There’s nothing like it.
It’s free, but you paid for it.
It’s moving, aggravating, often frustrating and never fully satisfying – but worth the effort.
It’s the best of its kind, and nearly the oldest.
You can prepare for weeks and fail to impress.
You can just show up and still make a difference.
It’s Town Meeting, and you’re invited.
I remember my first Town Meeting, back some 30 years ago, when, though I was the Vice President of the South Plymouth Little League, I was otherwise disconnected from my community.
That day I sat in the public section of the auditorium of the old North Plymouth High School alongside other leaders of youth sports organizations – and hundreds of young baseball, football and soccer players – to lobby Town Meeting members to approve an article that would bring state subsidies for the construction of new playing fields in Manomet, West Plymouth and Forges Field.
Young parents today would be shocked to see how few recreational fields the town had back then, and the poor condition of the few we had.
It wasn’t easy. The town had to match the state’s donation, and many Town Meeting members were opposed.
But we were given permission to speak during the debate on that one article and, I believe, positively influenced the final outcome.
Town Meeting is the community’s ‘sounding board.’
It is where citizens can directly influence their government, either by showing up and speaking (you need permission ahead of time), by asking one of your precinct’s nine elected Town Meeting members to speak (vote) for you, by serving as an elected member of Town Meeting yourself, or by seeking to change the process or the regulations of Town Government through a citizen’s petition.
You can’t go to a NASCAR race and jump in a car.
You’re not allowed in the kitchen of your favorite restaurant.
But Town Meeting encourages, even depends upon citizen engagement.
The more the merrier.
The more the fairer.
You are invited.
– Frank Mand