230 Mayors to Sign Tucson 'Civility Pact'

More than 230 mayors are meeting in Washington this week and they plan to sign a "civility accord" thought up by Tucson's mayor after the shootings in his city. Mayor Robert Walkup aims to have mayors take the lead in restoring civility to politics. His accord urges mayors to "strive to understand differing perspectives,” to “respect the right of all Americans to hold different opinions," and to "choose words carefully."

Analysts say the move toward civility is more likely to gain more traction at the local level than in Congress. "Most mayors have to deal with rather practical issues—garbage removal, snow removal—and it’s not the stuff that makes for great traumatic rhetoric," a Princeton professor of history and public affairs tells the Christian Science Monitor. “Republican mayors can’t always be staunch conservatives, because they have to deal with Democrats to get stuff done." (More Tucson, Arizona stories.)