To The Editor:

I fully agree that the “hostility on local social media pages” is “harmful to the fabric of our community” as stated in the September 25th letter from the Newtown Democratic Town Committee. I also agree that we should “engage in dialogue, not division” and “respect one another’s political opinions, and right to disagree.”

While the letter starts by calling out the “national discord,” it then segues locally, saying “and as a community, we must uphold [‘the right to freedom of thought and expression’] for everyone, even when we disagree” which, again, I fully agree with. But, I disagree that hostile social media posts are a new problem, even locally. Shortly after accepting the chairmanship of the BOE, I saw many such posts and other forms of intimidation. It would have been nice to have seen a letter like the September 25th back then.

During most of my two decades as a public servant, I was privileged to be able to converse with, and learn from, others who lived different lives and so brought different perspectives to the discussions. We did not yell. We did not intimidate. We did not fabricate narratives about, and positions of, those who did not agree with us. We simply listened to one another and crafted work informed by such discourse.

The September 25 letter closes by calling out the upcoming local election. Please take the time to learn which candidates are willing to listen and engage in conversation and which are dismissive of the perspectives of others. Our community needs town officials who think independently, embrace different points of views, and are willing to take the time needed to ensure that their works reflect our residents’ needs and wants effectively and equitably.

Deborra Zukowski

Newtown