I campaigned for hybrid Town Meeting for two years--and now it's the default. Keeping our focus on remote access to Town Meeting allows busy parents, those traveling for work, people with disabilities, and many seniors to participate in Town Meeting where previously they could not. We need to make sure that we have everyone's voices in our Town governance and decision-making.

As Moderator, I've created a Moderator's Advisory Committee--selected by Town Meeting Members, not me. Anyone can provide me with input at any time, but creating this committee and meeting in public with full transparency has created a way for Town Meeting to provide input on Moderator decisions and committee appointments.

I've made it a point to reach out and find people with solid skills for committee appointments. Just one example--I've recruited residents for the Warrant Committee who know how to work with budgets and financial data in order to solve problems. It's not enough to hold the line on spending every year. We need to look for new sources of revenue and squeeze more services out of our tax dollars.

I've made it a point to recruit broadly for Moderator-appointed committees and Town Meeting. Our largely volunteer Town governance institutions work best when everyone has a seat at the table, including underrepresented members of our Belmont community. We can do so much more to improve diversity in our Town committees and Town Meeting.