Village Council Forum: Question 7

Mark Thoman
Well, I won't spend 21 grand on a consultant to come in and try to teach them—how to teach us—to be nice to each other, which the village did. Part of the job description is to work cooperatively with other council members, and I already have a record of doing that by appearing where you're standing right now Ms. Miller, appearing before council and speaking before council in public for and against issues, but keeping it civil and keeping it in the proper perspective.

Craig Skala
I look at all of us as a team. There are seven people up hear that have one common goal, and that's to take care of the Village of Downers Grove. We may not always agree and we may agree sometimes.  But also you don't want to go around talking negatively about your peers up here, in the media, or even just to the average resident because you all are councilmen at the end of the day.

Geoff Neustadt
Civility on the council is important. It's achieved easily through being adults and having a normal conversation. We are all neighbors, after all. It's our job on the council Tuesday nights, to come here prepared to listen to each other, and to be ready to make our votes when needed.

I'd like to think that I put myself out there to my council members. I'm available for phone calls, and respond and reply to emails allowed to us under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, which is difficult because you can only communicate to one person at a time, which...actually extends the amount of time it takes to get one message out to your colleagues. But, following those rules our council tries very hard to communicate.

One of the rules that I like to try and follow is the "no surprises" rule. Tuesday evenings we have an agenda, we have a set schedule, having a ‘heads-up’ or an informal, "I'm going to say this under new business" conversation helps the council members understand what's coming from commissioners. It can't always be done that way—sometimes things happen on the fly—but that way we all can have a sense of what's going to happen in our council meetings.

Sean Durkin
Yes, this is one of the strengths that I actually bring to the council life. I've made it a practice...to meet with my fellow colleagues if it's either for coffee, breakfast or lunch. I know that, you know, that we’re not always going to agree on the subject, but I want to find ways that we can work together. And I know that, at the end of the day, when the vote is cast I may not vote in favor of the person I met with and talked it over with, but I want to listen and I want to find out why they're thinking the way they are.

I know that this council has worked very well. There's been times where we don't agree, but I think it comes down to us all being adults and respecting each other. And respect happens not only on this dais, but happens on the public electronic media. Not taking potshots at each other on Facebook or Twitter or whatever media that is out there electronically. It all stays, you know you have to be professional. At the end of the day, as candidate Neustadt said, we are all neighbors and we all have a stake in this community.

John Page
I guess I can sum it up just as Aretha said, it is R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Civility comes from respect. The reality is, if you respect your colleagues you're going to find that you are civil to each other. There isn't a need to play zero-sum games. For me to win, you don't have to lose. We can find a way to work together. And the reality is, civility comes from demanding that. Demanding that respect and not allowing people to become uncivil. I wouldn't accept it from my 15-year-old and, by God, I would not expect it from adults. That is not something that we should allow in this village, and certainly not on this dais.

Gregory Hosé
John, you read my mind. It's simply a matter respect. If we treat one another with respect, we will have civility, and we should expect nothing less of our elected officials. I find that my job as an attorney really helps me with this. Regardless of how angry or upset the client may get, it's my job to keep a cool head. It's my job to remain reasonable.

You never want to poison the well with an opposing counsel because you never know when you might need something from them, whether it's an extension on a brief or anything else. The same applies here to those council members. You never know when you might us want someone else's vote on a particular matter. And it's a matter of keeping that strong personal relationship with folks, even if you don't always agree with him on everything. It's a matter of disagreeing, and doing so with respect.

Becky Rheintgen
I think it's important for council members to find ways to work together, to be respectful of each other's opinions, and to try to find common ground. In my career, the director of the park district, when a new board would come on, would take the time and put the new board through a training program. And one of the things that I remember from that was that, if you vote on an issue and you don't get your way, so you don't get your vote, and it becomes policy, you need to support that policy and not continue to work against it.  So, I think that would be a good lesson.

Dominic Scalzetti
The way I would promote it would be to simply lead by example. I mean, it's like raising children. You lead by example. I think it's incumbent upon us to act as adults, to respect each other and to respect your other council peoples’ opinions. I think that residents deserve this.