We have almost made it. It’s March. We have survived the deepest, darkest doldrums of what, by most accounts, was an exceptionally dark and dreary winter. The clocks spring ahead this weekend, spring is on the horizon, and honest to God, these days you can hear birds chirping in the morning, if you are lucky.
March is also the start of town meeting season. Not too long ago, every town’s annual town meeting was held this month, but in recent years they have spread out, and the season now extends into June.
Other areas of the country regard New England town meetings as a quaint anachronism, but in such areas, dealing with the government often means dealing with paid flunkies and professional administrators. That is one result of a democratic choice, but it is not democracy.
It is true, our form of government is a famously messy business, one often likened to the production of sausage. It only gets exponentially uglier and messier as the amount of money and the stakes involved increase.
We recognize the trend is moving away from the traditional format, wherein the population gathers together at the same time and place to discuss and decide the issues of the day. Some towns have done away with the open-style meeting in favor of a referendum vote, which does have a track record of improving turnout and, critics allege, stifling debate.
However, at the town meeting level, democracy exists in its best, purest form. Your local government officials are not career politicians. They are your neighbors and the budgets they present for consideration will affect their tax bill too.
We urge you to go to your town meeting, and don’t just go. Participate. It is in your own best interest, and your town’s best interest, to do so.
There may yet come a time when town meetings go the way of all things. Until then however, it is a tradition to savor.
