Local Government Made Easy

They always say that people don’t vote in or pay attention to local elections or town government, but they never talk about why! Do any of these sound familiar to you?

”I don’t know about any of the candidates or issues.”
”I can’t find where to go to learn about it.”
”I tried to find out, but it was really hard to track down.”
”I don’t even know who to turn to for help.”
”I don’t have time to figure it all out!”

That’s what I want to change. It just seems like the average citizen has to jump through hoops to know what’s going on or how things work, in a government system that’s supposed to be by and for citizens. The only way it’ll change is if some of us step up to start unraveling the mystery and focusing on getting information and tools to residents. That way even someone who never got to learn about civics in school still knows how to participate in their town - because the decisions made at the local level impact you right in your back yard! I’m working hard to find new ways to make it easier for residents to stay in the know and get involved with the town.

Ideas I want to try:

• Find new ways to attract and retain Town Meeting and Committee volunteers.

• Tutorials to help residents of all ages engage more easily with local government activities.

• New ways for residents to engage with the Light Department

• Host even more voluntary surveys for residents to share opinions. Let’s hit those statistical significance thresholds! Let’s allow Seniors & Seniors to put in Community Service hours helping us collect this data if residents don’t volunteer it in our traditional channels.

• Even more Town website improvements.

• Explore even more transparency tools and methods to keep residents informed about Town Government activities.

• Tutorials to help residents of all ages engage more easily with local government activities.

  
  And that’s just the start!
  I’ll experiment with which ideas are the most effective, the cheapest, MOST INCLUSIVE, and that make things the easiest for You to get involved and stay informed.