This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Governing Westwood: Mark Your Calendar for Town Meeting on May 7

Westwood needs more citizen involvement in Town government - starting with Town Meeting on May 7.

As it does each year, the Westwood Finance Commission (FinCom) has studied the Town’s annual operating and capital budgets, and held public hearings on all the articles on Westwood’s Annual Town Meeting Warrant.

Before you read another word, I hope you will pause to mark your calendar for Town Meeting, to be held on Monday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Auditorium.

In addition to yearly budget-related articles, this year’s Town Meeting will take up three borrowing articles, several zoning amendments, and other articles that deserve the careful attention and participation of as many residents as possible.

Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Contributing to online discussions about town matters is not something Westwood town officials tend to do as a matter of course, and up until now I’ve demurred (as FinCom chair) when requested to do so.

So why am I doing this now? I believe we need more citizen engagement in in making decisions and setting priorities in the affairs of the town, and I hope this blog helps to get more people to participate in the process.

Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This is not a criticism of our elected officials or staff – on the contrary, they are dedicated, competent, and do exceptional work for the town – but we as a town need more input and involvement by the citizens.

If you live in Westwood, that means you. Did you know that at Town Meeting last year, those in attendance had to make phone calls to get friends to come so we’d have a quorum? At our recent FinCom public hearings, we had maybe a dozen or so members of the public in attendance to listen and voice their opinions – everyone else in the room was a public official or staff member.

So, with a step or two outside my comfort zone, I’m taking to the keyboard with hopes of getting more residents to participate in governing our town. The more people get involved, the better the outcome will be for Westwood.

Check your snail mail in the next few weeks - the Finance Commission’s annual report with its findings and recommendations for Town Meeting will be mailed shortly to all Westwood households. It will also be posted soon on the town web site. Please read it and plan to bring it with you on May 7.

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The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?