Letter to the Editor: Making Town Meeting More Efficient

To the Editor:

I'd like to thank all the residents who took the time to vote on Saturday. The turnout was higher than normal, which is great, and I share the goal of Bill Sandalls and other residents to make such turnout a more regular occurrence.

I will also continue to work with The Weston Town Meeting Advisory Committee (WTMAC) to try to make Town Meeting and town governance more engaging and efficient, and to increase the opportunity for more residents to be heard.
As we look ahead to tonight's Town Meeting, I will be adopting some recent WTMAC recommendations:

• That the assembly vote to limit formal presentations by the sponsors of each article, and by their opponents, to 20 minutes each, with no individual person speaking for more than 10 minutes each;
• That the assembly vote to limit speakers from the floor to 5 minutes, with no specific limit on the number of times they may return to the podium after others have had a chance to speak;
• That additional microphones be provided, for improved accessibility rather than for pro and con comments.

Once our business for this Town Meeting is completed, I look forward to hearing from WTMAC for more suggestions as they continue to explore ideas, and encourage others to provide ideas, comments, and suggestions.

I hope to see you all at Town Meeting tonight at the High School, starting at 7:30 p.m.  And remember, that Weston High School students will be offering child care tonight, 7 to 10 p.m., in the High School cafeteria.

Regards,

Wendy Spector