Keating: Win or lose, Tempe must reunite after contentious Arizona Coyotes election

I know I don’t have to tell you the special election to approve or deny the Tempe Entertainment District has been, to borrow a word from my grandmother, a “spirited” process.

With what I believe will be a record municipal election turn out, Tempeans have again proven themselves to be thoughtful and deliberative participants in their local government.

Regardless of where you stand on this issue, I’m sure you have friends, family or colleagues who are on the other side.

Voters will do what’s best on Coyotes arena

Both the Yes and No coalitions comprise people of all backgrounds from all over the city and across the political spectrum. Both sides’ passions have shown through, and there have been vigorous campaigns run in support and opposition.

The campaigns have ended, and voters will pick a winner. I have no doubt their decision will be what is best for our city and that everyone will accept the results. I urge all Tempeans to join me.

I encourage both sides to be gracious, whether in victory or defeat.

Take time to celebrate the victory or mourn the defeat as you will. It is only natural after the accumulation of a yearlong and emotional debate, which will end when results are released Tuesday night.

How we react after says a lot about our city

Now is not a time to gloat, however.

It is not a time to take pleasure in someone else’s disappointment but, rather, to remember we Tempeans are all family.

No good comes from rubbing the other side’s face in their loss. It only exacerbates the healing process and makes the side doing it look small.

Sending mean Tweets, continuing months-old threads on other social media platforms or otherwise taking jabs at each other is almost never the answer.

It certainly isn’t becoming of our city.

In the heat of any campaign, it can be easy for tensions to run high, or to assume malice where there is honest disagreement.

Let’s avoid assuming ill will and give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Tempe residents agree on more than we disagree

Instead of assigning ulterior motives, let’s accept we are one people trying our best to move our city forward.

The truth is, everyone on the two sides agrees on a whole lot more than we disagree.

Personally, I will be calling that friend from the opposition on May 17 to reconfirm our shared interest in Tempe continuing to be the jewel of Valley.

I encourage every Tempean to do the same.

Now it’s time to come together, heal and lead our city to a better tomorrow, together.