Opportunities to Serve Maine Local Government

This Maine Municipal Association publication is presented for "Classroom Use Only."  Its intended use is to stimulate and aid in discussion and role playing within a classroom setting.

People participating in the activities of government is essential to good government and the delivery of essential services. This is particularly true of local government. Citizens can get involved in five basic ways:

Make your voice heard at hearings

All local government decisions are made only after public discussion at so-called public hearings, which are by law
posted seven days in advance of the hearing. Hearings are not to be confused with public meetings. While the former are
expressly held to gather public opinion, meetings are not. While the law may guarantee the right to attend such meetings
(board and council meetings), it does not guarantee the right to participate in them. However, there is often a time set
aside during these meetings for public comment.

Initiate action

Under the Home Rule provisions in state law, people may petition for a referendum vote on any matter pertaining solely
to their community. For example, a group of people in a community might want to amend the town charter and revise the
form of government. But despite the pleas of many citizens at their meetings, the selectmen have refused to act on their
request. The citizens, therefore, can have a legal petition drawn up . If they obtain the required number of signatures of
eligible voters on the petition, the selectmen must set a date for a vote on the question . Under state law, the number of
signatures must be equal to at least 10 percent of the votes cast in the town in the last gubernatorial election. A public
hearing must be held at least ten days prior to the vote. If a sufficient number of people vote for the proposal, the
citizens have the form of government they want for their community.

If people want to petition for a referendum vote on a matter pertaining to their school administrative district, the
petition must be signed by at least 10 percent of the voters in the entire district voting in the last gubernatorial
election.

Vote

Some citizens argue that voting at the open town meeting is intimidating and they would rather stay away than raise their
hands. One solution to this is to request that a written ballot be taken on a particular item in the town warrant. While
it may take more time tan an open show of hands, it will be a more accurate count. some meetings have gone so far as to rent electronic ballot counters in anticipation of written ballot requests and to encourage them, in an effort to speed up the
process.

Written ballots aside, citizens may also amend or change articles before they are voted up at the open meeting. However,
they may not amend ordinances ; ordinances must be accepted or rejected as is. The time for proposing amendments to proposed ordinances is at the public hearing. And when a dollar figure appears in the article itself, the amount can be accpeted or reduced but it may not be increased.

Volunteer

Be it volunteering to serve on the planning board, recreation or budget committee or on the volunteer fire department,
volunteers play a critical role in the running of local government. While some of the boards - such as the planning
board- require considerable knowledge of the law, you should know that there are workshops and manuals available to your town from the Maine Municipal Association to assist you in getting up to speed on the subject. Other boards and committees - such as the budget committee - just require common sense and an open mind.

In recent years, acknowledging that people cannot commit to attending regular meetings over a period of months and years, some municipalities have sought volunteers to assist them with specific projects, such as editing the municipal newsletter or developing a computer program for managing town finances or landscaping around the town office. If Roberts Rules of Order are your forte, you may be interested in volunteering to moderate your town meeting.

The possibilities for volunteering are endless.

Run for Office

To serve its citizen's well, local government needs the ablest of its people serving it. Be it running for a seat or the board
of selectmen or the city council, it's a good idea to attend the meetings over a period of time to see if the reality of the
job matches your idea of it before taking out nomination papers.

Recently some veterans of elected office, offered some thoughts about the job and some advice for those seeking it:

The Job

It's not about power; it's about paperwork and listening to complaints about potholes (in a small town without a manager).

It's about work and long hours and putting out brush fires.

Opinion matters much less in this job than you think it does.

It's more like being an indoor dog catcher in that you may have a prescribed job, but you have no regular hours and you never know where your work is.

It's not about money or glory or your future, it's about serving the greater good of the community.

Doing the Job

Have courage. If you have a conviction about something speak it and stick by it. Don't weasel and waffle. Don't be a fence sitter.

You want to be viewed as a statesman, not a politician.

Be open and willing to learn. Check your preconceived notions at the door. Seek to understand why things are done the way they are done before jumping in to change them.

Let tradition fly in the face of the wind if tradition is wrong and you are right. If it is an uphill battle to get it done right, be prepared for the climb.

Do not be afraid to ask questions. You are not expected t know all of the answers your first year. So enjoy the learning experience but do not use your newness as a dodge.


Keep your sense of humor; if you don't you are dead in the water.