Town Meeting Fiasco

A while ago, I wrote an opinion piece on why I thought that the Town Meeting was no longer an effective form of government for North Reading.  Last night’s Special Town Meeting was yet another stellar example of why it’s time to move on.

After the usual endless delay while voters were checked in, the gym was opened for overflow, guests were admitted, an additional moderator was sworn in, etc., the meeting proper kicked off with a premature attempt to preemptively assure a paper ballot. After a less than cordial discussion on why there would be a paper ballot, when it would be the right time to ask for one, and why the microphone wasn’t working, the petitioner was dismissed.

Finally getting underway, the Selectmen asked for a 45 minute leave of the meeting for a presentation. Already frustrated and having no minds left undecided, the townspeople futilely voted down the leave only to be forced to endure the presentation anyway through parliamentary maneuvering. If the Town Meeting is meant as a place for the people to assert their will, this was a total failure and a sham. The good news was that, for the most part, the various speakers condensed their presentations and quickly reviewed the project to date and the decisions ahead.

Many would argue that the real core of a Town Meeting is an opportunity for all to speak their minds and many did last night. Unfortunately, too many of the speakers on both sides of the argument seemed either intent on placing blame or attacking personal motivation, eager to claim expertise in one area or another and criticize how things had been done, or intent on bringing unrelated topics to bear on the decision at hand. The Moderator was too often unable to control the meeting with off topic speeches frequent, spontaneous commentary erupting from both the floor and the front tables, and prevalent heckling from the audience.

By the time the single question on the warrant was finally moved, the meeting was three hours old. The paper ballot procedure prolonged the misery as voters marched to the ballot box as penguins to the sea. The tellers were mercifully quick with their count and the overwhelming majority of support was finally revealed. The roar of the crowd was less for the outcome than for the end as the meeting finally adjourned after 11:00 PM.

One speaker commented last night on her view of Town Meeting as a form of pure democracy. In my view, it’s a pure fiasco. Let’s get rid of it.