Selectmen this week reviewed the warrant for the Sept. 21 special town meeting, and despite a $1.6 million shortfall that required department heads to cut their budgets by an additional 1.5 percent, residents will be asked to fund the purchase of three police cruisers and a recycling truck and the repairs to the South Middleboro fire station roof. Town meeting will also be asked to approve Article 11, which calls for a 50 percent increase in the town’s hotel tax from 4 percent to 6 percent. Town Manager Charles J. Cristello said the tax will raise an additional $84,000 in revenue. Read the rest of the story on EnterpriseNews.com.

The rest of this story is that the September 21, 2009 Middleboro Special Town Meeting had to be postponed to October 5, 2009. Why? Because Middleboro’s registered voters apparently could not care less about what happens in their town. The only time the voters show up is when there is something controversial on the agenda.

How many of the registered voters out there made sure that their voices and votes were heard when it came to the issue of a casino in town? How many of you have shown up to town meetings when there’s a question about schools? Where were you tonight? No. There weren’t any “controversies” on the agenda. It was simply the mundane running of the town. How boring. So uninteresting.

I ranted on Twitter about the inability of  the town of Middleboro to get 150 voters to show up at the Special Town Meeting. A few people responded to my rants. Some of them had very good reasons for not being there. Some of them had no excuse at all.

If you don’t participate, then you have absolutely no right to complain about your government. If you are going to let the small minority have a say then you must live with the consequences. Town meeting is the oldest and purest form of democracy. The next time you complain about your town, your state or your country no longer being a democracy, ask yourself this question:

Were you at Special Town Meeting tonight? If yes, then keeping speaking out. You’ve earned the right. If no, then make sure that you show up on October 5, 2009 at Middleborough High School, starting at 7:00 pm and make yourself heard. The phrase “Think global, act local” is a truism… things will only change if you make yourself heard and participate in your community and your government.