Happy New Year one and all.
First and foremost enjoy the day. Hopefully that means you aren't going to be reading this until tomorrow. To be true to my resolution, at least for one day, I am blogging nonetheless (even with a late morning post). Besides, it seems Friday morning the weather will be consuming my normal blog time so I might as well get at it.
In an example of kind of "I told you so" using the old maxim that perception is 95% of the battle, I refer you to a comment to yesterday's post, I think the only comment to date. Specifically the statement that "What's been more surprising is how many years the money's been distributed as smoothly as it has been."
Indeed there does seem to be that perception. It in many ways accounts for the feeling that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Now there is no escaping the fact that Town Meetings has for a number of years been running fairly smoothly. Sure there have been the hot button issues that seem to come up every year. But as far as the budget, and as far as general fund spending, one can certainly state that the money has been distributed pretty smoothly.
Come game day, what one can described as the "coaching staff" has reached a consensus on most issues and has essentially an agreed game plan. .
Sure there are a few unhappy players on the squad, but for the most part, the event goes off without a hitch.
To get to that point one certainly has to acknowledge the team effort. Yet as smooth as you might think things go, there is nothing smooth about getting there. Think of several months of full contact drills without pads during the numerous meetings and budget sessions and discussions.
There is nothing smooth about getting to game day.
That is the most surprising aspect about the perception of how smoothly it has been: The simple fact that it has been able to continue to work and hasn't seen a melt down yet.
I actually think that is part of the problem we face too. While the perception is the system works "smoothly", people confuse the system with the main player.
Is that a personal opinion, yes it is. Just as my saying that if you replace the Executive Secretary with another Executive Secretary, you will be replacing the new one with a Town Administrator within three years max is a personal opinion, but one I would go to the bank on.
Well enough for today.
Be safe.
I realize there's a lot of preparation that happens before town meeting. All I meant to convey through my comment was that for all the foreboding, it's always amazing how smoothly town meeting goes. It's surprising there aren't more last ditch efforts by any department to get something.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note: Why is it that, if not every department gets what it wants, as a resident, I don't notice what's missing? How are we still receiving plowing, street lights, education, library services, etc., at the level we are?