BRATTLEBORO — At the March 25 Annual Representative Town Meeting, Kurt Daims brought up a motion to have the Selectboard sit with the representatives during the meeting rather than on the stage.
Mr. Daims cited when that change should have been made, and read from the Town Charter.
I did not approach the microphone to support him. And that is a shame, because he was quite correct.
The Selectboard does not preside over RTM. The moderator does. The elevation of Selectboard members onto the stage could - if inadvertently - give the sense to the reps of being presided over.
While I would not have supported an on-the-spot change at this meeting, because of audio/visual and other logistics, I do fully support looking closely at this seating change for the 2018 Annual Representative Town Meeting, with the input of the Selectboard members, BCTV, our moderator, and others involved in the physical setup of that day.
In addition to Mr. Daims's correct observation, another representative, Tim Maciel (District 1) had an excellent idea about chair setup not being conducive to conversation, and I so agree with him.
While I could watch the TV, that does not provide for the same level of synergy between humans. We do best with eye contact.
I hope Mr. Daims will accept my apology and know that I heard him, I agree with him, and I am taking his advice to heart.