Residents of Goshen,                                                                                             11/19/16

We are in this together!

In light of recent elections and the ensuing transition, the potential for major policy shifts brings with them a sense of disruption and uncertainty for us all.  The context of our country is marked by social and political polarization, both at the national level and, in some cases, at the local level.   In our own community, the strength of our future will depend on our ongoing capacity to express and manage our differences in ways that show respect and promote shared understanding.

In conversations with residents, businesses, churches, schools and community leaders I have heard about incidents of bullying and discrimination. Many people have expressed fear and uncertainty about what may happen in our community in social and economic terms.

Goshen has always been a community not free from differences, but resilient and capable of dealing with them effectively. We have worked hard to preserve unity while recognizing our rich diversity. In this time of change I am confident Goshen will continue to thrive together. We achieve this by recognizing our differences, choosing to remain constructive and rejecting actions that could be perceived as acts of hate and discrimination. While we may not all agree on our political views we can all respect one another.

We all have questions about what will happen at the federal level and how that will affect us locally, but one thing that will not be affected is our ability to be a community. The principles that our community has adopted through the Community Relations Commission are what hold us together:

• Respect for each other and respect for each other’s rights
• Open communication and engagement
• Honesty
• A safe community
• Acceptance that change has positive and negative consequences
• Tolerance of differences
• Support for equality and freedom from discrimination

Especially in this time of change, these are principles that we can hold high and be proud of.  These are what keep us all functioning as the Community of Goshen.  We have done this in the past and will continue to do this into the future. We recognize the Common Good and build the Uncommonly Great together!

With Great Respect,

Mayor Jeremy Stutsman