“Town meetings are to liberty what primary schools are to science; they bring it [democracy] within the people’s reach, they teach how to use and how to enjoy it.”
— Alex de Tocqueville
Colonists considered attending Town Meeting (TM) an honor and privilege. For free men and landowners, it was also a requirement.
Dorchester claimed it held the first TM in 1633. However, the New England Historical Society said the first TM took place in Plymouth, 1622. The moderator was William Bradford.
TM was so important to the colonists, that when the British threatened a ban, it was one reason that prompted the Revolutionary War. In 1774, British Soldiers tried to stop a Salem TM. The moderator (actually a committee of three) ordered the door barred and continued the meeting, “completing all voting.”.
On April 19, 1775, at 2am, the last thing they did before firing “the shot heard around the world,” was call a TM. Members of the Lexington militia gathered on the town common “to consult what might be done” about the British soldiers marching on Lexington from Boston. Who was the moderator? Perhaps the leader of the Minute Men, John Parker.
What does the Moderator do?
From the first TM, there was always a moderator, an elected official who presided over TM. The moderator:
- Announces and explains the articles on the Warrant or invites members of the Select Board or Finance Committee to do it.
- Conducts the discussion of each article
- Makes rulings (as needed) on the articles and any proposed amendments to the articles
- Calls for a vote on each article
- Announces the results
The procedural basis for conducting TM is Meeting Times or Robert’s Rules of Order. One town explained, “the moderator makes sure the rules are followed and everyone has a good time.”
Moderator is a fun and friendly job, but there is also a serious side. It is the responsibility of the Moderator to do it all “in good order.”
The office of moderator has a serious side: In 1715, the General Court of the British Crown Colony of Massachusetts passed Article 244 “…for the better regulating of town meetings, because of the disorderly Carriage of some Persons in the Meetings…”
The moderator, according to Article 244, must keep order and not allow business to be obstructed.
In Stockbridge, the Town Moderator is also responsible for appointing the members of the Finance Committee (FC). That’s serious but straightforward.
When a member’s term expires or for other reasons, leaves the FC, the moderator replaces the member. The task to find the most qualified person to serve the best interests of Stockbridge regardless of political affiliation or personal attachment. I have spoken to former moderators and chairs of FC and been advised it is as simple as that.
It is a great job: to bring the Town together and “consult what might be done” about our town’s challenges. I would be happy to serve as your moderator and ask for your support.
