Moderator Proposes Warrant Article

How far back the portable microphones go at the March 16 annual town meeting hinges on the second vote of the session. 

Town Moderator Joe Harrington told selectmen Tuesday night his proposal would “establish a rule of the meeting” to “limit the portable microphone service to the first row of the balcony and the whole ground floor” of the Westborough High School auditorium.

Voters sitting beyond this area would use the standing microphones if this proposal, article 2 on the warrant, passes, Harrington said.

The proposal would apply only to this town meeting, he said.

“The people at the standing microphones, whether they came from the balcony or anywhere, would have priority” unless someone holding a portable microphone was “following up a question,” he said.

“This is a way we could kind of move things along a little faster.”

The idea was “something that fell out of the post-town meeting review sessions last year,” Harrington said.

The moderator said he would “be happy to bring it forward and present it” at town meeting if there is consensus by selectmen and the advisory finance committee.

“If not, if you have real reservations, I really don’t want to start the meeting off with an argument over this,” Harrington said, adding that he would ask that the article be pulled from the warrant.

Selectman Timothy Dodd called the proposal “a great idea. (But) I’m not necessarily sure that it needs to be an article.”

Harrington said he proposed the article “so it gets good publicity (and) people don’t walk in there and say, ‘Oh, what’s this all about?’”

Selectman George Barrette said that over the “last couple of years, the standing mics have become more popular.”

“I like the idea regardless, especially since it’s not going to be a big change for people,” he said.

“People know where they are, and will use them.” 

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