Letters: In Support of Tolerance Proclamation

To the Editor:

It is my firm belief that Wilton High School students stand in strong support of the Tolerance Proclamation presented to the Board of Selectmen. Students still feel the friction generated by the election; to formally acknowledge the nonpartisan core beliefs of our community would serve as a symbolic, meaningful gesture towards restoring basic civility and a sense of ease to an apprehensive student body. The proclamation’s language doesn’t reflect ideology or political persuasion; it presents a fundamental set of values. The Wilton school system that I have grown up in fosters respect, civility, and diversity from Miller-Driscoll on up; while grade, school building, and education levels may change, basic ideas like the Golden Rule possess a transcendent permanency. The passage of the Tolerance Proclamation will simply hold our town officials to the same standard to which we have always held our students. For this reason, I believe my comments adequately represent the support that many of my peers have for the passage of the proclamation. I hope that our town officials will recognize that nonpartisan ideas like civility and tolerance are in Wilton’s DNA, and to formally recognize this reality will do much to address unease and affirm the spirit of the Wilton Warriors.

Respectfully,
Cameron Berg
WHS Class of 2018

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of the Tolerance Proclamation presented by Heather Wilcauskas at Wilton’s Board of Selectmen meeting on Feb. 6, 2017. I urge our town to adopt this proclamation, showing that Wilton is an inclusive, tolerant, civil community made up of a diverse population which, together, makes our town strong.

Sincerely,

Laura Iorfino

To the Editor:

A grassroots effort by a group of passionate Wiltonians has resulted in the “Tolerance Proclamation,” a statement intended to encourage discussion of the values and ideals we uphold as individuals, as a town, and as a whole society.

Our proclamation was presented to the Board of Selectmen on Monday night, Feb. 6, and is now under their active consideration. The Selectmen will follow the specific rules for local democratic governance and collective decision-making while considering this statement of inclusion, tolerance and civility.

The proclamation is as follows:

“We, the Selectmen of Wilton, Connecticut, do hereby reaffirm our Town’s commitment to inclusion, tolerance and civility. We recognize the diversity of our citizens and visitors, whatever their gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, citizenship, disability, political views, or social or economic status.

We resolve to respect and ensure the rights of all our citizens and visitors to participate fully in our community, and for all our citizens to participate fully in its governance. Our commitment to inclusion informs our values and is the basis on which our Town will thrive. Diversity enriches us.

We further resolve that the principles of inclusion, tolerance, and civility will guide the actions we take as Selectmen. We resolve to reject policies that threaten or diminish this commitment, or that target or marginalize specific groups. We believe that everyone deserves consideration, compassion and respect.”

This is what makes Wilton strong.”

In light of recent events, both locally and nationally, this proclamation is a vehicle for our community to publicly reaffirm and embrace our core values and celebrate our increasing diversity. We feel that the often-troubled historical record of the past century compels us to let our voices be heard, and further, that our voices be recorded for future generations.

To that end, we hope the BOS, a deliberate and decision-making board, will courageously and proactively lead the way by acting in favor this proposal.

Sincerely,

Pamela Hovland
Heather Wilcauskas