Cities and towns around the U.S. are increasingly introducing resolutions calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. That includes some municipalities here in New Hampshire.
Lebanon’s City Council passed a verbal resolution in February calling for a cease-fire, a return of all hostages and allowance of humanitarian aid to the region.
Durham passeda similar resolution this week, while city councils of Portsmouth, Manchester and Concord declined to take up cease-fire resolutions.
Devin Wilkie is one of four city councilors who voted in support of the resolution. Wilkie joined NHPR’s Julia Furukawa to talk about what they’ve heard from their constituents and what they believe is the role of local government in speaking out on international conflicts.
Transcript
What have you heard from your constituents on this issue?
A number of our residents brought to us the concern that they would like Lebanon to speak about what's happening in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza. And they brought to us a resolution that they had drafted, with the help of one of my fellow city councilors, to try to ask the city council to pass such a resolution.
Since then, we've heard a lot of comments from people on—I hesitate to say both sides of the issue—but on all sides of the issue largely that people are concerned about their safety and the safety of their friends and family. And so we have seen very much an impact on our residents. It's something that even though it's happening thousands of miles away, it still reverberates over here to Lebanon.
Can you give us some insight on what the conversations on the resolution have looked like at recent City Council meetings?
I think there's been a lot of conversation particularly from the supporters of the resolution who are worried that when they speak out, when they contact their federal representatives, they feel like they're not being heard. And so, they are calling upon us as their elected representatives in the city to give strength to their voice, to help them to be able to speak to their elected officials in the federal government.
In Lebanon and other cities that have been talking about this, those opposed to these resolutions have often argued that it is not the place of local governments to get involved in global issues. As a city councilor, what do you think is the role of local governments in speaking out about international conflicts?
My personal opinion is that we are elected to support our city and its residents. We are elected to be both the servants of our community and the voice of our community. I think that it's not necessarily the case that a municipal government has a say in international affairs, but rather that it has a say in amplifying the voices of its residents. And when we get dozens or even hundreds of our residents coming out, signing petitions, asking us to speak out to amplify their voices, that's when it becomes incumbent on us to speak and to support our residents.
When it comes to goals, what effects are you hoping the cease-fire resolution could have on the city and the community, and more broadly?
One of the things that I hope to come out of this resolution is that we recognize the value of peace. And that we aren't continuing to support or abet through our silence, warfare, fighting, discrimination and other atrocities that are being committed using our tax dollars and using the voice of our government. Another goal that I hope we can achieve through this is to show other individuals, other municipalities, our neighbors, our friends, that you can speak up, that there are people here to support you when you call for peace, when you call for an end to the fighting and the killing of people.
