As a political independent, my party is Chattanooga. Democracy was born in a city, and cities are democracy’s most powerful engine. But running a city demands compromise; there’s no Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole or pick up the trash on time.
At this time of national division, mayors must step up to steward the unique American democratic experiment.
That is why I recently joined 230 mayors from across the United States in signing the U.S. Council of Mayor’s “Oklahoma City Declaration,” a recommitment to the American experiment and rejection of political violence.
Our democracy will not survive if we let political violence become the norm.
In the letter, we declare that we believe:
› Political violence is unacceptable.
› Civility matters.
› Dehumanizing language and demonization must be rejected.
› Apocalyptic rhetoric must be avoided.
› Truth needs to be defended.
› Rhetorical restraint should be celebrated.
The final declaration is that “we are humans first, Americans second, and partisans last.”
Our democratic process provides the path for issues of public concern to be deliberated without violence. Because the simple truth is, there will always be others who hold different views than us.
I’m honored to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow mayors from across the country, those with different genders and sexual orientations, different ethnicities, religions and ideologies.
I always remind Chattanoogans to love their neighbors, because building a great community really begins there, whatever your faith may be. There is much more that connects us than divides us. We have a shared humanity, and our democracy is predicated on seeing that humanity in one another.
In signing the declaration, America’s leading mayors hope to contribute to de-escalating our nation’s politics, and rejecting violence and dehumanizing rhetoric.
But the real work will happen every day, and will be most important when times are at their most difficult.
I humbly ask for your support, encouragement, and civic participation as we return to a peaceful path for our democracy.
Tim Kelly is serving his second term as mayor of Chattanooga. He was first elected in 2021.