So. Did the special town meeting on July 26th accomplish what it set out to do? About 70 Paris voters made the time to come to the Paris Fire Station in the middle of summer to do their part. Not to mention the town office staff who repeatedly have been pressed into extra service in recent weeks.
There were informed citizens who spoke out and asked pertinent questions. This is what should happen; and it did. The meeting moved according to protocol, and rudeness did not slow things down as it did at the annual town meeting in June. Bravo, Moderator Vern Maxfield.
The 4 items on the agenda were not block busters: the medical marijuana issue has never been fully discussed in public, despite the public hearing opportunity that felt like it was slipped in one day just before a selectboard meeting. The decision to go with a moratorium has only postponed any real decision making.
The payment to the former town manager did not need to be on the warrant at all - in the form that it appeared - to be voted on by anybody [editor's note: the only thing the selectboard needed from the public was the ok to release the funds from one budget source or another]; though there was a palpable force in the room when the unanimous "yes" vote was taken, lest the selectboard lose heart and default on their long-time-in-coming decision.
The Paris fire department. How can we not be supportive...how can we not think that Chief Frost has the best interest of this town in his thinking...how can we not bite the bullet and cough up the funds necessary? It would seem that some people think there is some other way to protect us and our homes...? Perhaps they will be more forthcoming in the Monday night meeting.... So the decision to go with Chief Frost's request - supported by some on the selectboard - to accept a portion of the fire fighters as regularly paid employees - still faces some challenges.
TPR feels that each individual voter must make his or her own decision on this and all matters. It would seem obvious who cares about this town, and who has an individual perspective with a personal spotlight attached.
And then there is the decision on when an elected selectboard official takes office. Just get on with it. Pick a date - stick with it, move on. The lawsuit is done; there is no need to fiddle around any more. The voters attending did just that - they voted, and showed every intention of moving on.
There followed the regular selectboard meeting: selections for committees; arguments for why this or that should happen or not.
And now we are at the 2-week mark in the month: where the selectboard meets again, giving the public a window on who they are, how they work, and what is really at stake in how our town is run....on our dollar.
Monday, August 9th, Paris town office, selectboard meets at 7 pm. Agenda here. Come if you can. Decisions are made that we pay for - one way or another.
