By WAYNE BLANCHARD
To my fellow Rockingham voters: It’s that time of year again. All year long we enjoy the freedom and independence as individual citizens, but on March 4 and 5 comes the unity part, where we must come together to debate the common good for our community. The Town Meeting Warning is now available on the Town Clerk’s website at rockinghamvt.org. Because of the vote at last year’s meeting we must attend in person at 7pm March 4 in the Town Hall Main Theater for the town portion of the meeting. The school budgets and election of officers will be done on March 5 by secret ballot at the Masonic Temple. The town portion has 30 articles this year because, as we do every few years, each of the “social service” items must have individual votes. In addition several other articles deserve your support. The Rockingham Meeting House needs structural repairs. Our ancestors created this great symbol of our history and now it is our turn to preserve it for the next generation (say yes to 23 and 24). For those of us who live beyond the paved roads, the Highway Grader is a lifeline for us. Please support Article 26. We are fortunate to still have train service. I once met a couple of Australian tourists who came to town just because they could take the train after they flew into New York City. Let’s support the work on the station. Our town library is a gem that is the envy of other towns around us; there are programs for our youngest whippersnappers all the way to our oldest curmudgeons. Some programs are in person, and some are online. If you haven’t done it in a while, check out a book or magazine or maybe a movie. It’s a great resource and I hope the “ayes” have it for article 23.
Every registered voter can participate in Town Meeting. If you are a Rockingham resident and need to register, go to the Town Clerk’s office. There is also an online voter registration system on the Vermont Secretary of State website, olvr.vermont.gov. For town meeting register by February 15. For the elections you may register to vote up to and including the day of the election, but to be sure you are on the checklist, register by the Thursday before March 5 (the Town Clerk’s office is not open on Fridays).
— Wayne Blanchard is a resident of Bellows Falls, Vt.
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