Henry Raymond

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: johnmitchell on April 15, 2010, 03:09:22 PM

Title: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: johnmitchell on April 15, 2010, 03:09:22 PM
I have considered proposing to change Town Meeting Day from Saturday to Tuesday and would like input from others.  Attendance on Saturdays has been terrible to say the least.  Your thoughts?
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Rev. Elizabeth on April 15, 2010, 05:36:57 PM
I agree that attendance has been sparse, but I am not sure if changing it to Tuesday would be an improvement.  How many people would be able to miss work to attend?  How many people have the day off?
Would the same 'things' that keep people from attending on Saturday ( lack of interest, lack of urgent issues to be discussed) also effect Tuesday attendance?
Wasn't the change from Tuesday to Saturday done in hopes of increasing attendance?
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: special ED on April 15, 2010, 05:38:30 PM
THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET WOMEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE .they screwed everything up
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: MikeF9 on April 15, 2010, 10:43:13 PM
To move the meeting from Saturday to Tuesday would throw everything in a tizzy.
Any article to be voted on by Austalian Ballot cannot be discussed the same day as the voting. Thus, we couldn't discuss the budgets, school or town. The school meeting would be non existant, and the town meeting would consist of voting to give the Rescue Squad money and adding to the sidewalk fund. We would be in and out in an hour.
If we were voting on the budgets by a voice vote, like we used to, then they can be discussed.
Maybe Monday night would work better. Start at 7pm, it's possible to be done at 10:30/11pm.
They did have it on a Monday night back in 1979, but people voted it to go back to Tuesdays. I thought it was well attended that night.

Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Mike Raburn on April 16, 2010, 02:21:02 AM
ED, you are my HERO!!!

THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET WOMEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE .they screwed everything up
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Rev. Elizabeth on April 16, 2010, 07:29:21 AM
Come on, youse guys, stop being troglodytes!!!
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Henry on April 16, 2010, 09:03:12 AM
You sent me to Google on that word Rev. Elizabeth
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: NorthFairfaxBoy on April 16, 2010, 09:25:19 AM
Come on, youse guys, stop being troglodytes!!!
I loved that song they did "Wild Thing"
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: ohhman on April 16, 2010, 12:39:37 PM
NO!!!!! do you really think it will matter?? I for one know of some that could not attend on a Tuesday as we are lucky enough to have the type of job that if you don't work, you don't get paid! I have lived in town since 1982 & have always voted but only since a Saturday meeting took place could I attend.  This topic has come up before & changing it may only mean different people, not more of them!!! 
SPEC ED....very rude comment!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: trussell on April 16, 2010, 02:55:11 PM
I agree that changing it to Tuesday, especially Tuesday during the day, probably wouldn't increase attendance.  I'm not opposed to it being on a Tuesday night, but again I don't think that it would have much of an impact.  The main thing is that people need to be interested in attending.  If they're interested, they'll find a way to go.
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Shadylane08 on April 16, 2010, 03:02:49 PM
I was pretty young when town meeting day was on tuesday, but I was told that when it was, there were higher attendance then vs now with it on saturday.  So wouldn't it make sense to think that going back to tuesday would actually increase attendance?
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Mike Raburn on April 16, 2010, 11:27:57 PM
Ed is a thread jacker.
He is still my Hero, though.
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: special ED on April 17, 2010, 05:16:19 AM
its a gift
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Julie & 6pt Dave on April 17, 2010, 12:35:08 PM
I don't think that changing to Tuesday will increase attendance. If anything, I feel it would decrease it.
Quote
The main thing is that people need to be interested in attending.  If they're interested, they'll find a way to go.
I agree with Trevor on this one. Obviously people are working all days of the week, but I think you are going to find more people who have a Saturday off than a Tuesday and I don't foresee many working people making the arrangements to take off of work to attend without a real good vested interest (like a voice vote on budgets as it was in the past). I think we will see the same paltry attendance at the actual Town Meeting into the future regardless of the day as long as it is primarily an informational meeting and things are on Australian Ballot. I think the traditional Vermont Town Meeting is a thing of the past in our little town of Fairfax. I think that there will be nothing anyone can do to make the majority of residents take an interest in caring and get them out there to voice their opinion with a vote. I wish I was wrong, but I just don't see it happening.
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Mike Raburn on April 17, 2010, 07:10:28 PM
THAT is why you are SPECIAL ED
http://www.mojvideo.com/video-crank-yankers-special-ed-i-got-mail/5a06a03d159973d84ed1 (http://www.mojvideo.com/video-crank-yankers-special-ed-i-got-mail/5a06a03d159973d84ed1)


its a gift
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: woodstoves2 on April 17, 2010, 09:43:45 PM
The trend is away from physically meeting one another to virtual meetings on the web. There'd be an automatic and sizeable increase in participation by "younger" townspeople if they could "attend" town meeting on whichever communications device they happen to be plugged into. Town meeting could be conducted on-line at the town's website.   While it is sad to see fine old familiar social institutions fade (we'll miss the food), eventually they are replaced with new ones. No hurry, of course. It will come in its own time.  'Just sayin'...
Title: Re: Town Meeting Day Proposal
Post by: Mike Raburn on April 17, 2010, 10:52:01 PM
Wood,

What you stated is a social problem.

When I was on the board of our HOA we used to have meetings in our homes, interact, discuss, and MAYBE have a few adult beverages. Lot's of problems were solved over beverages.....

I did not get back on the board due to work and stuff.
Now they have the meetings at a synagogue up the road that they PAY for.

I myself do not "get" it.

Can some one "splain??