L-Podcast Episode 003 – Tom Murphy, Moderator of the Town of Ipswich Massachusetts talking about the Town Meeting

Tom and Guy discuss the Town Meeting and Tom’s role as moderator. According to Massachusetts state law the moderator’s primary responsibility is to preside and regulate the proceedings during town meeting, to decide all questions of order and to make public declaration of all votes. The Town Moderator is also responsible for appointing members to a number of key town committees.

The citizens of the Town of Ipswich have held town meetings since at least 1635. By state law and governed by the town charter the town is required to hold at least one town meeting per year. The annual town meeting takes place in the spring. On October 15, 2013 the town will hold a special town meeting to deal with a number of pending decisions.

Tom has a great sense of the history of the position of moderator and the importance of the “pure democracy” of the town meeting. He is working to keep the tradition of the town meeting relevant to contemporary times. Tom expresses that the town meeting as a form of governance is threatened because people find it increasingly difficult to balance the requirement of daily life with the responsibilities of participation.

Tom tells of the processes that lead up to the town meeting, what happens during the meeting and of resources that are available to citizens who wish to participate. Some of those resources are available at the links provided below.

Resources:

• Town of Ipswich Home Page
• Massachusetts Secretary Of State’s Website
• Acquire a copy of Town Meeting Time