PRESS RELEASE

City of Tifton Named a City of Civility by Georgia Municipal Association

TIFTON, March 28, 2023: The City of Tifton has been designated as a City of Civility by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). Tifton adopted a civility resolution in GMA’s new Embrace Civility program on February 20, 2023.

A 2019 poll by Weber Shandwick revealed that over 90% percent of Americans believe that incivility is a problem, with nearly 68% percent identifying it as a major problem. Civility is more than just politeness; it is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions and teaching others to do the same. 

"The City of Tifton is pleased to adopt the Civility resolution to give a written record of our commitment to respecting all people we encounter, celebrating our commonalities, working towards peaceful resolutions when we have differing opinions and recognizing that we can all learn more when we listen, consider and talk things through,” said Mayor Julie Smith. “In today's litigious, angry, social media filled world, we as local elected officials are dedicated to taking the lead in how we conduct ourselves and encourage all to make a personal commitment to making our community a better place through our actions and efforts.” 

GMA, in partnership with the Association’s nonprofit organization, Georgia City Solutions, created the Embrace Civility program to equip Georgia’s cities with resources to create more civility in their meetings and among their residents and meeting attendees. Civil behavior and speech are critically important to a healthy, functional, and respectful society. For public service to be effective, there must be an atmosphere of respect and tolerance and a commitment to a healthy public exchange of diverse ideas and viewpoints. 

“I commend the City of Tifton for embracing civility and adopting the resolution to become a GMA City of Civility,” said GMA CEO and Executive Director Larry Hanson. “We believe that Georgia’s cities have a great platform to model open, free and vigorous debate, while maintaining the highest standards of civility, honest and mutual respect.”

To become a City of Civility, city councils are required to adopt a Civility Resolution and pledge to engage in civil behavior with each other as well as with residents and meeting attendees. Cities also have a civility pledge that can be published or recited at meetings. Learn more about the Embrace Civility program at www.gacities.com/civility. ####