Editorial
Town Meeting

The purest form of democracy took place Tuesday in Westminster and will take place on Saturday in Ashburnham - the town meeting.

It is an event that is illustrated in the one of Norman Rockwell's famous Four Freedoms paintings with a crowded room. But in today's society of sports games and practices, long commutes home from work and less connection with our neighbors it is hard to get people to commit to attending a meeting.

The more than 200 people that attended Westminster's town meeting should be commended. The only problem is that after more than four hours interest levels had waned with the size of the crowd and those who remained vote most vocally in support of going home.

It is sad to say that in this world of modern technology there does not seem to be a way to speed up the town meeting process and encourage more people to go. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to make computerize participation easy. Or a way to move the meeting to a time convenient for everybody - Saturdays are bad for parents and young adults, while nights are bad for parents and seniors.

Televising the meeting, while a great way to inform residents, will not help encourage people to attend because they can decide to sit back and watch the cable channel like it is reality TV.

And for some, voting on each aspect of the budget is more a theory then a reality as more people move in from towns and cities - or even states - that have moved away from the town meeting.

For those of you who have never been, think seriously about going and enjoying yourself - make an event of it.

First, because you will get a vote and say in the way your community is run. Your vote on the budget helps control the types and level of services that you receive in your town.

Second, it's a great time and a great way to catch up with the people you don't see that often and that live in town.

And finally, you can listen to what other people believe about the way government should run. You may not agree, in fact, you might strongly disagree and think the person is nuts but guess what - they showed up to vote.

Majority or minority - it is those that go to the town meeting and the ballot box that get a say in what happens.