Nathan: Elected public office holder.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

My Super Tuesday precinct, Precinct 3 of Amherst, had twenty voters, including me, filtering into the Immanuel Lutheran Church in North Amherst over the span of about ten or eleven hours. The town votes eighty per cent Democratic and the precinct is mostly university students who don't bother (though I was surprised there weren't more than twenty on account of at least the Paul people); I stayed for about half an hour after voting because the old people running the precinct were lonely. I wrote in my mother for the Democratic Presidential primary, voted for the candidate for state committeeman who lives in Amherst rather than in Northampton, and voted for the whole slate of Democratic town office candidates except for that guy and his wife. I was also told that I could win election to the town meeting in my precinct with like two or three write-in votes. And one of my friends is also registered in this precinct.

I'm in. In a month's time it's very possible I'll be an elected official.

[greenforest32]

I was also told that I could win election to the town meeting in my precinct

What exactly would you be doing in this position? I'm not very familiar with Massachusetts' town system.

[tpfkaw]

I was also told that I could win election to the town meeting in my precinct

What exactly would you be doing in this position? I'm not very familiar with Massachusetts' town system.

It's like student council, but with adults and it's a town.

(More seriously, it's like a mini-parliament for a town, with between 50 and 240 members.  Some towns have open town meetings, which mean that anyone who shows up gets to be a member).

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I was also told that I could win election to the town meeting in my precinct

What exactly would you be doing in this position? I'm not very familiar with Massachusetts' town system.

I'd attend a series of evening meetings in the late spring and early summer. I'd be voting on budget and by-law propositions from the professional, full-time parts of the town government (the select board, that I mentioned endorsing the entire Democratic slate for except the person I'd already voted for for something else and his wife), as well as petitions from the public. One of the petitions this year is a resolution that the Town of Amherst does not consider corporations persons beyond the strictest legal fiction sense; inevitably someone will argue that this is not a matter of local concern (the furthest right rhetoric ever gets here), at which point I will probably ask how it's not a matter of local concern that Bank of America is progressively buying out the university campus. I believe that 'purely symbolic' does not mean 'not germane to the community' in this case.

The town meeting system in Massachusetts isn't (usually) a direct democracy like it is in Vermont but it is very representative since Amherst has about fifteen thousand registered voters, maybe a couple thousand more, and there are 240 members of the town meeting. That's why turnout in the precincts that include the university is low enough that I can become one of the twenty-four Precinct 3 members on the basis of write-ins from a couple of my friends.

(I do, incidentally, intend to take this seriously if/when elected.)

[greenforest32]

Interesting. So is this like a level of government below the official city/town council or is it some kind of supplement/power-sharing agreement?

What happens if the town meeting opposes a town council ordinance or vice versa? Who has supremacy/veto power?

[minionofmidas]

That's not actually "representative" at all if some random bloke can get elected by getting his girlfriend/boyfriend to vote for him.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Interesting. So is this like a level a government below the official city/town council or is it some kind of supplement/power-sharing agreement?

What happens if the town meeting opposes a town council ordinance or vice versa? Who has supremacy/veto power?

Think of it as the select board being the executive and the town meeting being the legislature. The town meeting can veto select board propositions but most of what originates from the town meeting is binding unless there's some sort of overwhelming reason why it just can't be done. If the town meeting doesn't do anything in some area then the work of the select board just carries over from the previous year.

That's not actually "representative" at all if some random bloke can get elected by getting his girlfriend/boyfriend to vote for him.

Clearly. The immensely low turnout in Precincts 2, 3, and 9 is actually in my opinion a huge problem. I don't want to be able to be elected to the town meeting by being asked by desperate precinct operators and pestering a couple of my friends. I'm still going to take advantage of the fact that I am because unlike seemingly all of the other gownies I care a lot about the town but if I can make it so that this won't keep happening then I will.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Will you tell us your exact swearing in date (or close as possible) so we can keep an accurate record of your political career? I think this makes like three people to hold positions other than things like delegate.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Will you tell us your exact swearing in date (or close as possible) so we can keep an accurate record of your political career? I think this makes like three people to hold positions other than things like delegate.

If elected I promise to keep the Forum Community board regularly updated on my service and on local politics in general (assuming anybody here is interested in the way smallish college towns in New England govern themselves except those of us who live in them).

Election is April 3,  the town is given some indication as to who is going to be in the town meeting on April 10 (I'll probably be notified before then if I get on it), and the first actual, well, meeting is April 30, which I imagine is when I'll be sworn in (or equivalent).

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Town Clerk Sandra J. Burgess is pleased to inform me that I received a sufficient number of write-in votes at the April 3, 2012 Annual Town Election to elect me to town meeting for a one year term in Precinct 3. I'm to respond in writing by Friday. I've indicated my acceptance on the attached memo and will try to be bringing it down to town hall on the morrow.

[dead0man]

It may be "cheap", but it's still pretty freaking cool IMHO.  Congrats.

[Marokai Backbeat]

As with anyone here who gains any sort of power, I ask that you use whatever influence you have to promote the values of the Atlas forum to the fullest extent of your position.

[Smid]

It may be "cheap", but it's still pretty freaking cool IMHO.  Congrats.

As Dead0man says, congratulations!

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

As with anyone here who gains any sort of power, I ask that you use whatever influence you have to promote the values of the Atlas forum to the fullest extent of your position.

but he said he cares about his town

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Nathan for President!

[Oakvale]

Congratulations, Nathan.

I trust you will exploit your position to further the aims of the Atlas, one forum under Leip, hallelujah, hallelujah.

PS: Can you hook me up with free cranberries? They're for a friend. PM me.

[AndrewTX]

Welcome to the world of public office!

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I'm told I'm the youngest person to hold public office at any level in Massachusetts in some time, which is also exciting.

Oakvale, I'll see what I can do. I'm at the other end of the Commonwealth from the bogs, but we've got a lot of apple orchards and dairy farms if that helps, and I'm sure I can make a trip to the East if it's for Atlas Forum.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Congrats!

[Yelnoc]

I'm told I'm the youngest person to hold public office at any level in Massachusetts in some time, which is also exciting.

Oakvale, I'll see what I can do. I'm at the other end of the Commonwealth from the bogs, but we've got a lot of apple orchards and dairy farms if that helps, and I'm sure I can make a trip to the East if it's for Atlas Forum.

How old are you?  You could be a congressman one day.  Somebody from this forum needs to become a member of Congress in the future.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I'm told I'm the youngest person to hold public office at any level in Massachusetts in some time, which is also exciting.

Oakvale, I'll see what I can do. I'm at the other end of the Commonwealth from the bogs, but we've got a lot of apple orchards and dairy farms if that helps, and I'm sure I can make a trip to the East if it's for Atlas Forum.

How old are you?  You could be a congressman one day.  Somebody from this forum needs to become a member of Congress in the future.

The first Congressional election I'll be eligible in will be 2018. I'd actually like to stay in municipal politics for a while if I even do do anything political, but I've had the Massachusetts General Court pitched hard to future-me by people in the Pioneer Valley who are actually in it (mainly Stan Rosenberg), so that's a possibility. I'm not sure I'd like the exposure that would come with federal or statewide office.

[I'm JewCon in name only.]

Congrats!!!!!! Thats awesome Nathan!

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Congratulations- you are a very kind and fair person and the type of person who SHOULD be elected

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Clarence, Klecly, et al.: Thank you very much. I appreciate your kindness.

NVTownsend: Oh, there will be stories, I'm sure. We're arguing about corporate personhood this year. Inevitably somebody will argue that it's not germane to local issues, and a sh**tstorm will ensue.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Yeeha! We've really gotta get the atlas Super PAC TrueFedralist proposed underway. Congrats man.