Readership and comments spiked here at the blog over the last quarter of 2011. Items of discussion included Fall Town Meeting, the Yankee Doodle Bike Path, and the loss of retail businesses. You are frustrated, angry, disenfranchised.
We can continue to find blame or we can stand up and take action. Last month I posted some suggested ways to improve the town. But there is something unique to 2012 that give us a golden opportunity to make a huge difference — a blank slate in Town Meeting, the town’s legislative branch of government.
Due to recent population growth (about 1,000 people), Billerica must redraw boundaries for all 11 precincts. Although the changes will be minor, the Town Clerk has decided to empty out all 242 TM seats and start over this year.
So, if you are frustrated with what is (or is not) happening in town, this is your chance to step in and take a seat away from a TM representative in your precinct who does not represent your interests.
When I mention this opportunity to people, the most common argument against running is, “I don’t have time.” But the time commitment is manageable. TM meets just twice a year — once in May and again in October — and each Meeting is spread out over 3-4 nights on average. And this year the Moderator plans to install electronic voting which he expects to cut a considerable amount of time that historically has been wasted counting votes by hand. Each TM night begins at 7:30PM and end between 9:30 and 10. Meetings are always on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, it’s OK to miss a meeting here and there — on an average night, about 70 TMRs skip the meeting.
Nomination papers are available now from the Town Clerk and are due back in on February 27. You need only 10 signatures from adults in your precinct. (If you are in Precinct 5 with me, we can collect signatures together to make it easier.) Any questions, please comment below.
We need you. Please run.
