After four terms on the Whately Selectboard, I’m ready for a change. Not that I’m fed up or tired of small town politics or issues, though I am looking forward to some time with fewer meetings.
In fact, I’m glad and proud to have served; it’s been a genuine honor, especially in these times when honorable is not the first word that people think of when referring to government. And that’s a real shame. But I won’t dwell on how I believe that government in general has been deliberately debased and undermined by powers that seek to evade regulation, responsibility to society as a whole.
I’ve learned a lot about local government, at least in Whately. I’ve come to respect the people who make it work: the town administration, the town employees, the citizens who serve on the numerous committees and all those who come to town meetings and make their ideas and feelings heard — who deliberate and talk with and listen to each other, face to face. I’ve learned the truth of the phrase associated with Tip O’Neil, that “all politics is local.” That’s certainly true for town government.
As a town, we don’t have much actual power legislatively or fiscally. And it can be very frustrating to have to comply with unfunded state mandates and funding formulas that are overly complex and, it seems, unfair or, at very least, in need of serious reform (Chapter 70 school funding comes to mind.) I also have trouble with School Choice and charter schools, though we do receive significant revenue from School Choice students from poorer districts. A mixed blessing indeed.
We also face a revenue base heavily dependent upon property tax (most of which goes to support our school budgets, which, in my opinion, is not an equitable way to fund education). Furthermore, there’s a lot of time spent on very mundane, routine kinds of issues, without which town life would come to a halt, such as dog license late-fee collections, maintaining town buildings, employee contracts and negotiations, departmental budgets, reviewing and revising personnel policies, negotiating with our cable and cell tower services, various grant applications, oversight of building design and renovation, and, of course, developing the annual budget.
Some of the less routine issues I’ve been involved with during my time include the formation of the South County Emergency Medical System, the purchase of the Western Mass. Library building to house our then scattered town offices, the merger of our two water systems, the stabilization of one of our water supply pumping systems, becoming a Green Communities community, proceeding with the design and conversion of our historic town hall into a community center, renovating our old police station, developing contracts with solar firms to set up installations that generate clean power (approximately 6 MW currently) as well as revenues, and coordinating more closely with the Finance Committee in the preparation of the annual budget
Having been involved in Whately politics to the extent I have has made me feel more a part of the town and that the town is more than just where I happen to live. I now know people I would never have met had I not been on town committees or the Selectboard, many of whom I consider not just neighbors but good friends.
I’m a firm believer that there should be little distinction between social and civic life, between being a resident and a citizen. We have approximately 1,100 residents eligible to vote, but rarely more than 140 voters at any town meeting. The good news is that number has increased over the past decade from the mid-80s to over 130 on average; however, 130 is still only about 12 percent of those eligible.
I encourage everyone to become more active politically at whatever level feels appropriate. I’m reminded of U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan who was fond of saying, “Democracy is not a spectator sport.” The other related aphorism is “It takes a village.” I would add that democracy is like a muscle; it requires constant exercise to gain and maintain strength. I plan to continue to exercise that muscle, just in a different context in the immediate future.
Paul Newlin lives in Whately.