February 14, 2023 Submitted by Kate Boland on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Hingham
Informed voters ensure a stronger democracy!
The League of Women Voters of Hingham (LWVH) is committed to empowering citizens through access to voter information thereby encouraging them to participate fully in our town’s legislative practice of Open Town Meeting. With the demise of local newspapers, citizens are forced to rely on our town’s board and committee minutes to stay up to date on all the issues of critical importance to the community.
Although our Town Meeting on April 24th seems far into the future, all 2023 Warrant Articles and Citizen Petitions are filed by January 20, 2023. The Warrant is then made available to the public electronically 10 days after the closing date with the complete text of the article, the sponsor’s name, and contact information. This policy is in place as the result of a LWV Hingham 2012 Citizens’ Petition unanimously supported by Town Meeting voters. We hope this early access to information will inspire voters to attend the various committee meetings and contribute.
The League firmly believes that early access to clear information lays the foundation for more effective and collaborative voter participation at Open Town Meeting.
We strongly encourage all town Boards and Committees who have not posted or updated their meeting minutes to do so now and continue to do so regularly. We are deeply grateful for the many committed volunteers who devote their time and expertise to meetings, however we often hear at Town Meeting that “our committee has held xx number of meetings” as confirmation of their work. Conversely, too often minutes have not been posted for public view.
Secondly, it would also be helpful for the committee to list a contact email in case someone has questions. Both these actions would be useful to the general electorate in their decision-making process and those considering candidacy for our town elections scheduled for April 29, 2023.
We hope you find our Citizen’s Guide to Open Town Meeting informative as you prepare for the April 24 Hingham Open Town Meeting. When considering how to vote on an Article or Petition, you might also consider these helpful questions.
We encourage your engagement in all of the Articles at a robust Town Meeting on April 24 at 7:00 p.m., and our local elections on April 29. Please check out our longstanding Candidates Night which will be held at Town Hall on April 12 th . As League member Lotte Scharfman said, “Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport”.
Regards,
Kate Boland, Chair
On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Hingham