Letter to Fulton from Ethan Parkhurst

reposted from Facebook with permission from Ethan Parkhurst

Good evening friends, neighbors, and fellow residents of Fulton.

Tonight, I want to speak plainly.

Many of you have seen what’s been happening online. Public disagreements. Arguments between elected officials. Comments that feel more like conflict than leadership. And I know many of you are frustrated, disappointed, and even embarrassed by how our city is being represented in public view.

As someone who loves this city deeply, and who has invested time, energy, and heart into its future…I want to acknowledge something important:

When leadership appears divided, the community feels divided.

When leaders argue publicly, neighbors begin arguing publicly.

When tone becomes combative at the top, it echoes throughout the city.

And for that…for the example being set, I am sorry.

Not because disagreement is wrong. Disagreement is healthy. Debate is necessary. Different perspectives are what shape good policy. But there is a difference between productive disagreement and public dysfunction.

Fulton deserves better than dysfunction.

We are a city with strong families, hardworking business owners, proud neighborhoods, and resilient history. We have endured economic shifts, industry closures, population changes, and yet we are still here.

That says something about who we are.

We are not a city defined by online arguments.

We are not a city defined by factions.

We are a city defined by perseverance and pride.

And here’s the truth….no single council member, no single leader, no single voice can carry this city forward alone.

Progress requires collaboration.

It requires respect, even when we disagree.

It requires the discipline to handle disputes in the right rooms, at the right tables, with the right tone.

If we want economic growth, we need stability.

If we want families to move here, we need unity.

If we want businesses to invest here, we need maturity.

If we want young people to believe in this city, we must show them what adult leadership looks like.

Division might get attention. But unity gets results.

I firmly believe that this moment…uncomfortable as it may be….can become a turning point. Conflict often exposes what needs to be strengthened. It reminds us that communication matters. That accountability matters. That the example we set matters.

And here’s what I am committed to and challenge everyone to commit to…

I am committed to civility.

I am committed to keeping disagreements professional.

I am committed to having hard conversations privately before they become public spectacles.

I am committed to reminding every leader, including myself in any capacity I am in or may be in, in the future….that we wanted to be elected to serve, not to spar.

This city does not need more sides.

It needs solutions.

It doesnt always need louder voices.

It needs steadier ones.

It does not need winners and losers inside council chambers.

It needs wins for Fulton.

To the residents who feel frustrated…stay engaged, but stay respectful.

To those who feel discouraged…don’t disengage. We need you.

To those who feel tempted to pick sides..pick Fulton.

We can disagree without being divided.

We can debate without being destructive.

We can compete in ideas without competing in character.

And I believe, genuinely, that this turbulence will even out. Leadership grows. Relationships mature. Priorities realign. But that only happens when we collectively decide that the mission is bigger than the moment.

Fulton’s future is too important to be reduced to comment sections.

Our children are watching.

Our neighboring communities are watching.

Potential investors are watching.

Let’s show them who we really are.

Let’s show them a city capable of respectful debate.

Let’s show them leadership that works together, even when it doesn’t think alike.

Let’s show them that Fulton is stronger united than divided.

Because at the end of the day, we all want the same things….a safe city, growing opportunity, thriving neighborhoods, and a future we can hand to the next generation with pride.

That future will not be built against each other.

It will be built with each other.

Thank you and let’s move forward together.

~Ethan

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