Letter to the Editor: Bring the Annual Town Meeting into the 21st century

To The Editor and the people of the town of Westborough as well as the other towns the Community Advocate serves,

Regarding what Mr. Behn said about having “some public discussion to figure out how to prevent people from attending the Annual Town Meeting for one issue then leaving,” why isn's there some public discussion to figure out how to make it more appealing for townspeople to go to the meeting or go to a voting session? Who has time to stay in a stuffy venue for maybe four hours, listen to a lot of hogwash, and then, because of a continuation, do it all over again the next evening? Even if they could make it work for the first evening and feel they'se done their duty in voting, the same issue could be brought up again for reconsideration the following evening and that citizen's vote would have been for naught. Yes, Robert's Rules of Order and all that. More hogwash.

While not a Westborough resident (Southborough here), we too have these “problems.” In this day and age, it's not reasonable to expect people to attend town meetings to have their voices heard. We all have much busier lives than our fore-fathers did. And before you tell me that I can make time for the meeting if it's important to me, what's important to me is not having to stay up later than usual and get less sleep, thereby risking being drowsy as I do my job driving children at 6:30 the next morning, just so I can vote on something and have it brought up for another vote later in the meeting after I'se left.

Why not amend the town meeting so it's an informational session one night, then voting the next? Or, have an informational night for those things that will need a vote, and allow residents to vote at their town hall or some other venue? Anything important enough to be voted on at a town meeting should have voting made convenient so that every resident, including those who cannot attend the town meeting, can have a say. Let's bring the Annual Town Meeting into the 21st century!

Rant over. Time for milk, cookies, and bed.

Charles Dilts, Southborough