Tuesday is here

Tuesday, December 4, 2012 - Special Town Meeting tonight at 7:00 P.M.  at the Hastings Middle School.  Expected Duration:  should be over in 1 1 /2 hours, +/- 15 minutes.  Could it last longer, absolutely, you never know with certainty what issue some member of the meeting will have about an article.  And that is exactly why we hold the meetings, isn't it.  

Fairhaven has the largest representative Town Meeting membership in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  I personally think that is fantastic.  The one criticism I have relative to meeting membership though are the "at large" spots.  

Sorry, but I don't agree with those particular seats.  In a nutshell, just about every elected official (if not every one), along with the chair of the fin com is designated an at large member, along with any town resident who would be a state rep or senator.  Why?

Should an elected official have the automatic right to address Town Meeting, absolutely yes.   Should they be given an automatic vote in the legislative body also, in my opinion no.  This doesn't mean I advocate preventing them from running for a town meeting seat.  Just means that if they want one of those seats, they should also have to run for it.

I have heard the arguments in favor of giving them a vote.  The most compelling one is that by giving them an automatic vote, it frees up a space in the precincts for another citizen.  I get that, and actually despite my personal opinion, am willing to leave it as is because of that one point, but will put out that a fair number all ready hold the dual offices of town meeting member elected and other position elected.  

Not a major point really, just a thought worth noting.

Anybody out there actually read the DOR report yet?  The town has a link to the report.  

the most important thing for ever person to keep in mind, is if we as a town wish to consider the recommendations seriously, than we as a town have to understand that about 60% of those recommendations are tied together.  The linchpin of the report is the strong town administrator.  If we aren't going to do that, or at least seriously look into it, than we might as well chuck most of it into the garbage.  

The "turf" mentality has to be wiped away from the thought process.  As far as my "turf", I have no problems with any of the recommendations in that report.  The bulk of the same are on issues that have been addressed previously or for which steps have been implemented.  

As to number of members and method of appointment to the finance committee, both need to be looked at and both changed if it is needed or wanted.  

I have stated over the years, numerous times, both publicly and in private conversations, and I think once or twice in a blog, that my personal opinion is once you get over 7 members on a working committee you have too many.

But again it is a personal preference.  It is not any hard or fast rule, and the maker-up in the end is what the people will want.  As to method of appointment, the same really should be looked upon.  Will a committee appointed by say the Town Moderator be a better committee?  Will it be less prone to politics?  Will it run more effectively?  All could be answered yes, but there is no guaranty.  The big issue becomes who will be the person making the appointment.

Should some thought go into the qualifications of a person when appointed to any board or committee.  Absolutely.  Just as some thought should go into who actually gets elected to positions.  

In the end, whether you have 7 or 13 members and how they are appointed will only work based upon who does what and who ends up appointed.  Always helps to have people to choose from.  

It isn't an issue to me in the sense that we have to have 13 or we have to maintain the same method of appointment.  If changes will improve operation, than by all means we need to find the right change.

Enough of that ramble, where were we?  Turf!

The once piece of turf I wouldn't touch, with whatever warts it may have, it our present Town Meeting.  Could it be tweaked  well see above.  Will any tweaking really make it better, not really.  But someone out there may have something to offer and I would certainly listen.

As to the rest of the field, well get a rototiller, dig up all the turf and start from scratch.