Henry Raymond
Fairfax News => Current News & Events => Topic started by: Henry on February 28, 2009, 09:07:50 AM
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Last year we had a big crowd with 138 Registered Voters in attendance, however, this is a very poor representation in regards to voting on any big budget items. I was extremely relieved when budgets in particular were put on the Australian Ballot, where at least a larger percentage of the town were able to vote on them. I happened to be fortunate that my employer, IBM, paid me in those early years when I went to Town Meeting. This was not so with other companies and unless you were in business for yourself, you lost a days pay. This is also true today, where you can get unpaid time off.
Even though Town Meeting is now on Saturday, that is a normal work day for many people. The days of M-F 9 to 5 work schedules are pretty much a thing of the past.
I never attended a Town Meeting here in Fairfax until I started work for IBM. My Salary of $35 a week and later $50 a week would have been cut by one days pay had I taken the day off and it certainly was not that I did not have an interest, I just couldn't afford to take the time off.
I appreciate the fact that I can go to the informational meetings, plus have the additional opportunity that many others don't of reading about it on the Internet, as well as articles like Lisa Boucher wrote in The St. Albans Messenger.
With the Austrailian Ballot on most items and the ease of voting by Absentee Ballot, there is absolutely no reason why anyone cannot express their wishes by voting on any item except those that will be voted on today.