By Moderator Cathy Cordes
Town Meeting is the business meeting of the town and TM members are the legislative branch of town government. Only registered voters of the town are allowed to vote. A quorum of at least 100 voters is required to conduct business.
Other interested persons may attend TM – residents who have not registered to vote, town employees, and business owners, for example. When they arrive at TM, they will check in at the desk and will be escorted into the auditorium and will be required to sit in a separate area where votes WILL NOT be counted. The Moderator and Town Clerk will determine the location of the appropriate area based on space needs for voters.
Only TM members, i.e. voters can speak at TM. On occasion, someone else would like to bring some information to the attention of TM members or would like to share their opinion with TM. In that case, it is preferable for the person to make themselves known in advance to Town Clerk or the Moderator. In any case, when the person steps to the microphone and is otherwise not eligible to speak, the Moderator will ask TM if they want to grant permission to the person to speak. If there is no objection from the voters, the Moderator will recognize the speaker.
Editor’s Note: This is Part III of a six-part series of articles to prepare residents, new and experienced alike, for Town Meeting on Monday, November 6.
- Click this link to read the series’ Introduction – Everything You Ever Needed to Know about Bedford Town Meeting (but Were Afraid to Ask!)
- Click this link to read Part I – What Town Meeting IS and What it IS NOT
- Click this link to read Part II – What is the Warrant? Why is the Motion Made at Town Meeting Sometimes Different