I want to thank all the people I have had the pleasure of speaking with in person these past months and years before the election. Everyone was polite, civil, and considerate – even when we disagreed. (Okay, in one instance someone’s temper flared, but we ended with a handshake and a shared joke.) If you are on Facebook or following some of the online comments on the Forest Park Review page, you’d think we had an insurmountable divide in the village – that there is an “us” and a “them.” I don’t think there is. I think there are folks who are passionate about their home town and have strong feelings about issues important to them and how best to solve some of those issues. But differing opinions don’t mean we’re divided. Just look at the times when the town comes together for a cause; successful food drives and charity events. A Facebook page that can be pretty contentious turns into a public service all-hands-on-deck to find a missing pet. The village should be proud that so many of us showed up at the polls – it was a record turnout; a majority of us cared enough about the town to exercise our right to vote. I hope we can stay engaged and passionate and I look forward to working with folks on future issues. And I hope we spend more time talking face-to-face as opposed to keyboard-to-keyboard.
Amy Binns-Calvey
Forest Park resident
