Presented by Bluffton resident Mitch Kingsley at February 24 Bluffton Council Meeting

“Any ‘lesson’ runs the risk of being a scolding. When I wrote this up I did not have any bad actors in mind and had no intention of scolding anyone. As mentioned in the text, when the proposal was brought to council it seemed good to go.

My only focus in this sharing is on the experience of being left out of decisions that affect you. However that happens, intentional or not, it is a feeling most or all people dislike.”

At our last council meeting I think we noticed a civic lesson unfolding. All of us saw it. But I am trying to put it into words here -- partly for my own benefit. It’s a way to check my bearings and steady the compass. So here is what I noticed.

At the February 11th meeting a discussion came up about ending a long-term lease for the old depot building beside Buckeye Park, often called the Sportsman’s Club. The Club is apparently ready to step out of the lease but another organization, the Bluffton Ohio Historical Society is ready to step in. What could be wrong with that?

Turns out there are a number of other organizations who have a stake in this change. American Legion Post 382 and the Boy Scouts are two such organizations. As it happens the matter of the lease change was put on council agenda before some people were informed or had a chance to discuss or ask questions.

Some members of these groups had a bit of warning and others had nary a clue that this change was in the works. Feathers were ruffled and some people were noticeably upset to have been left out of the loop on this proposed change.

Some people were not included in the discussion of a decision that affected them. And some were not treated the same as others – there was inequality in the notification process about this decision.

Inclusion and Equity: these are fundamental values in the civic realm, which are getting press in the recent “DEI” dog-whistles. The acronym stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. I said it’s getting press -- but it’s not getting much attention.

Even giving this a little attention will allow us to realize how important these values are to all of us as we function in civic life. People need to be included in the decisions that affect them and they need to be treated as equals among world citizens. These values are baked into our US and State Constitutions. And as humans we inherently know when they have been violated. And if we are the ones left out or treated unequally we get angry. Understandably.

The only reason DEI is associated with race is because of a couple centuries of systemic exclusion and unequal treatment of some people because of their differences. But at its core these values are what make our life in democracy work.

So the next time you or I hear “DEI” attributed to the failure of a political party and then cast off like so much dirty dishwater, we can think to ourselves, “That’s not the way we go about our civic life in Bluffton; or in this great country.”  Being included, even if we are different, being treated equally because we are human; these are basic values that drive our community and help make us willing to devote our lives to the betterment of the whole. Thank you for your attention.