Democratic government comes in many forms, but there’s little doubt that Harvard’s is about as pure as it gets. Every registered voter who walks into the Bromfield gym on Saturday, April 1, has the right to speak and vote on any of the 50 articles put forward by boards, committees, and citizens. And yet the median turnout over the past seven years for this annual spring event is a mere 7.6 percent of registered voters, a far cry from the 88 percent who turned out for the presidential election last November.
In this, our townwide Annual Town Meeting issue, we’ve tried to make it easier for you to participate. Our “Insider’s Guide to Town Meeting” is an overview for newbies and for residents who have been unable to attend in the past. Our “Warrant in Plain English” is the work of reporters who have been following town government for the past several months. We’ve tried to capture the essence of the 50 articles on this year’s warrant in as few words as possible while offering insight into why they’re being proposed, as well as their ramifications.
When you encounter unfamiliar words, check out our Town Meeting glossary for the jargon you’re most likely to hear Saturday. A few of this year’s articles require more than 250 words to explain, so we’ve done some more in-depth reporting on the nonbinding Devens resolution (Question 4), the citizen petition for a town equity officer (Article 45), the request for money to modernize Harvard’s personnel system (Article 8), and spending to make the old library accessible to its next tenant (Articles 24 and 25).
When you find your attention flagging, there’s always knitting (see our feature on Harvard’s Town Meeting knitters) or coffee in the cafeteria. Or you might get a quick laugh by searching this paper for a few of our less credible stories. (Saturday is April Fools’ Day, after all.)
We hope you find this special edition helpful. Be sure to let us know what we can do to make it better next year. And above all, show up. See you there
