Is Representative Town Meeting Representative?
I have called Brattleboro home for the last 37 years, most of which I have been quite civically and socially engaged. Until now I had never heard the claim that Representative Town Meeting was not representative. Has something changed? I’ve given this a lot of thought and done some investigation. Resources include my complete set of Town Reports to 1992 and scattered editions stretching back to 1974. Town Reports contain the agendas and minutes of every meeting as well as the names of all Representatives, elected officials and a rich history of each year.
When my tenure as an RTM member began in the late 90s about two-thirds of the membership were upper middle aged, male, white property and business owners and professionals. Of the latter they were typically lawyers, finance people, landlords and such. Many of the other third were their wives. On the rare occasion, back then, when a couple did not vote the same way a mirthful chuckle would ripple through the crowd. Most of the decisions in those days were decided by votes in the order of 130 to 10. There was unity!
In the late 90s RTM began changing. One begins to find some of the counterculture/back-to-the-landers/artist and generally creative types that migrated here during the 70s, and now residents for 20 years or more, taking a deeper civic interest in town affairs and taking seats in RTM. It also may be that the burgeoning progressive politics in Burlington was casting influence down this way. In Burlington it was the beginning of the Bernie Sanders and Progressive Party era. In short order two of Brattleboro’s three State Reps, elected by all the voters in a district not just RTM members, ran under the banner of the Progressive Party. The changing RTM membership was also listing ever more women. Today the body is virtually a full 50% women.
In 2005 Brattleboro burst into a full blown financial crisis. In 2006 the dynamic and crackling Audrey Garfield was elected to the Selectboard and in 2007 two more progressive liberals joined the Board. In its wake RTM continued changing albeit less noticeably as it was a far larger body. As well, over the next ten years most of the old guard were retiring from service or simply dying off. A new generation was filling their seats.
Then, in 2016, Trump was elected. Suddenly fearful of the future many residents joined or elevated their involvement in a wide variety of civic, social and political groups. Soon enough an observant, concerned and energetic person, Ann Braden, also a good organizer, created an event that pulled all the groups together for a day in an ‘activist’ and social services Fair. At the end of that day representatives from most of the groups met to brainstorm next steps. A community calendar, WeCan, sprung to life. At that same meeting there was an impassioned statement pointing out that in a democracy all power belongs to the people. In our community the body exercising that power was Representative Town Meeting. If activists desired a voice their community and participation in determining its future they had to win a seat. The next year a few did. Then more over the next few years. Soon there was meaningful representation from a different segment of the population. The usual 130 to 10 decisions became 85 to 55 and in a few years outcomes were often unpredictable. It is worth noting that although RTM has become more representative it remains a distance from being fully so. One huge and critical sector unrepresented are the poor, working or not.
Other than that this broader representation at RTM brought a wider range of interests, backgrounds and concerns. It was natural and inevitable that the broadening of backgrounds and perspectives would lengthen discussion. New faces included more people in the creative economy, more teachers and people in social services and non-profits. They were often also renters and for the first time nearly a full half of the town population, tenants, were no longer being represented by their landlords but had a voice of their own. The new, younger generation of RTM members were less affluent. Thus, even though a large majority of the RTM body were still home owners, decisions no longer automatically favored that class. Many property and business owners were dismayed to discover their personal interests were not necessarily assumed as paramount. There was also a hefty increase in members from the LGBQ community and a few more people of color.
Many among this new and diverse wave were also entering with a refreshingly serious sense of civic responsibility. Working from this heightened sense of obligation they discussed and studied issues. They were coming to Town Meeting prepared. They did their homework and working within democratic process to persuade their fellow citizens. They provided data, analysis and a clear picture. They made good arguments. They were raising the level and quality of discourse. Their hard work and good information were impressive and more and more often won the day and the support of the majority. This could not better exemplify the essence, intention and highest values of strong democracy.
QUESTION No. 1: Is Representative Town Meeting actually representative? In short, other than the low income sector RTM has never been more diverse and representative than it is today.
