Published in the May 13, 2021 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
If the town is still divided as a result of the Warrior logo issue, you wouldn’t have known it from last Saturday’s Town Meeting, where things were so congenial, I feared a chorus of “Kumbaya” might break out at any moment.
Mercifully, the proceedings came to a close before anything so unseemly could transpire.
Compared to last June’s Town Meeting, where long-held personal animosities boiled over, you could almost smell the spirit of community that filled the high school field house last Saturday. Or maybe it was just the lingering odor of gym socks.
Of course, small numbers are conducive to maintaining decorum, and 112 is a small number even by COVID standards. Low attendance often means little discussion, another plus when it comes to maintaining civility.
Some have suggested that low attendance and a lack of discussion from the floor is attributable to the general satisfaction of the citizenry with the way that the town is being run.
That’s one theory.
Another is the ungodly hour at which this year’s Town Meeting was scheduled. Eight a.m. is too early to be anywhere other than bed on a weekday. On a Saturday, it’s the middle of the night. If we started Town Meeting at 7 a.m., we might be able to get attendance down to 50. It’s worth a shot.
The 112 hardy souls who did make it were mute through the first three-quarters of the proceedings. Either that or asleep. It wasn’t until the caffeine started kicking in at about 10:30 that the first questions were asked from the audience.
Another possible factor contributing to low attendance and less participation was the lack of any controversial articles to justify packing the meeting with befuddled newbies instructed to vote on one special article and then leave as boisterously as possible.
Have we finally run out of modern conveniences to ban? Are there no sexist or misogynist board names left to be neutered? Surely this is just a temporary lull and not the end of the crusades. Blame it on COVID.
For his part, William H. Carroll turned in his usual solid performance as Moderator. Try as he did to keep things entertaining, some of his jokes fell flat with the slumberous assembly. It wasn’t his fault. Ask any comedian and they’ll tell you that morning audiences are the worst. That being said, now that Julie Smith-Galvin is chair of the Town Council, maybe it’s time to retire the bit about reversing the order of her last name.
When Town Meetings were held on Monday nights, all we heard was how hard it was for parents of young children to attend. If only Town Meetings were held on a Saturday morning, they insisted, they’d be there with bells on.
Believe it or not, this week they’ve been posting on social media that having kids at home makes it tough for them to be there on Saturdays. If only Town Meetings were held on a week night…
At least now we know these people were never serious about attending Town Meeting.
