Yes, the Town Meeting is a virtually sacrosanct New England tradition. And yes, Rockport's Annual Town Meeting is traditionally held the first Saturday in April.
But that date is not cast in stone, as Town Clerk Pat Brown indicated last week. The selectmen have the authority to move the meeting date when they deem it necessary. And given that this year's initial date of April 7 falls in the middle of Easter weekend and within the Jewish marking of Passover, the selectmen, who initially backed the change last week, should follow through and set a new date for Saturday, April 14.
That might not sit well with everyone. Barbara Sparks, who chairs the Planning Bard, noted that, among other issues, she planned on an April 7 meeting and has tickets for the Shalin Liu Performance Center's live telecast of a Metropolitan Opera production on the 14th. Sparks also noted that the Town Meeting date "goes on the calendars of a lot of committees months in advance, and they make plans around it."
But Town Meeting is not for the "committees" and their scores of members. It's a day for as many residents as possible to make their views heard, and cast their votes on important town issues.
Two years ago, town officials went through with Town Meeting on Easter weekend, and — to no one's surprise — it clearly held down attendance. The one demographic that did attend, of course, was Rockport's small army of volunteer board and committee members and their inside allies. And that was the day Town Meeting not only approved buying the former bank building that now serves as Town Hall Annex, but pushed it through under a funding formula avoiding an all-day referendum vote that would have given a lot more residents the chance to have a vote.
The bottom line in setting dates for any Town Meeting should be their accessibility to the most people. Rockport's selectmen should indeed avoid these clear holiday conflicts this time and firm up this year's meeting for April 14.
