When debates become personal it becomes increasingly difficult to escape our zero sum worlds. Better Together failed that test last week when it responded to a letter from St. Louis alderman Megan Green with a snarky note that diminished the fair and serious questions she asked about the proposal.

I’ve heard from many people in government, from city managers to attorneys to aldermen, who have similar questions. Many of the answers haven’t yet been provided. This is an enormously important matter. Using it to settle old political scores is a recipe for disaster.

Sometimes in politics the hardest thing to remember is that two things can be true at the same time. Better Together did hold many town halls over the past year and seek input from citizens, and yet its rollout of its initiative petition and initial response to questions still felt like a top-down, paternalistic affair to many in the region.

Some critics did miss out on taking an active part in the public process over the past few years, and yet their questions on the proposal that is now before us still deserve to be answered.

Some people simply want to stop the merger. Some elements of the Better Together proposal give off an air of corruption.