hopkinton-independent-logo2x
Hopkinton, MA
loader-image
Hopkinton, US
4:11 pm, Saturday, November 23, 2024
temperature icon 44°F
Humidity 76 %
Wind Gust: 19 mph

SIGN UP TODAY!
BREAKING NEWS & DAILY NEWSLETTER





Letter to the Editor: How can Town Meeting improve attendance?

by | May 8, 2022 | Letter to Editor

I attended all three nights of Hopkinton’s Annual Town Meeting from beginning to end. The first two nights ended early and the third night started late because we could not maintain a quorum of 128 people. For months, Town Hall staff and various volunteer board and committee members work to prepare and present important articles for Town Meeting. They give up tons of time away from their families to make Hopkinton a wonderful place for our families. The least we can do is show up and vote.

I encourage the Select Board and Town Hall to survey residents to learn why people are not attending. Instead of major changes to our bylaws, are there small adjustments that would make it easier for more people to attend? Are there ways to streamline the meeting and allow for an appropriate amount of deliberation? How can we ensure we’ll have 128 people at 7 p.m.?

In the meantime, I want to help people understand their importance at Town Meeting and will do whatever I can to encourage my friends and neighbors to attend in 2023. An easy way to get involved or interested in attending Town Meeting is to simply pay attention to the happenings in town. I do this by reading the Hopkinton Independent when it arrives in the mailbox, following @HopkintonMA on Twitter and subscribing to eHop’s weekly newsletter (ehop.org). I hope through conversation, creative thinking and decisive action we can have a successful and well-attended Town Meeting in 2023.

— Janice Barry, Hopkinton

Editor’s note: The opinions and comments expressed in letters to the editor are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Independent. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and must include the writer’s name and contact information for verification. Letters should be relevant and not primarily for the purpose of promoting an organization or event. Letters may be edited by the Independent staff for space, errors or clarification, and the Independent offers no guarantee that every letter will be published. For a schedule of deadlines for letters and other submissions for the print edition, click here.

0 Comments

Related Articles

Letter to the Editor: Resident opposes STM Article 8

I urge the taxpayers of Hopkinton to vote no on Article 8 until a strategic plan is offered that is realistic for the townspeople of Hopkinton, agreed upon by the Planning Board, that then can be brought to the state. The first plan was voted down at Town Meeting...

Letter to the Editor: OSPC supports STM Article 5

I write as chair of the Open Space Preservation Commission. Because of a prior contractual agreement, I will miss the upcoming Special Town Meeting. The Open Space Preservation Commission supports Article 5, to transfer care, custody and control of Hughes Farm...

Letter to the Editor: Chamber of Commerce supports STM Articles 4, 8

The Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce supports the Special Town Meeting Article 4 proposal, that the town impose a local sales tax on meals (meals tax). The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously supports a local meals excise tax in order to specifically...

Letter to the Editor: HRTC chair opposes NPVIC

Massachusetts is one of several Democrat-controlled states that have adopted the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). What does this mean? When fully enacted, Massachusetts will have given up its right to award its Electoral College votes based on how...

Letter to the Editor: Civil for Governor’s Council

I am writing to ask for your support for Tamisha Civil for Governor’s Council in this year’s election. As many of you know, Tamisha and I were competitors in the primary, and it was my privilege to get to know Tamisha in that process. She is smart, dedicated and...

Letter to the Editor: Bring back old Main Street

OK, guys, let’s end this engineering and construction practice downtown and give us our old Main Street back! Also, are the light structures going to need repainting every two years? (Lowest bid, I guess.) — Bill and Alice Hamilton, Hopkinton Editor’s note: The...

Key Storage 4.14.22