborhoods and communities when we are encouraged to see each other as “The Enemy.”

People at all points on the political continuum are passionate and worried about the outcome of this year’s election. And, whatever that outcome, we will still be citizens. We will still be neighbors. And we will still be trying to make this the country we want to live in.

Please consider signing the “Civility Pledge” to remind yourself to do your best in this regard (www.civilityfirst.org/sign-the-civility-pledge.html). And please consider: listening to understand; speaking to connect; and remembering that there is a place on our islands for all of us.

The Board of Civility First