Town Meeting Thoughts - #2
I still am marveling at the amendment that Dick Campbell offered on the #29 - The Petition Warrant to abolish the BudComm that is accountable to the voters and replace it with one that was responsible only to the Selectmen. As worded, it had NO responsibility to the School Board.
Basically, this was a change from being a tool of the legislative branch (the voters) for actual change as needed to a strictly advisory role to the executive branch (the Selectmen) that could dismiss any recommendations without cause. Appointments would strictly have been the domain of the Selectmen.
Mr. Campbell's amendment tickled the fancy of this engineer - a simple and elegant change (and above all, engineers love simple and elegant). His offer? Just delete anything past the mention of the RSA that allowed the BudComm to be deleted.
Which also deleted the pseudo-BudComm entirely.
Thus, in my mind, it also accomplished the goal of bringing the conflict into more and sharper relief - have a BudComm or no BudComm at all. Nothing in the middle, and certainly got rid of the toothless version of the BudComm that might have swayed some that failed to think the amendment through a number of scenarios (including the one where the Selectmen and School Board might be at odds over some power struggle, and the Selectmen could take advantage of the SB by manipulating the makeup of the pseudo-BudComm (hey, worse things have happened in politics, right? This would be rather tame in comparison to some political shenanigans).
I also thought it amusing when Phil Arel (I guess the author of the Warrant and certainly a signatory to it) hotly disputed the right and legality of Mr. Campbell to make the motion to amend his Warrant. While not going to the level of being apoplectic, it was obvious that he realized the ramifications of what the amendment would do - pretty much doom a vote for it. Peter Milham, the Moderator, made the correct ruling (later backed up and proved right) by allowing it.
And it continued to be amusing. Because of the "closeness" of the voice vote, Peter Millham asked for a "stand up vote' to be done and asked if there a few folks would be willing to count the standees. When I noticed that not enough offered their assistance, I raised my hand.
Joe Wernig (sp?) did get a tad upset by shouting "But he's on the Budget Committee", trying to make the implication that I would not be honest in doing the count since it had to do with the BudComm. Sure thing! Right! Even if I was the type that would be willing to cheat (no, I'm not), did he really believe that with a few hundred people watching that I'd be stupid enough to even try? Would it not be obvious that someone supporting the Warrant be checking my counting anyways?
It was amusing to hear, again, Mr. Millham step up and say "I think it is fair to say that he can count straight". Mr. Wernig became quiet.
And the amendment passed.
