The Town Meeting: Then and Now

The town meeting has been considered one of the purest forms of democracy, now over 192 years old, town meetings has become a long standing tradition in Northern New England, where each march residents gather to discuss the issues, vote in their elected officials and vote on everything from the budget, to zoning to how the town governs itself. We'll look into the long history of town meetings, see how they evolved and question as Northern New England grows, if they're beginning to become outdated. Laura's guests are Professor Frank Bryan, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont and Author of "Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How it Works" and Susan Clark, Adjunct faculty member who teaches Community Development at Woodbury College in Montpelier Vermont. Frank Bryan and Susan Clark have co-collaborated on a new book "All Those in Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community.