'Don't take it personally.' Being effective at town meeting topic of March 28 Truro talk

“Don’t take it personally” is one of Dan Winslow’s top ten tips for maintaining civility, especially in politics when talking with people you disagree with.

He and Truro Town Moderator Paul Wisotzky will be giving a workshop called “Engage and Empower: Navigating the Town Meeting Process Respectfully and Effectively” on March 28 at the Truro Public Library.

The workshop comes a month before the special and annual town meetings scheduled for May 4.

And it comes after months of controversy and contentious public hearings regarding the legality of some 66 voter registrations, many of them members of the Truro Part-time Residents Association.

The association sent emails to members encouraging them to register to vote in Truro in time for a special town meeting last year. Articles on a new Department of Public Works facility and a 160-unit affordable housing complex were big-ticket items on the warrant. The special town meeting scheduled for late November was ultimately moved to May 4 on the lawn of Truro Central School because of the large number of voters who turned out.

A focus on the town meeting process

The workshop will focus on the town meeting process — not on any specific warrant articles.

“This will be a refresher into the town meeting form of government, the processes, how to participate, the rules and procedures,” Wisotzky said Saturday.

Winslow will share 10 tips for maintaining civility at the upcoming town meetings. He is the president of the New England Legal Foundation, a former Massachusetts judge, former Gov. Mitt Romney’s chief legal counsel and a Massachusetts state representative who served two terms.

As a Republican in a “sea of blue,” he attributes getting things done to civility.

“Being uncivil is not how you get things done,” he said.

Select Board Chairwoman Kristen Reed agreed that adhering to decorum is vital for democratic town meetings but warned that presenting views calmly can mask bigotry. Civility standards may hinder valid challenges from marginalized groups and overlook power dynamics, she wrote in an email Saturday.

'Put things to vote'

The workshop will combine a presentation with a question-and-answer period and explore how to engage productively with fellow citizens at a town meeting.

“The beauty of democracy is you put things to a vote,” Winslow said. “Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. The key is to remember that on a Monday someone might vote against you but on Thursday they vote with you if you don’t destroy the relationship.”

The free event will be held at 6 p.m. on March 28 at the Truro Public Library. More information is available at www.trurolibrary.org or by calling 508-487-1125, or emailing tpl_mail@clamsnet.org.

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Using civility at town meetings is topic of Truro talk on March 28