As Americans anxiously watch election results come in, protests have mounted in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and Portland, which are home to many condominium and homeowners associations. The political divisiveness we have seen in the past few months highlights the need for our community association leaders to promote civility and unity.
Community associations are made up of people with different ideals, preferences, and values. One of the greatest aspects of the community association housing model is that it brings people together by encouraging residents to self-govern.
We are calling on community association board members to speak with residents about adopting the CAI Community Association Civility Pledge as a way to promote civility. The pledge is a commitment to the following principles:
- Each individual must be accountable for his or her own actions and words.
- All interactions in the community should be civil despite any differences of opinion on a particular issue.
- A vow to respect all points of view and strive to provide a reasonable opportunity for all to express their views openly.
- Residents are engaged and informed.
- Residents review CAI’s Rights and Responsibilities for Better Communities.
These commitments to civility, as well as engaged and informed residents, are a vital part of our shared goal of being a thriving community.
Regardless of the election results, in the next few weeks community associations will likely be the location where difficult and complex issues are discussed. Adoption of the Civility Pledge will lead to continued community harmony, responsible citizenship, and effective leadership.
In addition, we invite you to register for Uniting Community Postelection 2020, a live webinar on Tuesday, November 10, from 2:00–3:00 p.m. National and state presenters will help you strategize how to bring your community together once the results of the 2020 election are revealed.
Together, we can show our elected officials that civility starts with neighbors. We should all be able to share our views in a respectful way and commit to fostering a climate of open discussion and debate, mutual respect, and tolerance between all who live in, work in, and visit our community.
Click here to learn more about CAI’s Community Association Civility Pledge.
