Dear Selectmen,
I believe there is reason to consider modifying our Town Meeting and voting process. Having meetings run for hours, up until 11:00 p.m. and sometimes even midnight, significantly reduces the level of attendance and involvement. With so many important issues potentially set for vote at the Fall Town Meeting, I am wondering if there is a way to restructure our current system to enable more voices to be heard. Is it possible to put some issues to ballot and coordinate that vote with the November election? Should we be taking advantage of technology, allowing folks to watch the debate/discussions on tv and vote virtually?
I believe the biggest mistake any form of government can make is to suppress, even without intention, the voices of its citizens. I think our current process unintentionally precludes many from participating with their voice, which means their vote can’t be heard.
As leaders of the town, you will have better insight into this process as well as possible solutions. I am interested in your thoughts.
Thank you,
Alison Eydenberg
254 Main Street
Alison,
I have to agree with you. There ARE participation issues with our current form of Town Meeting, but the most logical cure, elected representatives to Town Meeting, can have results, as I’ve seen first hand in my former Home town, that are worse than the disease.
For the record, since Groton’s “Town Meeting” By-laws do not address time limitations on Groton’s Town Meetings, as such, I’ve been mulling over the idea of placing a Motion before the Town Meeting’s Membership, at the start of this Fall’s Town Meeting, on October 15th, to disallow consideration of any Article on the Warrant after a “time certain”.
Using 9:30 pm as an example: if we are discussing Article 12 as of 9:30 pm that evening, we would finish that discussion and vote, leaving the next Article (in this case, Article 13) until the start of first adjourned session the following Monday. This Motion, for the sake of flexibility, would have to be voted upon, and/or amended with each session of the Fall Town Meeting to reflect the number of Articles left to be acted upon by the Meeting’s membership but, if accepted by the Majority of it’s membership, it would provide those attending, some degree of assurance each session this Fall, will end at a reasonable time.
We’re still in the early phases of discussion on this Motion, with town officials, with the “Time certain” as yet to be determined, so if you, or any other readers have a (reasonable, please!) suggestion for same, feel free to chime in.
As for your idea today’s technology should allow us to act upon Articles from home, there is some truth to what you say, but this approach would limit the level of in person, interactive discussion Town Meetings are noted for. Groton’s “Commission on Accessibility” is considering a project to provide just such a capability to our civic minded, homebound citizens, but here, too, there are many “Traps” and limitations associated with this approach to town governance, legal and otherwise, and the “reality” may not turn out to be what is, otherwise, wished for.
Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Scott Evans Harker
Thank you for bringing this topic up. In my opinion, it is lack of leadership in our elected officials. They continue to read articles as they see seniors head for the exits. Sure I could get up and make a motion, but I feel that is the job of those on stage. They can gauge the audience because they are facing them.
We need a change.
I personally believe in elected town representatives vs town meeting style we have. The system is flawed in so many ways.
Rob Flynn
I am strongly against moving to a representative town government. We all currently have a say and a vote on all important matters. Why would we want to give up our own vote on important matters only to replace it with a vote for a representative. In my humble opinion, we would end up wasting time trying to figure out what representative to vote for and how to influence their vote rather than how we should vote on the actual matter.
In effect, Town Meeting is already a self selecting representative meeting and I am happy with that.
Respectfully,
Gary Green
I totally agree with your perspective, Mr. Green.
As I indicated, my own, former home town, went the Rep. route many years ago while still a relatively quaint Residential/Agricultural place to live. Returned to it a year ago, some four decades after leaving, and I can tell you, today, I would not want to live there.
Over time, as issues related to population pressures associated with being a bedroom town to Boston, began to arise, the town’s residents took on the attitude of, ….we elected “them” to take care of “it” — “them” being Representatives to Town Meeting, and whatever the significant “it” might have been at any given point in time. That growth of civic indifference eventually encroached upon the responsibilities and actions of various town boards and committees as well and, of course, whenever it became apparent no one, collectively, had taken care of ‘it’, or might have taken care of “it” poorly, it was, as a rule, much too late for a concerned few to do much about “it”. The end result was not pleasant to see on my return trip.
Nope! Sorry! Rep. Town Meeting is just a “Cop out” for those who prefer to think their personal time is just too valuable to expend on their civic responsibilities.