Wednesday January 6
Absentee ballots for both Feb. 1st and Feb. 5th recall elections in Paris should be available.
Thursday January 7
At 7 PM an open town meeting is scheduled for Paris Voters, Paris Elementary School on High Street.
Jan. 6. Despite gloom, doom, threats and diversions, there are 2 separate recall elections scheduled for the first week in February. The law states that 30 days before a referendum election, ballots must be available for those who wish to vote by absentee ballot. (See this site: "Why come out twice? Vote once" and "Has anyone called?")
Paris voters - who are becoming more and more convinced that every single vote makes a difference - can take advantage of the option to vote by absentee ballot, and make just one trip to the polling place and cast 4 individual votes yay or nay.
Jan. 7. Giving voters very short notice, selectmen have very hastily pulled together and scheduled an open town meeting which includes, as of this posting, the following articles for vote:
(1) A petitioned proposal for a replacement recall ordinance, submitted 12-28-09, to repeal the Nov. 3rd ordinance approved by voters 1556 to 537. The replacement ordinance is designed to cancel any recall efforts to date;
(2) Borrowing money to undergo a town wide revaluation, with the intent to do the revaluation this winter;
(3) Transfer of funds to pay for a water tank replacement for the fire department's tanker truck;
(4) Transfer of funds to support a grant request sought by Snow Hoppers Snowmobile Club of S. Paris to repair/replace a snowmobile bridge.
The articles can get rearranged to be voted on in any order. It's important to stay until the meeting is adjourned, because any earlier vote can be reconsidered at any time.
Asking the voters to come out at night, in the middle of the winter, for a couple of hours, does not seem the best way to give all Paris voters the chance to make their wishes known.
It seems, rather, a way to control the number of people who would - or can - come. We must take this as an opportunity, however, and get as many voters out as possible.
All the voters, not just a chosen few, are, and must be, the bottom line deciders for how things are run in this town. Elected officials are answerable to all the voters.
The voters in this town must be wise enough to see through the gloom, doom, threats and diversions.
The focus in this town must be on what makes it strong - the people. All of us.
