GREENSBORO, The Town of Greensboro will hold a special town meeting on June 30 at 7 p.m. at the Highland Arts Center to vote on two articles that would replace the traditional town meeting format with Australian ballot for all budget articles and all public questions.
Article 1 would have the town adopt all budget articles by Australian ballot. Article 2 would extend the same voting method to all public questions. If both pass, Greensboro would no longer hold in-person floor votes on those matters, instead using mailed or drop-box ballots.
Liz Baum, a Greensboro resident, published an opinion piece in the Hardwick Gazette arguing that the vote is premature. She wrote that the town should first explore hybrid approaches that preserve the town meeting tradition while expanding access. Baum urged a “no” vote on both articles and called for the creation of a study committee, noting that Craftsbury formed a Freedom and Unity Committee in 2022 to examine similar questions.
The Hardwick Gazette is sponsoring a “Strengthening Democracy” forum on June 22, led by facilitator Susan Clark, who has worked with Craftsbury on its process. All Hardwick and Greensboro residents are invited to attend.
Originally reported by Hardwick Gazette.
Photo: Artaxerxes (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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