| I attend Town Meetings because I believe it is my civic duty. Attendance at these meetings usually leaves me questioning both my intelligence and my sense of humor. I am clearly lacking in both areas. This evening, for fifty minutes, we debated the value of spending $300,000+ to provide a minimal level of security for the children in our schools. More than 50 percent of that money was to ensure that we could effectively lock our various school doors and windows. The debate centered on the merits of waiting for a "full" emergency safety plan. Gratefully, the town agreed that any emergency plan would at least require that a building could be "locked down." The article was finally approved. No more than three Articles later we approved the transfer of $452,000 from "free cash" to balance the budget that had been approved at the spring Town Meeting. There were no questions raised. The lack of discussion baffles me. We debate ad nauseam the relative value of providing protection to our children for $300,000 yet we approve nearly half a million dollars to balance a five month old budget with no discussion as to why there is an imbalance. Clearly, I must be the only dolt who doesn't get it. Fast forward to the first Article on fluoridation. Whether you support or oppose fluoridation of the town's water supply I think town officials should be ashamed of the way Article 16 was handled. The petitioner and the general public should have been made aware, in advance, that the Article would not achieve their goal of a referendum ballot question in 2007 even with a favorable vote at this Special Town Meeting. In my opinion, any citizen wishing to bring an issue before the public as a ballot question should be advised of the appropriate way to do so. This evening's public "game" was indecent and unfair. Whatever sense of humor I arrived with was lost. I left before this Article was decided. It didn't matter anyway. I missed the Articles on bulk leaf pick-up, an amendment to the Annual Audit by-law and another fluoridation petition. At least I tried to fulfill my civic duty. Someday I hope to leave a Town Meeting without questioning my intelligence and with my sense of humor intact. Ten years and counting. Fran Cress Longmeadow |
