BRATTLEBORO-On Tuesday, March 3, I will be voting to preserve the institution of Representative Town Meeting, and if that vote fails I will be supporting an open Town Meeting.
Australian ballot does make voting to approve our budget accessible to more people, but it also completely silences the power of the people to add or subtract money from the budget, or to advise the Selectboard about our areas of concern if we vote not to approve the budget. All you can do on a ballot vote is say yes or no to the budget.
A Town Meeting format, whether with representatives or all voters, allows people to argue for and agree on adjustments to the budget, either up or down, and to advise the Selectboard what area they want to see those cuts or additions applied to.
It also allows voters to express why they are voting against a budget, so that if the approval vote fails, the Selectboard will know what they need to change in order to create a budget that voters will approve.
Australian ballot doesn’t allow for any of those things. It’s the voting equivalent of mutely shaking your head yes or no, with no one allowing you to open your mouth and speak.
Removing the power of the people to share their reasoning and ability to adjust our town budgets is an antidemocratic move, as it centers power even more in the hands of the Selectboard. It takes only three board members to approve a budget to present to the voters. Do we really want just three people making all the decisions for our town, with no more voice for the rest of us than a simple yes or no?
Over the past two years, several actions taken by the Selectboard have been met with disapproval from many voters, such as the decision to transfer EMS services to the fire department, the Acceptable Behavior Ordinance, and last year’s initial proposed budget, which would have resulted in a 12% tax increase.
Is this really a good time for us to give up our power as voters to amend or improve the actions of our Selectboard?
For these reasons, I will be voting no on Article 2, no on Article 3, and yes on Article 4, and I urge you to join me.
Robin Morgan
Brattleboro
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