‘Purest form of democracy?’ Hardly

BY JO ANN AUGERI SILVA

“Open Town Meeting is the purest form of democracy.”

I’ve heard this phrase so many times in the past 53 years. No question, those who proclaim it firmly believe it’s true.

I disagree. Consider the sometimes rowdy, occasionally contentious, intensely public spectacle that is the open town meeting, at least as it’s practiced here in our beloved, nearly 400-year-old town. Consider the catcalls when speakers “run long.”

Consider the desperate calls for a quorum when the Town Meeting itself runs long.

Consider the long lines at the microphones. Often, folks in the line are unclear on the concept and feel compelled to demonstrate their lack of information by asking question after question. And there’s an equal number of folks who are sure they know far more about the concept than any of the town officials presenting information and want to demonstrate their superior knowledge by making long presentations themselves.

Consider the fellow who, tired of listening to people he disagreed with, demanded that the moderator “call the vote.”

(FYI — and yes, this did make me cranky — the accurate term is “call the question.”)

What made me even more cranky is the number of people he inspired. They loved the idea of calling the question so much they did it all night, even during presentations.

To prepare for annual Town Meeting, the town administrator, Select Board, Finance Committee, school superintendent and School Committee members, town department heads, the chairs of the many town committees and commissions, and, critically, the town moderator, work months to craft the language and mathematical data embedded in each of the articles in the Town Meeting warrant (basically, the agenda items for the meeting).

They hold hearings on the warrant, which are then dutifully and accurately reported in our local media. The officials also work with citizens who want to make changes in town government to be sure their warrant article proposals are phrased legally and clearly.

They do all this to inform the town’s voters about what to expect before Town Meeting begins, to try to ensure that the meeting runs in an orderly fashion, following the parliamentary procedure detailed in Benjamin Johnson’s “Town Meeting Time.” (Note: Town Meeting does not follow Robert’s Rules of Order.)

Sometimes — and with some voters — that preparation and education works. Some people show up at the Veterans Memorial

Middle School auditorium with facts and figures, not to mention intelligently considered opinions, delicately balanced in their brains. Many town employees and volunteers have prepared statements and presentations that expand on the bare facts in the warrant to help voters feel clear about each topic.

However, no matter what the year, what the hot topic, some folks sign in at the front door who never think about warrant articles until the printed copy of the Finance Committee Report is in their hands. It’s rare that these folks sit quietly befuddled in their uncomfortable folding seats. Usually, they queue up in the aisles waiting for their turn to ask uninformed questions at the microphones set up for that purpose (see rant above). This is their right. I wish it weren’t.

Here’s the thing: Those who’ve diligently worked to craft cogent presentations about complicated issues deserve the courtesy of a fair hearing. And those who have spent no time at all considering the pros and cons of complicated issues have the right as citizens to ask uninformed, often whiny, questions. Is this the same set of rights?

According to the concept of “open town meeting,” it is. Any registered voter in town can come to Town Meeting and vote and/or