I write to thank the 300 voters who made time to attend the Annual Town Meeting on Monday. Although the warrant was fairly short, many of the articles involved financial, legal or practical issues that were complex. It was clear from the thoughtful and thorough discussion that everyone had come well prepared.
My gratitude also goes to the Soundwaves and music teacher Fiona Dooley. Their performance was wonderful, started the meeting on a high note (pun intended), and brought many people to the meeting early, helping to avoid the last-minute crush that occurred last fall. I hope the Soundwaves will become a town meeting tradition.
The check-in process also ran smoothly thanks to the preparation and organizational skill of Town Clerk Dianne Bucco. Not only did we have more stations for check-in, but Dianne recruited twenty volunteers to staff them. My thanks go to those volunteers as well as to Dianne.
Town board and committee members, Town staff and representatives of the Regional School District all contributed to the quality of discussion. Like the voters, they were well prepared and responded clearly to questions from residents. Not just town meeting but town government depends on the hard work and dedication of volunteers and staff. It is my pleasure and honor to serve alongside them.
Last but not least, I am happy to report that problems with our electronic voting system seem to be behind us. Resident Jim Starkey analyzed and resolved the technical issue at the fall town meeting that interrupted communication between the two rooms. More importantly, Communications Coordinator Tiffany Marletta and Town Clerk Dianne Bucco successfully brought operation of the system in-house. As a result of their careful preparation and attention to detail, electronic voting was seamless.
Alan Wilson
Town Moderator
Manchester
