It’s Messy, it takes a while, and it is asymmetrical, but it is how democracy works.
I don’t know why they thought they could do away with an American citizens’ right to speak to their representatives. However, they did. So, the citizens stood up. Some objected publicly like Anita Schwerner. Others wrote private emails to the Town Administrator and the SB members. You know what? A tad begrudgingly with a soupçon of pedantry, and with limitations galore, they reinstated public speak.
As one reader wrote to Stockbridge Updates: it is a quaint old-fashioned way of doing things in New England. They call it democracy.
There’s more…
People were concerned. People didn’t like the wording of a public announcement for an executive session; it appeared to malign a hometown boy who loved this town and worked tirelessly for it. Others were upset that email to our Town Administrator and elected representatives went unanswered; still others felt words suggested to be read at the beginning of meetings were off-putting — stiffling. They contacted Stockbridge Updates. SU wrote it all down and distributed it. What happened? The government addressed the people’s issues.
Here we are: public concerns were addressed; public comment is back.
SU did its job. Will SU ever be popular with those who are in power? Maybe. Maybe not. Once our Town Administartor was a frequant, reliable contributor to SU. For the entirety of his service as Select Board member, Patrick White supported transparency and demonstrated that commitment on these pages. Both men contributed to our understanding of what was going on with our tax dollars and how it affected our town.
The press can and often does serve as the check and balance for government. It is why, in 1787, when asked his preference, “a government without newspapers or newspapers without government,” Thomas Jefferson said, “I should not hesitate a moment before choosing the latter.”
Never forget, Stockbridge Updates is yours — for you — you cannot do your part if you do not know what is going on or if you cannot stand in front of your representatives and speak your mind without retaliation. I am proud of SU and sincerely thank the Select Board.
It’s wonderful — it is democracy at work.
Carole Owens
Executive Editor