[RP TownTalk] Constructive Criticism??

[Dwight Holmes]

Jay--

Trust me, I very much appreciate your concerns, and were I not the
moderator of this list I might very well be writing a similar message!
I have been spending much more time than I'd care to in this holiday
season reading and re-reading the recent posts on this topic.  I no
doubt lean towards, and perhaps err on, the conservative side of this:
The line between substantive critique and ad hominem attack must
clearly be broken in order to justify squelching a reader's post. At
least that is my take on that. The difficulty, of course, is deciding
when that line has been crossed.  And the hope is always that those
who post to this public list take the same concerns to heart, read and
re-read messages before posting, and see for themselves if these
criteria have been adhered to.

It upsets me to see our town officials -- elected and staff --
accused. The question -- insofar as the TownTalk guidelines goes --
is: are these attacks personal? Or are they criticisms of job
performance.  Personal attacks are clearly a violation of both the
letter and the spirit of the guidelines. Criticizing the quality of
town services, on the other hand, is both the right of all
residents/taxpayers and fits within the guidelines for this list, as
being accountable for job performance is part-and-parcel of a public
servant's job description.

Admittedly, questioning whether unnamed "town officials" aren't
interested in doing their jobs but are only in it for the money would
seem to at least blur the line, if not cross it. In retrospect I think
I should have intervened at that point and called on everyone to
refrain from interjecting such invectives into our public discourse.

Allow me do it now: Please refrain from attacks on or questioning of
the character or motives of anyone - named or unnamed - in your posts
to this list.  Otherwise, I will have the list put into "moderated
status" and I will review every post before allowing it to go through.

Dwight Holmes
TownTalk List Moderator

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 10:36 AM,  <jayrite at aol.com> wrote:
> Great post Regina!
> I might suggest to the list moderator that some of the recent posts should be held up, side by side, with the rules of posting to this list. Many seem to be personal attacks, in nature, which is against the rules.
> Being the Mayor, does not disqualify Vernon from being a person. Same goes for council persons or employees of Public Works. They all may hold some official status, but they are also Riverdale residents, friends and neighbors.
> Many slanderous and accusatory  things have  been said recently.
>
> Questioning scruples and intelligence, with insinuations and unfounded accusations is offensive, and should not be tolerated on this list. I believe that the silent majority of this list would agree with me.
>
> I only ask that the moderator review these recent postings and take the etiquette required for this list into consideration as to whether or not these individuals need to be monitored. Whatever the decision, I will wholeheartedly support.
>
> Thank you,
> Jay Wright