North Andover still uses an Open Town Meeting as its legislative body. Any registered voter can attend and vote on the budget, zoning changes, and any other matters for the coming fiscal year beginning July 1. Town Meeting is normally held on the second Monday evening in May, although special Town Meetings can be called by the Selectmen at any time.
The agenda for the meeting is called a warrant and the items to be voted are called articles. Most articles are placed on the warrant by town boards, but any 10 voters can put an article on the warrant before the Selectmen close it before Town Meeting. The warrant must be available to voters at least a week before the meeting. It may be mailed to voters or published in a newspaper (which must assure that all voters get a copy). It will also be available on the town's web site townofnorthandover.com. No issue can be voted on unless it has been published in advance in the warrant.
So, warrant in hand, you make it to the High School and check in at your precinct, just as for voting. Don't know your precinct? Someone will help you. You will receive a colored card to use for hand counts of votes.
What's all this stuff on the tables? There will be explanatory information on many of the articles provided by town boards and proponents (or opponents). Take as much as you want.
Who are all those people on the stage? Standing at the podium is Charles Salisbury, the Moderator. He runs the show. In the front are the Selectmen and the Finance Committee. The Selectmen will have taken a vote on each article, for or against. The Finance Committee has studied all money articles and will make recommendations on each. In the back are the School Committee and the Planning Board, which will make recommendations on all zoning questions. Town Clerk and Town Counsel are also up there.
Who's Rules of Order? The Moderator makes the rules, which he will explain. Articles are taken in order unless Town Meeting votes to take one out of order. An article must be moved and seconded or it can't come before the meeting. At some point a vote for reconsideration will probably be made. This is usually a defensive move. Since the Moderator only allows one vote to reconsider any article already voted on, defeat of reconsideration "locks in" a vote so that it can't be brought up again after supporters have left the hall.
How to join the action. If you want to speak on an issue, go to a microphone in an aisle and wait for the Moderator to recognize you. State your name and address clearly, then make your comments. Some words of advice that are usually ignored: Avoid multi-page prepared statements. Try not to repeat a point or argument already made by previous speaker(s). A barrage of nearly identical statements can sometimes swing the meeting's opinion the opposite direction. Resist applauding your favorites or booing the opposition--it's not a ball game.
Will we get through all these items in one night? It hasn't happened yet. Town Meeting traditionally continues on for a second and possibly third night. So why go? Most voters don't. Nonetheless, this is still one of the few places in the country where you directly control what happens in your town. You can learn first hand how the town operates and why "they" were able to build there or where that new fee came from. It can be boring, it can be theater of the absurd, but it is definitely worth attending. See you there!
--Marty Larson for the League of Women Voters, 2006
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