In running for a seat on the Salem NH Town Charter Commission, I have been adamant in stating that the commission members open a maintain a dialog with those who will be most impacted by the commission – the citizens. With a resident population approaching 30,000 and numerous others who have a stake in the process, how do you have such a dialog?
I believe the Town Meeting form of government is in many ways the purest demonstrations of democracy – in spirit. It allows for all eligible members of a community to come together for discussion and debate and directly participate in the decision-making process of a community. This still works well for small communities, where dozens or hundreds of residents makes up the total population. However, how does the traditional Town Meeting format work as numbers grow to thousands, or tens of thousands? This is one of the difficult questions the Town Charter Commission will have to address after the May 19th special election. For Salem, an audience of 600 participants at a Town Meeting only represents a small fraction of the total resident base. When this occurs, the Town Meeting format runs the risk of being a less representative form of government than other structures, if for no other reason than there is no accountability for those voting. Think about it for a moment – those attending the meeting were not elected and are not bound by any legal rule to represent any constituency. If only 100 attend a Town Meeting and all agree on warrant articles that benefit themselves to the detriment of all others (regardless of intent), there is no recourse for the community as a whole. At least with elected officials, there are methods and means of accountability. But I digress…
We live in an age where technology provides us with ample means to communicate, participate and join the discussion. The Internet now provides us with so many ways to engage our friends, relatives and co-workers. There is even the concept of the “online community”, where people of common interest gather to discuss those things that matter. Those discussions can happen both in real time (using instant messaging, web conferencing or Voice over IP) and static forms (email and forums). Most recently, there has been the emergence of “Social Media”; basically, tools that effectively combine technologies to make for a friendlier and effective communication experience.
Recently, a great deal of media coverage has been given to tools like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. All 3 represent the emergence of social media to the general population. If you do not use one of these tools, ask around. I am certain it would not take long for you to find a relative, friend or co-worker who uses these tools to be a part of the discussion. If these tools and online communities can be used for personal discussions, then why can’t they be used for town discussions as well?
I believe the only way that I or any other candidate for the Salem Town Charter Commission can work towards solutions that meet our communities collective needs is communicate with its citizens. What better way to do this than to take the discussion online? This is why I, from Day One, have asked people to join me here. I want people to get to know me as a candidate, to ask me questions, and to tell me what they think and believe. I want the discussion to be just that – a dialog that is a true reflection of the community and its desires. I want you, the voter, to be able to look at my name on the May 19th ballot and recognize it not only for the unique spelling (not many Sorcinellis in New Hampshire, mind you); I want you to feel that you know me, where I come from and where I stand.
In the coming days and weeks, I will continue to write here regarding the election, the issues and the challenges. I will also encourage you to take part as well. You can make comments to any posting I make simply by clicking on the “Comment” link under the title. You can email me. You can follow me on Twitter if that is your preference. Please do not hesitate to suggest other ways for us to continue the dialog – I am always open to suggestion. And most importantly – feel free to ask questions.
Let’s make this election and subsequent commission the opportunity to take the Town Meeting concept into the 21st century. Let’s communicate in order to better understand our true collective needs. Let’s have a discussion of historic proportions.