GREENSBORO – Monday evening, June 22, the Highland Center for the Arts (HCA) and The Hardwick Gazette co-hosted educator, facilitator and author Susan Clark for a program, “Strengthening Local Democracy: Exploring ‘Both/And’ Ideas,” highlighting the power of creative collaboration.
photo by Raymonda Parchment
The evening began with attendees being asked to write down a one-word wish for democracy, as well as picking up a chart for some other written exercises to be done later in the program.
Clark’s presentation was in two parts, with dinner served in between, and nearly 100 people in attendance throughout the evening.
Area EMS and town health officer Karl Stein said of his expectations for the evening, “Knowledge. Seriously, it’s to gain knowledge. Reading about what Susan has done, and what she’s bringing, that’s my goal today, just to take that in. My hope is that there are many people from many different voices here.” Stein’s one (or in his case two) word wish for democracy: “Civil discourse.”
Others wrote participation, compassion, inclusivity and equity. The most frequently written wish on the board: “Civility.”
Participants came from all around the area, Craftsbury, Greensboro and Hardwick as well as Glover and Woodbury.
One mother and daughter, Librarian Maggie Cleary, and her daughter Sylvia Earlindt, traveled from Morrisville. “I love Susan Clark, and just think she’s awesome,” Cleary said.
With Morrisville going through a similar transition in the last few years, “I’m just here to get ideas, and sort of observe. I’m just interested in how other towns are doing things and the ways that other towns are having these kinds of local democracy conversations,” she said.
“I think Susan Clark is like a superhero, so when she shows up places: awesome.”
Cleary’s one word wish for democracy: “Participatory.”
Cleary’s daughter, not yet voting age, said, “Togetherness.”
Clark began by providing background information, on both herself and her past works in and around the state.
Co-author of “Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home,” Clark also serves as the town moderator for Middlesex and co-authored “All Those In Favor,” with University of Vermont Professor Frank M. Bryan.
“As a facilitator and as a town moderator, I have the utmost respect for your right to self govern, for your right to make your own decisions.
“The real experts here are you and your neighbors, The people who have day to day lives in your communities,” she stated. “… what I hope we’ll do here today with our time, is help consider the values and the wisdom that each of you brings, so that you can move forward together and make constructive decision-making.”
In the first half of her presentation, Clark described local government systems, with examples of the issues municipalities may be facing with the structure of their town meeting.
She further explored the up and downsides of the current local government system, with attendees filling the gaps as an exercise. The “Both/And” theme was recurrent throughout the evening.
Clark emphasized the unique self-governance afforded by the state’s town meeting format, “Freedom and unity, two good things. With town meetings, we’re talking about democratic quantity, democratic quality, or some would say, democratic breadth and democratic depth.
“We all value quantity.
“We want broad involvement. We want everyone to be welcome, we want everyone included. And we also value democratic quality.
We want deep, well informed, empowered participation,” Clark explained.
Clark asked attendees to add to her list of benefits, with one Hardwick resident, identified as Tyler, saying, “Roberts Rules of Order is great, but it also sucks, so we’ve had to suspend it several times to just get things done. So I think, maybe Town Meeting Day doesn’t need to be five, six hours. We’re struggling being efficient using Roberts Rules”
Clark responded, “That’s a really great summary of Robert’s Rules of Order, they’re great and they also suck,” at which the room laughed.
Clark presented voter data about local elections in the second half of her presentation and explored potential solutions.
She identified the clear role of voters as a legislative body, with select boards being a town’s executive body.
With respect to town meeting attendance, she said attendees might be interested in learning that, “Across the U.S., only 15 to 27 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in their local election,” according to the National Civic Review.
Clark emphasized that, in small communities, creating interest in getting people to town meetings is critical, observing that attendance at in-person town meetings jumped up when there were significant issues to consider. She noted select boards sometimes bury them in budgets. That can lead to lower turnouts and less engagement, so she suggested boards highlight those items to engage more citizens at the meetings, and perhaps even warn them as separate articles for consideration.
In short, Clark said, when considering how to best restructure town meetings, town size and issues matter, as both have an impact on voter turnout and engagement.
She also provided tips on strengthening local democracy, for elected officials and citizens alike: a “Democracy Matters” committee, offering childcare and a focus on accessibility were among her suggestions.
Raymonda Parchment
Raymonda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.
