Election day is when a town chooses the officials who will execute its will. Annual Town Meeting is the day when, in New England anyway, a town makes its will known.
Although Article 18 on this year’s warrant, to fund the renovation of Town Hall, has been the most discussed around town, it’s worth noting that there are 45 other articles, each of which deserves a full and fair hearing by the town’s legislative body. We expect government officials will come on Saturday prepared to ensure the meeting proceeds smoothly and that definitive answers are arrived at to each of the questions confronting the town.
That’s not what happened last year. Wrangling among town officials over the article to develop plans for the renovation of Town Hall and other municipal buildings ended in a murky mess centered on a statement of intent, approved by Selectmen but not voted on by Town Meeting, which dogged discussion of the issue and made progress difficult for the Municipal Building Committee throughout the year.
That can’t happen again this year. If the town government is to proceed effectively on any issue, it must receive clear direction from Town Meeting, and its officials, elected or otherwise, must be prepared to hear and enact that direction.
Town Meeting voters also should come prepared. Toward that end, the Harvard Press is mailing the paper to every household in town this week, and we encourage you to read through the guide to Town Meeting on pages 16-17 of this paper. We also invite subscribers to visit our website, www.harvardpress.com, and search through our archives for our past coverage of the various issues before Town Meeting.
If this is your first Town Meeting, the Harvard League of Women Voters has an excellent guide to Town Meeting procedure on its website, www.lwvharvard.org/lwvh_townmeeting.htm. It’s worth brushing up on, even if you’re a Town Meeting veteran.
