Serving the Vermont Champlain Valley Area for 45 Years
Saturday May 5, 2018 Edition
Main Sections
Front Page SportsValley VitalsIt's in the StarsStarwiseArchivesLinksAbout The VoiceContact Us







And Soon We Gather Together A Look at Town Meeting

Tuesday March 1, 2016

By Cookie Steponaitis

On the first Tuesday of March each year something truly American and unique happens. All around the state, towns hold meetings to elect officials, conduct business, approve the budget and discuss and vote as citizens. Whether brief or lengthy, these gatherings are the living proof of direct democracy and that people can and do govern themselves. The presence of discussion, debate and even possible disagreement are not only seen and heard but encouraged. Each citizen’s voice can be heard and often does make the difference in the outcome of a discussion or a vote.
   Town meetings date back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1633 and commenced in Vermont in 1762 in Bennington. Topics up for discussion during those years included what goods could be used to pay taxes and if it was proper and healthy for pigs to run free in town. At the heart of all Town Meetings is the procedure of Robert’s Rules of Order. After an article is read aloud by the Town Moderator, a voter raises their hand to be called on and can make a motion to adopt the article. After a second of the motion, discussion, debate and any possible amendments to the motion, the vote will be called for. There can be a voice vote, a hand count or a paper ballot. One key requirement is that the citizen is there in person to vote. No one else can cast your vote for you. Town Meetings serve a vital role in providing a place, opportunity and structure for a community to discuss all kinds of issues such as setting policy and to gain information or link local trends and votes to national issues and policies.
   Too busy to stop on by or perhaps not sure how it all works? Town Meetings are one of the purest forms of democracy in action and one of the closest links to our U.S. Constitutional roots and for all ages. It is a treasure where you get to put in your own ‘two cents' and listen more than you speak to those who are in action keeping the town running. Come and give it a try and if you are a veteran, get back to your roots, heritage and be a part of American democracy at its simplest and some would say it most effective level.


 Printer Friendly  Top
Advertisements


Search our Archives


· More Options



   

Agricultural Weather Forecast:

© 2006-18 The Valley Voice • 656 Exchange St., Middlebury, VT 05753 • 802-388-6366 • 802-388-6368 (fax)
Valleywides: [email protected] • Classifieds: [email protected] • Info: [email protected]