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Conduct B. CONDUCT This section is designed to describe the manner in which Members should treat one another, City staff, constituents, and others they come into contact with when representing the City of Sunnyvale. The constant and consistent theme through all of the conduct guidelines is "respect." Members experience huge workloads and tremendous stress in making decisions that could impact thousands of lives. Despite these pressures, Members are called upon to exhibit appropriate and respectful behavior at all times. 1. Elected and Appointed Officials' Conduct with One Another Elected and appointed officials have a wide variety of backgrounds, personalities, values, opinions, and goals. Despite this diversity, all have chosen to serve in public office in order to support the community. In all cases, this common goal should be acknowledged even though individuals may "agree to disagree" on contentious issues. 1(a). In Public Meetings Use,formal titles Elected and appointed officials should refer to one another formally during public meetings, such as Mayor, Vice Mayor, Councilmember, Chair, Vice Chair, Board Member or Commissioner followed by the individual's last name. Practice civility and decorum in discussions and debate Criticism is an essential component of democracy. This does not however, allow public officials to make belligerent, personal, slanderous, threatening, abusive, or disparaging comments. No shouting or physical actions that could be construed as threatening will be tolerated. Honor the role of the chair in maintaining order It is the responsibility of the chair to keep members on track during public meetings. Members should honor efforts by the chair to focus discussions on current agenda items. If there is disagreement about the agenda or the chair's actions, members should follow parliamentary procedure to voice their objections politely. Avoid personal comments that could offend other members If a member is personally offended by the remarks of another member, the offended member should note the actual words used and call for a "point of personal privilege" that challenges the other member to justify or retract their language. The chair will maintain control of this discussion. Demonstrate effective problem-solving approaches Members have a public stage to show how individuals with disparate points of view can find common ground and seek a compromise that benefits the community as a whole. For ease of reference in the Code of Ethics and Conduct, the term ",19ember-refers to any member of the Sunnyvale City Council or the City's boards and commissions established by the City Charter, City Ordinance or Council policy. Page 6 of 15 Approved by City Council on 2/14/2023