Special Town Meeting = Democracy In Action

The March 8, 2010 Westwood Special Town Meeting was a wonderful expression of democracy in action. Over 600 citizens of our town participated in this meeting. This was one of the most well attended Town Meetings in Westwood's recent history.

As always, our Moderator did an exceptional job to ensure that all viewpoints were heard, and all citizens were treated with respect.

Prior to Town Meeting, the Finance Commission thoroughly analyzed the library project, held public hearings on the library article, and ultimately recommended that this was a prudent investment for the Town. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Town Meeting participants overwhelmingly approved the article and affirmed the Finance Commission's assessment. In fact, support was so strong that a voice vote was all that was needed to carry the motion.

On March 8, 2010, after a fair democratic process, well over 2/3 of our citizens voted to approve a $9.3 million bond to build a new library that will cost the average tax-paying home $106 per year for 20 years.