How we talk to each other here

1. Debate ideas, not people

You can disagree strongly with a proposal without disparaging the person who made it. If you find yourself typing an insult, close the tab and come back tomorrow.

2. Stay on the plan

This site is about Carlton's comprehensive plan. It's not for campaigning for candidates, litigating national politics, or settling old scores. Off-topic threads may be moved or closed.

3. Show your work

Concrete beats vague. "The zoning map should protect the north shore because…" beats "the zoning is wrong." When you can, link to a source, a section of the plan, or a map.

4. Speak for yourself

Don't claim to speak for the town, a board, or a neighborhood you don't live in. If you have a title, feel free to sign your input with it — it adds context, not authority.

5. Privacy for private people

Don't post neighbors' addresses, phone numbers, or personal details without their permission. If a landowner is directly named in a proposal, that's on the record; personal attacks against them are not.

6. No spam, no scams, no LLM slop

Copy-pasted AI walls of text, promotional posts for unrelated businesses, and anything that reads like a form letter will be removed. Say it in your own voice or don't say it here.

How enforcement works

Moderators are volunteers — your neighbors. First a nudge, then an edit or removal, and only after repeated issues a temporary or permanent ban. If your comment gets removed and you think it's a mistake, email hello@plancarlton.org and we'll take another look.