An Evening of Civility

SEMCOG recently partnered with the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC), The Civility Project, Oakland University’s Center for Civic Engagement, and Huntington Bank to present an Evening of Civility. MAC Co-Chair David Hecker joined Huntington Bank Chairman Gary Torgow to graciously welcome attendees to the bank’s beautiful Detroit location.

Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson, who are partners in The Civility Project, shared their insights and encouraged using the four pillars of civility to guide discussion:

• Drop assumptions
• Set honest goals for the conversation
• Listen actively – a skill that must be learned!
• Keep returning to the conversation – civility is not built overnight

Mayor Dave Bing, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, Detroit Regional Partnership CEO Maureen Krauss, and Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz participated in a panel discussion and shared stories of success built on positive relationships.

In his role as MC for the evening, Dr. David Dulio, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University, asked the panel about the importance of collaboration in each of their roles. The panelists then went on to discuss the key ingredients for establishing and sustaining successful collaboration.

Key take-aways from the engaging talk:

• Good relationships, built on civility and productive dialogue, are key to success.
• Remember that good people form opinions based on their experiences, values, and viewpoints.
• Take time to ask why and how people have formed their opinions, and then listen to their story.

Broadening the Conversation

Mayor Barnett and Dr. Dulio recently continued the conversation on civility as guests on Michigan Matters with Carol Cain. Dr. Dulio shared that although we are hearing about breaches of civility on a regular basis, there are many people collaborating, cooperating, and doing good things for their communities.

The four panelists at the Evening of Civility each shared instructive examples, including:

• Collaborating to develop a park accessible to all and so unique it has become a local landmark;
• Bringing together dozens of organizations to secure over $50 million in grant funding to help the region build an inclusive and prosperous 21^st century mobility sector;
• Cooperating to provide children in Detroit mentoring and support to ensure attendance and excellence at school; and
• Bringing students and community members from multiple and varied perspectives together to improve civic literacy and hold conversations about issues of public importance.

As seen in the vision of SEMCOG and the core values of MAC, respectively, we remain committed to lifting those in our region who are working to make our region a better place for all of us to live, work, and play.

SEMCOG vision: All people of Southeast Michigan benefit from a connected, thriving region of small towns, dynamic urban centers, active waterfronts, diverse neighborhoods, premiere educational institutions and abundant agricultural, recreational, and natural areas.

MAC core values: We lead by example, treating others with respect and practicing pragmatic and collaborative engagement on issues promoting regional equity and sustainability, economic opportunity, and improved quality of life. We communicate openly, committing to practice healthy dialog and listening towards creating a common vision that values and embraces the perspectives of others and helps improve regional cooperation, progress, and understanding. We enable and inspire, inspiring success and removing barriers by valuing inclusivity and diversity and finding opportunities to agree.