At this morning’s Escambia Children’s Trust board meeting, Chair Dr. Rex Northup made an impassioned plea for what he termed “civil discourse” from the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners (BCC).
- He opened the discussion by reading a definition: civil discourse is “a process of discussion or dialogue on matters of public concern characterized by respectful and productive communication and involves a mutual airing of views with the aim of promoting understanding and seeking common ground rather than just winning an argument.”
Dr. Northup felt the Trust board members faced disrespect at the Escambia County Commission meeting on May 15, during the debate over whether the county should exempt the Trust from the CRA’s tax-increment taxes.
- “To be relegated to a three-minute presentation with a clock running, to be cut off in the middle of comments, to be told to sit back down,” Dr. Northup recounted, “that type of thing is not at all in line with collaboration, with reaching common ground, with understanding the wants and needs of the groups.”
Note: The BCC’s policy limits each speaker’s public comments to three minutes. The commission chair may extend the time limit.
The Trust chair noted that the disrespectful behavior was so egregious that community members had contacted him specifically about it: “I’ve had more people contact me about the showing of disrespect and the poor behavior of some of your colleagues on that board and anything other than the definition of civil discourse.”
Need for Mutual Respect
Commissioner Lumon May found himself in what Dr. Northup aptly called “a precarious position” — serving on both the county commission and the Children’s Trust board. However, Dr. Northup carefully distinguished between May’s conduct and that of his commission colleagues.
- “I will say you sit in a precarious position at times, but the behavior emphasized by the chair of y’all’s board and by more than one member of your board, excluding yourself, was not in line with the concept of civil discourse,” Dr. Northup said to May. “I will clarify that you were not in that group that was treating members of this board in that way, and I publicly acknowledged that.”
In fact, Dr. Northup publicly acknowledged May’s professionalism: “I will clarify that you were not in that group that was treating members of this board in that way, and I publicly acknowledged that.” The chair specifically pointed to the county commission chair and multiple other commissioners as the source of the disrespectful treatment.
Rather than becoming defensive about his colleagues’ behavior or deflecting responsibility, May acknowledged the concerns while maintaining his commitment to respectful dialogue. He even shared a personal philosophy: “My mother always said to always be nice, and I just think we should be nice… whether we were sitting on the trust board or whether you’re sitting on the county commissioner, you should be nice.”
- Both leaders repeatedly brought the conversation back to its core purpose: serving children. Commissioner May noted, “The people voted for the money to help children. And so, we should be helping children. And the way in which you help ’em may be a little different than the way that I help, but as long as we’re helping children, that’s great.”
More Than Hurt Feelings
Dr. Northup’s concerns weren’t just about hurt feelings. He cast doubt on whether he would sign any check that would disburse funds to the county.
- “Before I put my signature on a check for any amount,” Dr. Northup stated, “I am going to need to feel that my views have been considered and have been allowed to be viewed and aired publicly.”
Commissioner May’s response offered a roadmap for how public officials can navigate disagreements. He committed to sharing concerns publicly rather than carrying messages between boards, acknowledged the importance of treating everyone with respect, and focused on helping children.
- He said, “We should all be working together.”