Citizen reminder: special town meeting tomorrow (Monday 7-26-10) at the Paris fire station, 7pm.
There have been reminders and highlights in the Advertiser Democrat, the Sun Journal, and The Paris Reporter. The warrant itself has been posted in the Paris town office for almost 2 weeks, and was in TPR on Monday the 19th. The warrant is posted again here.
We all have a stake in how money is spent in the operation of this town, whether we are literally paying money in, or a grant or endowment is being spent on our behalf. We expect straight information, and honest accountability. We will not be patient with spin - and in case any elected official needs to be reminded, we know spin when we hear it.
We citizens almost lost control of this town once. Because several hundred of us rallied, and fought back, we did not. But it is so easy for things to slip though the cracks....
It would hardly take more than one person with a personal need for power to begin to skew our direction; or one individual who operated in a way that included only a select few to begin to narrow public visibility; or a single elected official who might consistently propose only one way of thinking and work to urge others to that personal perspective, a perspective that may or may not reflect what is best for the whole town; and then it would only remain for enough voters to be too busy to look....
It is our expectation that our elected officials have, at all times, the best interests of this town in their minds and actions. But they need to hear from us to know if that is happening. If we don't reflect to them how their actions effect us, they cannot know for sure if they are meeting our expectations. It is a team effort - one component listening to the other and then moving in accord.
We need to speak up. Ask questions. Expect answers. Say Yes - we agree - this is just what we need! or...No - absolutely not - not in my town you don't!
After the town meeting the selectboard will hold their regular meeting. Posted here is the agenda, as well as a list of various town committee members to be appointed.
Our elected officials have a long night ahead of them. They have been having quite a few long nights, as a matter of fact, as do the town manager and town clerk who assist the board, including attending all board meetings. We citizens cannot expect them to act in a vacuum - we are responsible to them just as they are to us. If we can't always get to meetings, we can talk with them apart from meetings, by phone or in person; we can email; we can go to the town office and request information - with advance notice our hard working staff there will assist any question-asker.
But we have to take the initiative. This town belongs to all of us - and any time things even hint otherwise, we need to gather up any red flags, call as many people as we can get a hold of, and do something about it.
Because - if we don't - it's our own fault if we lose control of our town.
