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Swansea governance committee leans toward offering vote to return from SB2 to town meeting
Summary
The governance committee discussed returning from SB2 to town meeting to increase participation in deliberation, citing past intimidation at town meetings and proposing outreach such as mock meetings, social media and Coffee Connection sessions.
Members of the governance committee briefed the commission on a review of town government forms and said the committee is leaning toward placing a question before voters to return from SB2 to a town‑meeting format, Speaker 1 said.
Speaker 1 explained the change to SB2 in about 2005 was intended to increase voter participation because town-meeting attendance had been low, but the committee concluded the deliberative-session process under SB2 had not succeeded in fostering more meaningful public deliberation. “You still don’t get the number of people at town meeting that you do in the regular voting part of SB2, but you do get people there who are voting on what is being discussed right on the floor,” Speaker 1 said.
Several members raised past problems at town meetings, including a culture of intimidation and weak moderation; Speaker 5 urged the committee to consider training moderators and outreach to make any return to town meeting more welcoming. The committee discussed holding a mock town meeting and outreach through local channels, including the Coffee Connection, social media and community volunteers, to explain the practical differences and encourage participation.
Next steps: the committee expects to prepare an article for voters and suggested more community engagement before any ballot question is finalized.
