December 15, 2017 at 5:38 p.m.
Rational demeanor was effective
Editorial
Sometimes it’s not just what you say but how you say it.
Consider the case of Tom Warren.
By all accounts, he’s a conservative, thoughtful farmer, someone who takes a quiet pride in his relationship with the land.
He’s also the last person you’d expect to ruffle feathers and make a scene about anything. That’s just not his style.
So when he went before Jay County Commissioners in November with a concern about interruptions to his television signal apparently caused by the new wind farm at Bluff Point, he didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t pound his fist. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of anger in him.
Instead, he voiced his concern — and so civil was his approach that it was a concern and not a full-blown complaint — in quiet tones, with an extra helping of reasonableness.
He had also done his homework before approaching the commissioners. He had already notified NextEra Energy Resources about the problem, and he had read some of the legalese surrounding the wind farm and its obligations.
Tom also kept his perspective.
He didn’t go to the commissioners because the wind turbines interrupted his ability to watch his favorite “stories” on TV. He didn‘t go to the commissioners to complain that when the turbines are spinning and generating electricity he is unable to watch the Indianapolis Colts lose yet another football game.
Instead, he framed the matter as a public safety issue.
And that — along with his civil demeanor — got the commissioners’ attention.
As Tom explained it, he’s a little bit old school. His information comes from UHF, VHF, radio and the local newspaper.
But on the Sunday afternoon of Nov. 5, when a tornado ripped through the county, the newspaper couldn’t help, local radio wasn’t providing early warnings and the wind turbines cut off his connection to UHF and VHF TV signals.
His line of defense against the storm had been severed.
NextEra folks say they’re now working on a solution to the problem. Based upon our contact with the company so far, we are optimistic they will find it.
And our guess is that if the matter gets resolved quickly it will be in no small part to how civilly and thoughtfully Tom Warren brought his concern to the commissioners’ attention. Sometimes it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. — J.R.
Consider the case of Tom Warren.
By all accounts, he’s a conservative, thoughtful farmer, someone who takes a quiet pride in his relationship with the land.
He’s also the last person you’d expect to ruffle feathers and make a scene about anything. That’s just not his style.
So when he went before Jay County Commissioners in November with a concern about interruptions to his television signal apparently caused by the new wind farm at Bluff Point, he didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t pound his fist. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of anger in him.
Instead, he voiced his concern — and so civil was his approach that it was a concern and not a full-blown complaint — in quiet tones, with an extra helping of reasonableness.
He had also done his homework before approaching the commissioners. He had already notified NextEra Energy Resources about the problem, and he had read some of the legalese surrounding the wind farm and its obligations.
Tom also kept his perspective.
He didn’t go to the commissioners because the wind turbines interrupted his ability to watch his favorite “stories” on TV. He didn‘t go to the commissioners to complain that when the turbines are spinning and generating electricity he is unable to watch the Indianapolis Colts lose yet another football game.
Instead, he framed the matter as a public safety issue.
And that — along with his civil demeanor — got the commissioners’ attention.
As Tom explained it, he’s a little bit old school. His information comes from UHF, VHF, radio and the local newspaper.
But on the Sunday afternoon of Nov. 5, when a tornado ripped through the county, the newspaper couldn’t help, local radio wasn’t providing early warnings and the wind turbines cut off his connection to UHF and VHF TV signals.
His line of defense against the storm had been severed.
NextEra folks say they’re now working on a solution to the problem. Based upon our contact with the company so far, we are optimistic they will find it.
And our guess is that if the matter gets resolved quickly it will be in no small part to how civilly and thoughtfully Tom Warren brought his concern to the commissioners’ attention. Sometimes it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. — J.R.
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