EVERYBODY IS FOR CIVILITY. IS ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS BEING UNCIVIL?

 Yesterday, The Rep Editorial Board wrote an editorial promoting a community wide resolution of civility, to wit:

Here’s one that our whole community would benefit from if more of us made it our resolution for 2010:

Be civil.

Who knows why these editors wrote this editorial?  It is the equivalent of asking people to be for mother, God, country and apple pie.

The SCPR believes The Rep editors did not want to appear to be "uncivil" in fingering their real target.

Could it have been prompted by what a source of the SCPR reports as having been an exchange between Canton Council president Allen Schulman and Canton mayor William J. Healy, II, after Council meeting two weeks ago today,  to wit:

... healy walked up to schulman and told him "don't you ever try to embarass me again-pointing his finger at schulman-and what followed was wild==schulman told him who  the F--- do you think you are--you can go F--- yourself ... .

Hmm?

The point?

Healy was upset that Mary Cirelli (Council-at-large) and Schulman had questioned Healy as to whom was responsible for negotiating/modifying/approving police and firefighter union contracts.


Healy's point:  "Council approved anything the administration had negotiated."

Schulman's point:  "The terms of the negotiation were agreed to by the administration."

The discussion itself was heated, but civil.

Mayor Healy cannot handle tough questioning.  That's why Tom Bernabei and Tom Nesbitt are gone from his administration.  That's why Healy won't answer the questions of the SCPR.

Allen Schulman, being the elected official he is, cannot be fired by Healy.  So what recourse is left to Healy?

You've got it!

Initiate an "uncivll" back and forth.

The SCPR has learned that when Healy cannot fire someone or arrange for them to leave the administration because the person does not work for the administration, his tactic is to start screaming and yelling at the person.

Did the conversation reported above actually happen?

The Report believes it did.

Neither Schulman nor the Healy administration would confirm or deny the source's report.

Yes, there is a need for civility.  But Allen Schulman was civil; his offense:  asking tough questions.

It is Healy-esque to become "uncivil" when things do not go his way.

Allen Schulman needs to keep asking the tough questions!