KeeNote: Granting grace, even when it’s hard

At Monday night’s city council meeting, alderwoman Barb Fish said something that really resonated with me—she pleaded with the people gathered at the meeting to grant each other grace.

The comment stemmed from the backlash the council faced on social media (see my city council on page one for context).

But, Barb pointed out that it’s been a long, hard year and that we never know what the person next to us is going through.

And I agree.

I think that what city administrator Bryan Read said was also true: that social media is a potent tool that can be used for good or for bad.

I would argue that social media is where the least amount of grace is granted. It is where anyone is free to share anything they’d like—positive or negative—without having to face the person, company, school district, council they are addressing.

In the case of the city council controversy, people were quick to jump on Facebook and drag the council through the mud without having all the facts. Of course, as Bryan pointed out, there was blame to be shared on all sides.

I think that part of granting grace is allowing the council to perform their due diligence for the community, it’s allowing residents to speak in support of the Brandon Police Department, it’s the interim police chief Jamie Steffel telling me that the council was simply doing their job, as the police department does every day.

Granting grace comes in all different forms, but it should stem from understanding that we are all human beings just doing our best.

I was surprised at the turnout at Monday’s meeting—around 60 residents. They were there to support the police department, which I think is phenomenal and well deserved. The BPD does a lot for Brandon, as many of the residents said, and they certainly should stay intact and supported.

But, why isn’t the massive turnout the same for every city council meeting? I have covered six of the last seven meetings, and I’m one of the only ones sitting in the audience. Arguably, every topic on every agenda affects every citizen in Brandon in some way—from the way their tax dollars are spent to the construction they’ll have to get around to the water fees they’ll have to pay.

However, the two times I have seen a turnout larger than myself and a few other audience members were when controversial subjects came up: the mask mandate back in December and the potential disbanding of the BPD on Monday.

I think part of granting grace is realizing that the city council does not make decisions lightly or as power plays. Granting grace is realizing that the city staff is constantly placed in difficult situations and cannot possibly please everyone all the time. Granting grace is realizing that you cannot complain about something that you are not willing to put in the work to change. As Barb said, the council is always looking for committee members, they’re currently searching for a mayor and a spot on the council was just recently open for anyone to apply—the seat garnered two candidates, one of whom already holds the seat.

Now, I say all of this as someone who does not live in Brandon. I say this as a reporter, who is looking at this from the outside but also as someone who has developed a love for Brandon and its community in my short five months of telling the city’s stories.

But I also say this as someone who hopes everyone understands the importance of granting each other grace. If we do that, I think that we’ll grow stronger, better and brighter.