Vermont Town Meeting - Pittsfield 2018

I love these photos because they show utterly normal people fully engaged.  Trying their best to understand the issues and make decisions.  

Call me an optimist, but democracy might still be alive and well. In our small town (just over 300 registered voters) about 70 of them showed up to spend the morning together. 

It wasn't because they like each other's company - some do, some don't.

It's because they believe it's important to show up at Town Meeting. It's a roomful of neighbors taking time to go through the issues facing their town. This year the most contentious was the the fire truck. Do we replace the pumper truck - a 1960 truck with a ‘68 milk tank on the back. It would mean a cost of $200,000. That may not seem like much until you realize the cost will be divided between such a small tax base. It's an important decision, and right or wrong it's discussed and decided by a vote.  Democracy.