Moderator seeks volunteers to serve town committees
By Canton CitizenDear Editor:
I was proud to be nominated and elected as moderator for Canton’s annual town meeting (ATM) because I strongly believe that town meetings represent the purest form of government by the people. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to serve the town in this capacity, even though I quickly realized the job of moderator is significantly more difficult than it appears from the other side of the podium.
It was very discouraging to hear someone imply that the changes being made on town floor did not give the citizens of Canton an opportunity to fully understand what was being voted. It was also disappointing to hear citizens imply that the recommendations and actions of our elected and appointed officials were not being made in the best interest of our town. As a former member of the Finance Committee, I can personally attest that all elected and appointed officials work very hard to perform their diligence on all articles and develop recommendations they believe are in the town’s best interest. Despite many hours of preparation, changes and new developments occur right up until the hour before ATM begins.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and the best thing about this form of government is that ATM gives every Canton citizen a public forum to share his or her opinion. As this year’s moderator, I am encouraging the citizens of Canton to not only share your opinions, but to become involved so that you can help make the changes you believe are needed to make Canton a better place to live.
As moderator, one of my responsibilities is to appoint new members to the various town committees. These committees play an important role in developing the motions made at the annual town meeting that eventually impact our town. Currently, Canton has available positions on many committees, including the Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, and a newly created committee to study our school buildings. If you have any interest in sharing your views in a way that can truly effect change, please contact me at alan.hines@us.pwc.com. Many of these committees are starting their work for next year’s ATM, so please contact me soon.
Alan M. Hines
Town Moderator
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=21280
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Jun 27 2013. Filed under From One Citizen to Another, Opinion.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
