At the last Town of Berlin council meeting, there was plenty of good that came out of Councilman Dean Burrell’s questioning of the recently released marketing video of the town.

Burrell did the right thing by bringing up the issue in public rather than allowing any misunderstanding to fester behind the scenes. As a representative of the town’s constituents, it’s his job to ensure those who may feel any struggle to be heard that the council is listening.

Burrell’s questioning of the lack of diversity in the video allowed those involved in its making an open forum to satisfactorily explain and put to rest any feelings of discontent from members of the community, who felt the broad spectrum of town residents was not being represented.

Without raising the question, residents would not know that the video, the focus of which was on shopkeepers rather than the community at large, was just one in a series that will be introduced this coming year. Other videos marketing the town’s events and amenities are in the works, and will provide a look at the entire fabric of the community.

While some felt his comments made too big of a deal out of the situation and others saw the circumstance as evidence of division within the community, there is a much more positive takeaway: it is refreshing to find a community where issues, sometimes sensitive in nature, can be openly discussed with understanding and lack of rancor.

Open and honest communication is really the only way any community can move forward to bridge any divide that may exist.