Town Meeting Day

Was great to be at yesterday’s town meeting at Mount Mansfield Union High school. I was there with fellow transitioner Dave Clift to table for Transition Town Jericho, to see friends and neighbors and catch bits and pieces of the meeting around the corner in the auditorium.

Tabling at the yearly meeting isn’t as newsworthy as the actual town meeting, yet is energizing for many of us, as it garners conversation around the numerous things happening in Jericho. Town committees like Planning and Conservation are represented there, as well as  grassroots groups promoting everything from transition towns to native plants to youth empowerment.

I personally love town meeting as the one day all year you get to see everyone you know in town. Or shall I say, everyone you know in town seems to show up. I talked at length with a young activist from the Montreal area who was there with a group of Canadians. They were observing Vermont’s town meeting as a model for their own communities.

At one point, I poked my head into the meeting in time to join the yays for one of this year’s big items, creating a Conservation Reserve Fund (helping preserve more open space in Jericho). Even though this item seemed to have a lot of support, there was still the discussion, debate (and quibbling!) that seems a necessary part of the process.

At some point people were abuzz over the fact that a New York Times reporter had shown up at the meeting. Later in the day, someone sent me the article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/us/politics/bernie-sanders-vermont-super-tuesday.html

Gratifying to celebrate our beloved town of Jericho with each other, and the great beyond!