Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Digital Age Change

 
Mandi Jo Hanneke, Sean Hannon (left) Sandra Burgess, Jim Pistrang (right)

The Town Meeting Electronic Voting Study Committee voted unanimously 4-0 with 3 absent this morning to send to Amherst Town Meeting a $26,000 warrant article that will purchase 260 hand held digital voting devices to try to speed up the snail-like pace of Amherst's 257 year old political institution.

 Click to enlarge/read
Warrant Article will be vetted by Joint Capital Planning Committee and then requires only a simply majority vote at Fall Town Meeting

Meanwhile the Amherst Select Board voted unanimously last night to set the annual town election for March 29, 2016, which could actually be an interesting election for a change.

Charter enthusiasts now have until December 21st to collect the 3,215 signatures required to guarantee placement of the controversial question to change our form of government on that annual ballot for voters to decide.

The main motivation for Charter enthusiasts is to abolish antiquated Town Meeting by switching to a more professional Mayor/Council form of government.

Thus this $26,000 electronic voting purchase could end up being the equivalent of buying a new saddle for a dying horse.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2015 at 11:25 AM

    Better buy the saddle just in case the horse pulls through.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Larry KelleySeptember 24, 2015 at 12:13 PM

    After the Charter Question passes this coming election it will still take another year of two before it goes to the voters so we will still be getting plenty of use from the gizmos.

    And they could always be reused somewhere down the road for large public meetings and forums that I'm sure the Mayor/Council will be holding.

    ReplyDelete