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Let’s elevate the conversation

In recent weeks, a couple of friends have come under fire for either sharing their thoughts and/or taking a stance.

I use the word “friends,” because not only are they friends of mine, they are true friends to the Marshalltown community.

Both Mike Tupper and David Barajas are leaders in Marshalltown — Mike has been our police chief since October of 2011; David, the CEO of the Marshalltown Regional Partnership since January of 2014. Both continue to promote and support what’s good about the community, working hard to bridge differences and looking for ways to making Marshalltown safer and more prosperous by embracing diversity and reaching out to everyone.

But comments related to immigration and diversity has brought some unwanted and sometimes, some nasty push back.

Both have been unfairly criticized.

Interestingly enough, Mike penned a letter to the editor supporting David. In it, he wrote:

“Recently, there has been some discussion … this discussion has spurred debate, dialogue and perhaps disagreement for some. David Barajas Jr. is taking some heat for expressing an opinion. It is an opinion not popular with some but it is also an opinion shared by some. I count myself in the group of those who agree with David. His expression was fair, honest and carefully considered. It is OK to disagree with him. It is unfair to vilify him …”

Mike wrote that letter, I’m sure, because he knows what it is like to be the recipient of some pretty caustic commentary.

Despite these issues, both David and Mike remain two of the most optimistic people I know. They recognize that positive communication, despite our many differences, is a way to bring a community together.

And that got me to think about something going on in Eastern Iowa and how it might work here.

This Friday and Saturday, a new initiative is taking place in the Quad Cities.

The “Quad Cities Big Table” is an upcoming forum to spark civic conversation, foster new relationships and inspire collaborative action across the region.

Organizers there say that “more than 5,000 people representing different backgrounds, neighborhoods and interest groups will participate in more than 500 (one-hour) conversations to discuss and imagine the future of our region. These conversations will inspire new ways we can work together to make our communities and region stronger and more connected.”

In this effort, the participants there will discuss the issues that matter most to them. Progress, they argue, “will only result when residents and organizations collaborate to make contributions that add up to a greater solution.”

After the conversations, organizers will then survey all the registered hosts and participants. From that survey, a community report will be created that discusses the highlights of the survey responses and “what we are learning together.”

This is a great concept and it’s something that Marshalltown can do. In fact, it’s something we must do.

We have to find ways to empower action, inspire collaboration and celebrate diversity by bringing people from different perspectives together.

It will be interesting to see what the results are from this initiative. Multiple groups are part of the process there in the Quad Cities — they have a vested interest as to what’s being discussed.

What will they learn? What are the most pressing challenges? What are the new ideas that have yet to be explored? Who might be some of the new leaders to emerge from these discussions? How can we remain positive despite our differences?

Let’s forget the vitriol and rhetoric that has saturated the conversation in the community lately. Let’s find ways to work together and sit down at one “big table,” where there is room for everyone and not just a select few.

Let’s elevate the conversation and move forward.

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Contact Jeff Hutton at 641-753-6611 or jhutton@timesrepublican.com

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