Norman Rockwell Was Wrong

By Trish Anderton on Friday, November 7, 2003.

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The New England town meeting is often seen as the purest expression of American democracy.
Norman Rockwell captured that feeling in his painting "Freedom Of Speech," which shows a rough-hewn commoner standing and giving his opinion, while wealthier townspeople look on respectfully. But how close does modern small town government come to that ideal? As part of public radio's week-long look at democracy, New Hampshire Public Radio's Trish Anderton went to Dunbarton and filed this report.

IT'S HAPPENED EVERY spring FOR THE LAST 238 YEARS IN THE SMALL southern new hampshire TOWN OF DUNBARTON. REGISTERED VOTERS GATHER AT TOWN HALL. THE MODERATOR CALLS THEM TO ORDER. This year, with the help of THE
LOCAL GIRL SCOUT TROOP. :17

are the girl scouts ready? wd you please stand while we say the pledge? I pledge allegiance .

ONE BY ONE, MODERATOR FRED MULLEN READS DOWN THE LIST OF BALLOT ARTICLES. THERE'S A PROPOSAL TO BUILD A NEW SHED FOR ROAD SALT. THEN THERE'S A DEBATE OVER WHETHER TO HIRE ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER. THE SELECTMEN ARE OPPOSED TO THE EXTRA COST. BUT MANY TOWNSPEOPLE COME OUT IN FAVOR. AND in this direct democracy THEY'RE NOT AFRAID TO DIVE INTO
THE DETAILS. :20

snippet of debate over budget item.

AFTER A LENGTHY DISCUSSION TOWNSPEOPLE DECIDE TO ADD THE EXTRA OFFICER TO THE BUDGET. AT TOWN MEETING, JUST AS IN NORMAN ROCKWELL'S PAINTING, ANYONE CAN SPEAK. QUESTIONS ARE DECIDED BY A SIMPLE MAJORITY. FOR FRED
MULLEN, IT'S THE HIGHEST FORM OF government. :15

54 215 people can have their say, how they feel, and sometimes they can birng up something to convince someone to change their mind. and they vote on it right there. that's why I think it works.

BUT SOME PEOPLE WONDER IF THAT honest EXCHANGE OF IDEAS IS AS EFFECTIVE AS IT USED TO BE. LIKE MANY SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWNS, DUNBARTON HAS BOOMED OVER THE LAST DECADE. ITS POPULATION GREW MORE
THAN 25%, TO MORE THAN 2000 PEOPLE. BUT ONLY ABOUT 150 SHOWED UP AT
TOWN MEETING. RON SLOCUM IS THE KEEPER OF THE CHECKLIST. :20

17 00 major decisions of this town cd have been decided by as few as 76 people. out of pop of 2200. is that fair? I dunno (snort)

TOWN MEETING MAY BE A SIMPLE AND DIRECT KIND OF DEMOCRACY, BUT IT'S ALSO DEMANDING. YOU HAVE TO FEEL ENGAGED WITH THE TOWN TO SLOG THROUGH THE DETAILS OF ITS BUDGET. SLOCUM SAYS SINCE DUNBARTON HAS TURNED FROM A FARM TOWN TO A COMMUTER TOWN, PEOPLE MAY NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF
COMMITMENT, or sense of community. :17

therer might be a grp out there that think this is a bedroom commty, I'm comf in my home, as long as I'm secure I'm happy.

OTHERS WONDER IF THE SOMETIMES ABRASIVE NATURE OF TOWN MEETING SCARES NEWCOMERS AWAY. PATTY SHEARIN MOVED HERE ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO. SHE'S A REGULAR AT THE MEETING, BUT SHE ADMITS IT'S INTIMIDATING SOMETIMES. :11

003 00 it can be hard, bc you do see these people on a reg basis, so it can be hard to face them on the st after you've had some arg.

CHARTERED IN 1765, DUNBARTON IS OLDER THAN THE UNITED STATES. IT'S A CLASSIC NEW ENGLAND TOWN, WITH WHITE CLAPBOARD HOUSES AND OLD-FASHIONED TOWN COMMON. :10

store amb

THERE'S JUST ONE PLACE TO GO IN DUNBARTON FOR LUNCH - LITERALLY: THE DUNBARTON COUNTRY STORE. DURING A TYPICAL LUNCH RUSH, FEW PEOPLE HERE
SAID THEY GO TO TOWN MEETING. :20

35 145 I think people shd go and be informed, and if I had more time I would too, but that doesn't happen for me.

SHARON PACHECO IS BUSY WITH HER REAL ESTATE JOB, AND SHE'S PREGNANT. SHE SAYS SHE JUST CAN'T GET INVOLVED. BUT OTHERS GIVE A MORE POINTED REASON
FOR NOT GOING. :10

its not what you know its who you know in this town.

BOB MICHAELS IS A RETIRED HEATING REPAIRMAN. HE'S LIVED HERE FOR THIRTY YEARS. BUT HE SAYS HE FEELS EXCLUDED BY DUNBARTON'S POLITICAL ELITE. :08

31 44 the clique makes it harder for everybody. all these committees they waste their money on. you can't do this or that. why? because we don't want it.

SMALL COMMITTEES LIKE THE SELECT BOARD AND THE PLANNING BOARD DO WIELD A LOT OF POWER HERE. PLANNING BOARD MEMBER DAVID BREAULT WORRIES THOSE GROUPS CAN BE DOMINATED BY INSIDE INTERESTS. :10

46 220 you get devels on planning bd, you get large land owners and biz owners on select bd. //there's just a lot of questions that go under that.

BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES THERE'S AN OLD BOYs NETWORK. RON SLOCUM ARGUES THE PEOPLE WHO SERVE ARE MORE SELFLESS THEN SELF INTERESTED. :08

basically they're the people that step forward. whether they have agendas or not isnt the issue. they want to get involved.

OTHERS FEEL A TOUCH OF OLD-BOYISM ISNT SUCH A BAD THING. JOHN SWINDLEHURST IS AS CLOSE TO ROYALTY AS IT GETS IN DUNBARTON. HE'S A FORMER SELECTMAN, AND THE FATHER OF A current SELECTMAN. SWINDLEHURST BELIEVES OUTSIDERS SHOULD WORK AT BECOMING INSIDERS IF THEY WANT TO MOVE UP IN TOWN GOVERNMENT - THAT IS, THEY SHOULD SPEND TIME VOLUNTEERING AT
LOWER LEVELS TO LEARN THE LAY OF THE LAND. :22

006 57 I think a lot of people move in and this is their first shot at real democracy and they stand up and turn on their ears more than their brain, I think, and they wanna hear themselves speak. if people observed what was going on they might temper some of their ideas.

THE CLOSER YOU LOOK, THE MORE NEW ENGLAND TOWN GOVERNMENT RESEMBLES DEMOCRACY EVERYWHERE ELSE. PRIVATE GAIN COMPETES WITH PUBLIC INTEREST. VOTER APATHY THREATENS TO DRAG THE SYSTEM DOWN. GOVERNMENT REALLY IS SIMPLER AND MORE OPEN HERE. BUT TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE, YOU HAVE TO DIG IN DEEPER THAN JUST SHOWING UP AT TOWN MEETING. FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO, I'M TRISH ANDERTON IN DUNBARTON.