Several hundred Wareham voters showed up at the Town Meeting on Monday night and decided for over 14,000 absent voters that they will be denied the opportunity to vote on a proposed change in town government.

Article 25 would have allowed Wareham voters to choose on a future ballot question whether to replace the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator with a Mayor and Town Council.

Debate focused on the possible outcome of a future vote instead of the actual proposal, which simply asked if the question should appear on the ballot. Arguments ranged from disappointment with mayors and city council members in cities where folks previously resided to the firm conviction that our current Town Meeting form of government is the best representation for Wareham residents.

The final decision was made by less than 3% of registered voters. If you didn't show up to raise your red card and vote, those who did made your decision for you and you lost a chance to vote on this matter, perhaps for as long as ten years.

Town Meetings are usually held on weeknights and there are many reasons for low voter turnout. Difficulties such as work conflict, illness, physical limitation, and scheduling issues are acknowledged. There is also voter apathy and/or impatience with the long and drawn-out process, due to so many opinions voiced about so many topics.

For example, on Monday night, the Town Administrator and Police Chief were chastised for 30 minutes concerning the procedures used to replace a bunch of broken down police cars. Let's see, 300 voters times 30 minutes equals 9000 minutes or 150 man-hours. A 10-minute offline discussion between a couple of committee members could have made the same point. In fact, it already happened, and no one suggested the Town cancel any vehicle leases, so why waste the voters' time?

If Town Meeting is indeed the "purest" form of government for a town even as large as ours, then maybe we need to make practical adjustments like scheduling the meeting on Saturday from 12-6 pm instead weeknights.Articles for discussion could be written more clearly and categorized for easy interpretation and review (such as Financial, Environmental, Procedural).  How about publishing targeted start times by category? The Charter Review Committee worked hard to offer a reasonable alternative to allow more voters to participate in governing the Town and I hope they will now propose that the content of Article 25 be included at Town Meeting each year.

Wareham and Onset boast many "regulars" who wear their badge of courage proudly and never miss Town Meeting, no matter how long or painful it may be. If you are among the 14,000 remaining voters, resolve to speak now or forever hold your peace.

Cheryl Johnson
Onset, MA