[fatlazyless]

The Meredith News
Thursday, January 10, 2008
(top of front page on the right)


MEREDITH - For the first time ever, Meredith's Town Warrant this year may ask voters whether they want to adopt Senate Bill 2, with a petition in support of the bill currently circulating through town.

The petition, initiated by Meredith resident Richard Juve, currently sits behind the counter at George's Dinner and at the Meredith Center Grocery Store and Garage, and calls for a change from the more traditonal form of Town Meeting to the SB2 format. Instituted as an alternative form of Town Meeting in 1995, instead of a meeting at night, SB2 towns pass or fail articles on the warrant by secret ballots cast at a polling place all day.

Gilford adopted the SB2 form of government several years ago and Moultonboro has had petitioned warrant articles on it for several years. Deputy Town Clerk Kerri Parker confirmed that a petition for SB2 has never been on Meredith's Town Warrant.

Juve said that about 50 people so far have signed the petition and said that he hopes to get in 200 signatures before he submits it to the town clerk in a week. Both George's Diner and Meredith Center Store reported filling up their pages. Twenty-five signatures of registered Meredith voters are required for a petition to make it to the Town Warrant, submitted by Feb 5.

"It (traditional Town Meeting) is based on a time when we all got together in town and met our friends and brought food." said Juve. "Now people have to hire a babysitter for four or five hours, and they can't stay that long. What if they work a night shift? What if they're at a business meeting, or in the military and overseas?'

Dr. David Almstrom, a veterinarian doctor and another supporter of SB2 government in Meredith, agreed that the changing lifestyles of residents should warrant a change to allow more residents to take part in the process.

"For the average person, there's not enough time," said Almstrom. "I run a practice that covers emergencies, and others have kids at home. If more people participate, it brings more people in, and that's to our advantage."

Juve said that rising tax rates in an uncertain economic situation and problems that residents had in attending Town Meeting are the reasons that spurred him to pursue the SB2 petition.

Citing the roughly 240 people who attended the last Town Meeting, out of a town with a poplation of over 6000, Juve said that he thought SB2 would open up the process for greater participation.

"(In SB2), no one sees my hand go up and never speaks to me again for the rest for the year." said Juve. "The wonderfull advantage is that you have time to think about it and make your decision in the privacy of the voting booth."

In the SB2 style of Town Meeting, the school and municipal budgets are formally presented to residents, then considered and amended by the public at later deliberative sessions. Once the amendments are set and approved by the public present at the session, the polling station opens in March for residents to vote on each warrant article. Juve said that these deliberative sessions have the essence of the Town Meeting but get the ballot out sooner.

If the petition fails, Juve said that he and others will try again at the next Town Meeting and asked that anyone with questions about the petition call him at 279-5643.

The Meredith News, Thursday, January 10, 2008

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