On March 28, Concord voters will elect a moderator.
The moderator presides over Town Meeting, Concord’s form of legislature, making all procedural decisions, taking all votes and maintaining an orderly process. The office of moderator is an old one, shaped by history. As early as 1645, the then town of Dorchester required a moderator for Town Meeting, not for “infringement of any brother or neighbor’s liberty … nor to quench the smoking flax … but only that Confusion may be avoided and business more orderly dispatched.”
Local traditions and the guiding hand of the moderator shape Concord’s Town Meeting. Described by historians as the “purest form of democracy,” Town Meeting is not systematically codified through constitutional convention like state and national legislatures. It differs in look and feel from town to town. Finance committees, the principal advisors to Town Meetings, also differ among towns. Concord’s moderator appoints its 15-member Finance Committee with an eye toward diversity of viewpoints. To serve Concord well as moderator, a candidate should have the right professional background and personal qualities, and broad community knowledge. I believe that I have demonstrated during seven terms that I do.
Be sure to vote on or before March 28.
