WARDSBORO-First, I am not a resident of Brattleboro but a frequent visitor since the mid 1970s, so I have seen many "flavors" of the town over that time period.
I am wondering what the big deal is about the Acceptable Community Conduct Ordinance. These types of ordinances and policies are part of everyone's life. I have never worked for an employer that didn't have an employee policy manual which clearly defines unacceptable conduct, including things like sexual harassment, bullying, dress codes, etc.
As a matter of fact, an employer that doesn't clearly define acceptable employee conduct exposes themselves to expensive litigation on numerous issues of conduct.
My community hospital (home to my personal care physician) has a patient conduct policy clearly posted at entry points and throughout the building. It states "Aggressive Behavior Will Not Be Tolerated" and then states that service can be denied and the person banned from care for unacceptable conduct.
It should be noted that the hospital has a duty to protect its employees from such conduct. Heck, when I go to see a movie at the Latchis, there is a reminder of acceptable conduct before the movie starts.
Probably the most obvious standard of community conduct are the no-smoking laws, ordinances, and policies. We as a society have said that smoking is unacceptable in many situations - in restaurants, in public and private buildings, and in many public and private outdoor places.
The idea that an addiction to nicotine is an excuse to allow smoking in certain places is thoroughly rejected by society. There are no "low barrier" restaurants for those with nicotine addictions.
I see no reason that Brattleboro can't choose to define what is and what isn't acceptable public conduct on its streets.
Mickey Nowak
Wardsboro
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