Town Meeting is Harvard’s annual legislative session. Sign in, and you suddenly acquire the powers and responsibilities of a representative of your town. You may speak for or against any article, offer amendments, and cast your vote, along with the other 200 to 300 of the town’s roughly 4,000 registered voters who take part each spring.
The Town Meeting form of government has been described as America’s purest form of democracy. But it’s more than that, as full of local color and as representative of Harvard’s diverse preoccupations as the May Apple Blossom Festival, or the fall League of Women Voters and Harvard Schools Trust Flea Market.
With the meeting moved this year to Cronin Auditorium at the Bromfield School on a weekday evening, some of that color will be lost. Still, for newcomers and veterans alike, here’s a short list of things to look for and do:
Before you come
Make plans to drop off your kids at the Bromfield cafeteria, where the Harvard Girl Scouts and their leaders will provide babysitting every evening that Town Meeting convenes. All ages will be accepted, says troop leader Janice Kennedy.
If you need a ride to the meeting, contact the Council on Aging, which is coordinating transportation to and from the event, at 978-456-4120.
Finally, don’t forget to bring your copy of the Town Meeting booklet and a copy of this paper. Extra copies of both will be available at Cronin, but why waste paper? In addition to its complete list of articles, the booklet contains a handy glossary of Town Meeting terms andd a two-page guide to Town Meeting rules of order by the League of Women Voters.
Attend a board meeting
Seriously. The Planning Board, the Selectmen, and the School Committee are all meeting at 6:30 in Cronin Auditorium to hash out the final wording of articles that will be changed or dropped. Such meetings are open to the public. If you wonder what they might be up to, pull up a chair.
Sign in early
Even if you skip the last-minute scrum of town boards, you’ll want to arrive early and sign in before you do anything else. To participate you must be a registered voter. As you enter the auditorium, you’ll be asked to confirm your status with a “checker” and handed a colored card, which you’ll raise each time the moderator calls for a vote. As 7 p.m. approaches, there’s often a crush at the door, says Vellante, and you may find yourself waiting in line as the meeting gets under way.
Moderator Bob Eubank suggests that if you plan to speak on any of the articles, you should consider claiming an aisle seat for easier access to a microphone. Microphones will be available in both aisles.
The Woman’s Club will be selling coffee, homemade pastries, and apples in the lobby. Get your caffeine and sugar here as you fuel up for the evening deliberations. Food and drink will be allowed in the auditorium.
Tour the civic groups in the lobby
The path to the meeting room is usually filled with booths and easels set up by various groups. Not so much this year, given the lesser amount of space available in the Cronin Auditorium lobby. The Conservation Trust will not be selling their cool hats, but members of the Council on Aging and Hildreth House Improvement Committee will be on hand to explain their scaled-back plans for a renovated senior center. Paige O’Brien says the Board of Health will be handing out literature on how to avoid tick and mosquito bites, as well as a nifty tick removal tool, but she laments the loss of “linger time” to talk with residents.
Pick up the 2013 Annual Report
After you check in, look for copies of the Town Report for all you ever wanted to know about your town. Look for other handouts, such as last-minute changes to the wording of articles. The Town Report includes updates from virtually every board and department in Harvard. Pick any town organization, and you’ll find its latest stats and accomplishments here.
Sneak a peek at the 2013 Citizen of Note
Every year, the selectmen name a citizen of Harvard whose contributions to the town are worthy of special recognition. The name is kept secret until the day of Town Meeting. At some point during the evening, the moderator will pause to announce the name of this year’s choice and invite the individual to step forward, along with family members. For a sneak peek, flip open the cover of the Town Report and you’ll know who it is.
Stick around to vote on Article 53
Yes, it’s the last one on the agenda and may not be taken up until late Tuesday, if the meeting moves quickly, or Wednesday, if it doesn’t. Town officials have had their say throughout the year, now they need to hear from you.
