Town Politics Options

[lusting_kay]

When I first moved to my town I decided I was going to be 'involved'. I went to a town meeting and listened as one of our selectmen interrupted the meeting so that some one in the audience could voice themselves. Despite a pretty clear explanation of parliamentary procedure by the moderator, the selectmen could not understand why she couldn't be heard, or the procedure to be heard.

Later on I learned this person owned a book store!

I said I would one day run against him on principal. Well, some one else beat me to it and beat him. Last year he ran for state rep...and lost. Now...I am running against him for Town Moderator.

Funny how stuff happens

[sixpinelbow]

Good for you bra. Being the Moderator is not an easy job at town meeting once the peanut gallery starts chirping.

Last year I missed Lester's no hitter because I was at Town Meeting.

[lusting_kay]

Good for you bra. Being the Moderator is not an easy job at town meeting once the peanut gallery starts chirping.

Last year I missed Lester's no hitter because I was at Town Meeting.

I missed it because MY WIFE WAS THERE AND I HAD LIAM!

*sigh*

[Rick O'Shea]

[moon_brain]

I had to help cover North Reading's Town Meeting for cable last night, still had to get up to teach a full day of H.S. I honestly don't understand how Selectmen, School Comm. people and the like are able to get up for their day jobs after coming home at midnight from their executive sessions and such. I admire their superhuman qualities as much as I'm bewildered by them.


I've also started going to (and videotaping, voluntarily) my own City's Council Meetings. For better or for worse, they end much earlier than NR's!!

[FrankD]

I've been appointed to a few committees and currently serve on the Sustainable Green Committee and have been asked to join the Marathon committee.

I don't see how people have the time, but then everything kind of works in slow motion so there's that.

GOOD LUCK by the way!

This post has been edited by FrankD: Apr 7 2009, 04:29 PM

[Danny Boy®]

I missed it because MY WIFE WAS THERE AND I HAD LIAM!

*sigh*

Liam? Liam? Great name!

[sixpinelbow]

Anyone who bitches about their town's services that doesn't go to annual town meeting can go fuck themselves.

[Flipper]

Anyone who bitches about their town's services that doesn't go to annual town meeting can go fuck themselves.

True enough, though there are a shit-ton of loud-mouthed idiots who attend these regularly just for the sake of hearing themselves yammer (loudly) on about things like "DEVELOPAHS RUINING OWAH TOWN" and such.

A couple of years ago in Burlington, where I grew up, there was a town meeting where the marquee topic was an I.C.E. facility that was being installed at The New England Executive Park in said town. It was a veritable shitfest of R-dropping townie, NIMBY fuckheads frothing at the mouth about something they had very little understanding of, and yet were vehemently against and terrified of.

[sixpinelbow]

True enough, though there are a shit-ton of loud-mouthed idiots who attend these regularly just for the sake of hearing themselves yammer (loudly) on about things like "DEVELOPAHS RUINING OWAH TOWN" and such.

A couple of years ago in Burlington, where I grew up, there was a town meeting where the marquee topic was an I.C.E. facility that was being installed at The New England Executive Park in said town. It was a veritable shitfest of R-dropping townie, NIMBY fuckheads frothing at the mouth about something they had very little understanding of, and yet were vehemently against and terrified of.

This is precisely why:

A. I don't envy LK for getting the Moderator gig if he wins

B. Well thought out, reasonable and intelligent people like yourself need to be on hand to get your turn to speak to the rabble and also vote responsibly.

[FrankD]

True enough, though there are a shit-ton of loud-mouthed idiots who attend these regularly just for the sake of hearing themselves yammer (loudly) on about things like "DEVELOPAHS RUINING OWAH TOWN" and such.

A couple of years ago in Burlington, where I grew up, there was a town meeting where the marquee topic was an I.C.E. facility that was being installed at The New England Executive Park in said town. It was a veritable shitfest of R-dropping townie, NIMBY fuckheads frothing at the mouth about something they had very little understanding of, and yet were vehemently against and terrified of.

when I lived in Somerville we went to a hearing about Cell Phone towers....they were relatively new then and people were HUGELY against them.... one of our neighbors organized a ton of people to go and complain at a committeee meeting....

a few people made these flowery anti radiation speeches when someone finally exlpained that thtowers would be a safe distance away and that the matter in front of the board was weather or not to change some historic wood on the top of a tall building in order to accomodate the towers so that they would not be seen from the street....I spoke in favor of the towers after I figured out what was what because it just didn't make any sense to change anything, just put the towers up and NIMBY people stop bitching.....

[lusting_kay]

Liam? Liam? Great name!

Thank you

[EricDoberman]

Unfortunately participation in municipal politics at the grass roots level tends to favor non-productive members of the community, scheduling-wise.

Given their druthers the old biddies who go ga-ga over stupid shit like "traffic calming" will actually schedule their stitch and bitch sessions between 9:00am and 5:00pm on weekdays, just to shut-out those few remaining people with lives/jobs who are stubborn enough to miss pub night or their kids' soccer games to "represent."

Good for you though, LK. Heck, at the official level you might be able to make a small difference.

This post has been edited by EricDoberman: Apr 7 2009, 09:33 PM

[FrankD]

Unfortunately participation in municipal politics at the grass roots level tends to favor non-productive members of the community, scheduling-wise.

Given their druthers the old biddies who go ga-ga over stupid shit like "traffic calming" will actually schedule their stitch and bitch sessions between 9:00am and 5:00pm on weekdays, just to shut-out those few remaining people with lives/jobs who are stubborn enough to miss pub night or their kids' soccer games to "represent."

Good for you though, LK. Heck, at the official level you might be able to make a small difference.

yup, seen this happen......

[Flipper]

...old biddies...

I used to love when Jerry Williams would call some bitter old twat who called in to his show just to piss and moan about nothing an "old biddie".



Man, a huge piece of good talk radio died with that man.