Town meeting isn't broken so don't try to fix it

To The Daily Sun,

I want to point out the difference of how I see SB-2 and how it is viewed by T.K. Whalen. She, and many others use 150 as the average number of voters who attend Town Meeting, so I'll use it too. At Town Meeting that 150 discuss the warrant articles and if anyone thinks that there should be a change made to an article of wording or money they ask to have it changed. Then the changed article is voted on by the 150. Sometimes there are several votes before it is approved. All changes are voted on by the attending voters.

With SB-2, that part of Town Meeting would be done at the Deliberative Session, which only, historically, very few attend them.

For example several years ago, Gilford, who has twice as many voters as Sanbornton, had just 15 people at their Deliberative Session. The problem as the SB-2ers see it, is how few attend Town Meeting, knowing the number of voters who don't vote. We all would like a better attendance but isn't 150 better than zero. which is the number of individuals who can vote on state or national issues?

I am one of the people who believe that many voters can and should be there. I bet if I offered tickets to a Red Sox's game they would find a way to be free to go. For the people who can't sit or walk through the evening, we have plenty of chairs, take your own pillow, and many stand in back and there is no problem if they want to walk around.

T.K.Whalen said "only 6 percent of residents will be permitted to vote on important, costly issues". That is untrue! Anyone who is eligible to vote is permitted to do so, and encouraged to do so.

A month after the Deliberative Session SB-2 will now have voting on the articles as changed at the Deliberative Session. Now all they can vote on is, yes or no, to each of them. I still remember one town's petition article that started "To see if" and went on with the request. Changes were made to it and it showed up on the warrant ready for it's yes or no, as,"To see if". Apparently it was not wanted at the Deliberative Session and they removed so much there was nothing left to really vote on. It went to court and was found to be legal.

I went to the public hearing on this years SB-2 article. Not one of those who signed the petition were there, not even T.K.Whalen, who was the petitioner.

It has lost 13 times! I don't understand voters who don't want to sit through one meeting a year that will have an impact on their taxes. If they can't attend one meeting why would they choose a change that requires attending two meetings for there are two meetings with voting with SB-2. If they can't make it to one meeting how can they make it to two.

Please vote "NO" on Question 1. Town Meeting isn't broken, so please don't try to 'fix' it. No SB-2!

Evelyn Auger

Sanbornton