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There is a dimension of the recent article by BDN reporter Valerie Royzman that was not directly addressed by her, nor by the editorial that followed its publication.
As someone who has been caught up in town rhetoric and anger, my experience has been that when lawyers jump into city discussions, the ability to calmly and rationally discuss issues is lost. The legal system, which is by design adversarial, creates an environment that forces citizens to choose sides, thus losing the benefit of nuanced and insightful discussion.
In my particular experience in dealing with a land issue with the city of Old Town, I found that early on most city council members and the city manager understood that there was the possibility of negotiation that would benefit everyone. We were focused on what was right more than what would be judged as legal.
In writing up an agreement, lawyers became involved. The lawyers lost sight of what we citizens would call common sense and fairness. This resulted in a confrontational environment, which has now moved to the courts.
If we lived in a less litigious time, perhaps it would be much easier to turn down this hyper-politicized temperature, which seems to be spreading over our country.
Jim Mitchell
Old Town
