NEWFANE-Town Meeting, a state holiday usually held on the first Tuesday in March, is a rare form of direct democracy where residents assemble and become a legislative body.
This form of direct democracy has become an extremely rare endangered species, one where citizens can raise their voices directly without going through elected representatives. It still only exists in parts of Switzerland, Germany...and in Vermont.
Here in Newfane, it takes 85 signatures (or 5% of the town's registered voters) to add an article to the Town Meeting agenda, thus eliminating frivolous, parochial, and irrelevant topics.
Any additional limitation on what can and cannot be discussed at Town Meeting should be vehemently opposed - if not for our own sake, then for the sake of future generations.
It's never a good idea to take power away from citizens.
Bahman Mahdavi
Newfane
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