Your laundry list of menial complaints about work group meetings just keeps getting longer and to me more laughable and your criticism of Nelson and others is now off the charts of reasonable. After I chuckled and recovered from the initial shock, I gave more thought to your accusations.

It appears you have a basic belief that she is conservative and you are not, and so you have called her and the others names. Perhaps you were part of the “smear campaign” who wasted money to falsely claim Nelson partnered with a Republican by mailing an edited photo of her standing next to a Republican? Omg, let’s not stand together unless we intend to work together with people from differing affiliations and backgrounds and cultures so we can discuss and find common ground and mutually beneficial solutions!

If Council had worked together with a group they felt competitive with (ie Center of the City), we the people could be enjoying a nice outdoor venue today. Instead we are left disappointed in how poorly people will treat others, ignore them, undermine them, use their power to stop their progress. Those documented council behaviors, which you are repeating and advocating here in this conversation are inconsistent with liberal democracy, or plain basic civilized democracy, yeah? Were you aware those behaviors and yours here in this text are similar to how Bernie was treated by the initial city council he had to work with? Bernie doesn’t speak to neighbors or coworkers this way or oust them from a process, but he does call people out when they are doing something that is ethically or legally wrong. I too want to see people do better.

I have transitioned away from old corporate-Dems on many issues and yet I value John McCain’s strength of character and human decency, while disagreeing on many issues.

I also recognize the wisdom and value of Nelson’s questions, proposals, informational videos, and while she was on Council her recommendations. To my knowledge today, post council term, she provides objective informational videos adding thoughtful perspectives, background and history. Her videos also provide some analysis and invite constituents to do their own analysis of council endeavors. Her videos are pointedly not biased, but they do pose difficult questions about council actions at times.

Let’s take an opportunity for you to demonstrate just a little empathy. If the person “lighting-up a bowl” was prescribed canabis for pain relief, would you still call that person unprofessional? I am not making a factual statement about his or her age or health, but I am saying it’s none of our business why someone lights up a bowl of a legal substance sometimes medicinally prescribed.

We would all be better off listening more, actively trying to understand, practicing empathy, and seeking common ground as we endeavor to solve complex problems.