[RP TownTalk] re TownTalk -- a forum for 'Discussions among residents and town government on (almost) any topic of interest'

[Dwight Holmes]

Friends & neighbors -

A note from the list moderator

I will try to keep this short.
UPDATE: Based on some of the very recent list traffic this afternoon, I
would appeal to everyone to adhere to the guidelines and be "polite and
respectful" while you engage in conversations.

1. First, just to alleviate any confusion, let me clarify that the list is
pretty much wide open as far as topic goes - not limited to "regular people
who want to engage each other about fun and nice things happening in the
town," as was stated earlier today. For reference, I've pasted below the
statement about the list's purpose and scope from
http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk.  That page is, in
fact, entitled "*TownTalk -- Discussions among residents and town
government on (almost) any topic of interest." *It says there that the list
is here to provide "a way for you to discuss anything you think might be of
interest to other residents or the town's government." It also goes on to
say that "discussions should be polite and respectful of the opinions of
others," and that is the point on which the most people have raised an
issue with the character of the on-going conversations between Jonathan
Ebbeler and this list.  More, below.
2. The delete key is always available to all readers of the list.
3. As far as people unsubscribing goes, according to the records I have (I
get an email whenever anyone signs on or off the list), there have been 8
unsubscribes thus far in 2016. This compares to 12 in all of 2015, 12 in
2014, 27 in 2013, and 13 in 2012.  It wouldn't appear as if there is any
unusual spike in people leaving the list.
4. I've had a number of emails from readers off-list - some have said they
appreciate me not interfering with the discussions about town politics;
others have asked why I allow it to continue. These views appear to be
approximately in balance (based on the very small sample size of people who
have written to me). Let me speak to the broader issues here briefly.
5. A couple of readers have asked if Jonathan Ebbeler's posts, or at the
least some specific content of some of those posts, doesn't constitute
libel. Libel occurs when someone makes false claims that have the effect of
defaming another person's character.  Please let me be clear: I am the
volunteer moderator of the TownTalk list. I am not a lawyer, neither am I
an elected official, nor an employee of the town. I am not a judge, nor a
jury. I am but the moderator of this list. To the best of my knowledge
there is no legal case underway.  If I come to know there is a legal case
to which any of this discussion pertains, I will of course call for an end
to this thread.
6. I have communicated with Jonathan off-line at a couple of points along
the way.  Most recently I asked him to refrain from the Q&A format where he
supplies his own Qs and answers them as he thinks others should.

Finally, let me just say that I know that a lot of this is painful to
watch, painful to read. But we don't have many effective means of
communicating in and about our town and its government. (As was pointed
out, we don't have the Patch or the Gazette anymore. Hyattsville has one or
now (based on a recent post to TownTalk)  maybe two local papers but thus
far they have not, as far as I've been aware, chosen to report on these
goings-on in our town).

As readers of the list, each of us can easily choose to read and engage
passively, read and then withdraw, or simply not read at all any posts or
threads not of interest to us. We can also choose to engage by writing and
posting, as some have done -- or not.  It is clear that for some this has
become a well-beaten dead horse, that we wish would just go away. Others
still appreciate the information being provided, which is not, for most of
us, available elsewhere. We may, some, most, or all of us, wish that these
discussions were taking place in Town Hall rather than exclusively on
TownTalk. But I don't see that as reason to force an end to the discussion
on TownTalk.  For those not interested, you may simply delete or just
ignore anything you wish based on who or what you see in the FROM or
SUBJECT lines.

Dwight Holmes
TownTalk List Moderator

Here is the description of the list, which is on the page entitled "*TownTalk
-- Discussions among residents and town government on (almost) any topic of
interest*" that is linked to in the footer of every TownTalk post.

==============
About TownTalk

The TownTalk mailing list is open to all Riverdale Park residents. It is a
way for you to discuss anything you think might be of interest to other
residents or the town's government. Discussions should be polite and
respectful of the opinions of others.

This is expected to be an active list with several messages per week
(perhaps several per day, at times). You can subscribe or drop your
subscription at any time. You can choose not to receive any emails and
still have access to the archives.

We urge you to identify yourself in the name field when registering for
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Personal attacks and profanity are not allowed and will not be tolerated.
We reserve the right to reject or delete any message and to remove and ban
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To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the TownTalk
Archives <http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/>.
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