It takes a controversy to draw a crowd, and the Hildreth Elementary School building project is this year’s hot-button topic. Perhaps you’re among those attending this year’s Annual Town Meeting for the first time. Not to worry, though—this guide should give you all the information you need to navigate the process and make your voice heard. And even if you are an experienced attendee, you need to know about this year’s significant changes. We’ll cover what you need to know here.
So make sure you read up before the Town Meeting Saturday, May 5, at 9 a.m in the Bromfield School gymnasium (and Cronin Auditorium).
Each year, citizens arrive at town meeting to take on the role of Harvard legislators. You can voice your opinions on articles, offer amendments, and vote on issues alongside your friends and neighbors. This year, however, the elementary school project is drawing more voters to the meeting, with attendance expected to be twice that of recent years. Regardless, all registered voters who attend the meeting will have their votes counted, just the same as always.
Changes from previous years
Because so many citizens are expected at this year’s meeting, there are some differences between this and others you may have attended. First, attendees will be split between the gymnasium and the auditorium, with nonvoters being required to sit in the auditorium. The gym can hold only 720 people, per the fire code, and voters are prioritized for those seats. Don’t worry, as the meeting will be broadcast in the auditorium as well, so people seated there won’t miss a thing. In fact, even voters that end up sitting in the auditorium can still speak on issues if they wish, though they will need to walk to the gym to line up for the microphone.
Another atypical aspect of the meeting is the use of paper ballots for voting on Article 25, the elementary school building project. These ballots should help ensure your vote is counted accurately and quickly, since this issue is a primary concern for many attendees this year. For most other issues, you’ll still vote by raising the card that is handed to you when you first arrive. Be sure to hang onto it.
Child Care
Children will not be allowed in the gymnasium during Annual Town Meeting, though they can watch from the auditorium with the other nonvoters and latecomers. Making arrangements for your child beforehand is strongly encouraged. The League of Women Voters is organizing baby-sitting at the Bromfield School, for which you can sign up online at the League’s website (www.lwvharvard.org/). While nobody will be turned away, a donation of $20 per family is requested, in order to pay the teen sitters.
Ride arrangements
Looking for a ride? The Council on Aging has you covered, as it plans to pick up interested seniors at their homes starting at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and provide transportation to the meeting. To sign up, call the COA at 978-456-4120 by 3 p.m. Thursday. Seniors can also park at Hildreth House and the COA van will bring them to Bromfield from there. The COA van will make several trips to and from the school as well, so seniors don’t necessarily need to stay for the entire meeting.
For all other attendees, carpooling is a must. Parking will be at a premium this year more than most, and by sharing a ride with someone else you can help make the process smoother for everyone. For the easiest arrival possible, get to the meeting early and carpool with someone. Of course, if you can walk or bike to the meeting instead, that is also an excellent option.
What to bring
You should have received a Town Meeting booklet in the mail, which contains heaps of information about everything to be discussed at the Annual Town Meeting, as well as the rules of order for the meeting itself. Bring this issue of the Press, too, as its “Warrant in Plain English” should help clarify the proposals and other matters up for discussion.
Sign in early
The Annual Town Meeting will begin at 9 a.m. sharp, but you should try to get there earlier if possible. Due to the high expected turnout, early arrivals will have an easier time parking and navigating the building, as well as a much better chance of getting a seat in the gymnasium rather than the auditorium. Although the meeting starts at 9 a.m., the doors open at 8 a.m. so you can get in quite early.
You will need to confirm that you’re a registered voter with a “checker” in order to vote during the meeting. You’ll be given a colored card, which you will raise to vote on all articles, with the exception of number 25, the school building project. Arriving early means you can get ahead of the crowd that’s sure to form around the “checkers” and will ensure you’ll be in your seat by 9 a.m. As an added bonus, if you arrive early enough you may get to see some of the various boards meeting to finalize their articles before Town Meeting commences.
Plan for lunch
No food will be sold in the Bromfield cafeteria, though it will be open for seating during the lunch break. Instead, the town has arranged for food trucks to set up shop outside the school. Jackson Effie Coffee Cabin will be around until 9:30 a.m., while the Vesta Pizza and Grumpy Dogs (hot dogs) food trucks will arrive for lunch. You can also pack a lunch and eat it during the break instead, if those options don’t appeal to you. The discussion on the school building project is scheduled to run for two hours and is expected to start around 10:30 a.m., so the lunch break will most likely start between 12:30 and 1 p.m.
The process itself
As for the meeting itself, you may be wondering how things will proceed once you’re in your seat. Discussion and voting are organized according to rules designed to keep proceedings civil and orderly. People wishing to speak to an article will be asked to wait in line. Upon reaching the microphone, they should introduce themselves before speaking, and, in the interest of time, should refrain from repeating points already covered by previous speakers. Voters may offer an amendment to an article, which the board proposing the article may choose to accept as a “friendly amendment,” immediately changing the article. If the board does not accept it, the amendment will be put to a vote. These amendments must be within the scope of the original article, as judged by the moderator and Town Counsel Mark Lanza. Town Moderator Bob Eubank manages all the proceedings and has wide latitude to decide how best to keep the meeting orderly and efficient. Because this meeting will be split between two rooms, an assistant moderator, Bill Barton, will perform these duties in Cronin Auditorium.
A limited number of Town Reports will be available and supplies may run out early. Additionally, some groups may have prepared handouts with information that is more detailed and up-to-date on certain articles than what’s in the Town Meeting booklet you received by mail, so make sure to grab these and read them carefully when you have the chance. Bring along your copy of this paper and its handy Warrant in Plain English. You want to be well-informed before you cast your vote.
Stick around until the end
Although the school building project is the primary attraction for many voters at the meeting, there are other issues significant to Harvard that will be voted on afterward. For instance, articles related to affordable housing, marijuana, and senior tax relief and deferrals will come up during the afternoon. Plus, if other voters leave following the school building vote, it is likely that all remaining attendees will fit in the gymnasium after lunch. So staying for the whole meeting may mean you have a better seat after lunch, even if you arrived a bit late.
