Round-up of posts of interest on these matters
Articles/Information on the Local Impact of Citizens United
- “How does Citizens United affect our City?” (PDF)
- “State Races are Cheap“
- “Coming to a Town Near You: SuperPACs and Local Races“
- “Corporate Free Speech Trumps Local Self-Determination“
- NEWS: Foxboro: A town divided (local election time inundated with ads)
- “The biggest danger to our democracy may be at the local level”–State Senator Jamie Eldridge
Thoughts on Town Meetings’ Role
- Town Meeting Member Guide: Info and Background for TMMs
- Town Meeting Should Decide, James Hugh Powers (On the history of Town Meeting and political speech)
- “For voicing the will of the people,there is no better forum than Town Meeting.” –Vermonters on Constitutional Amendments and Town Meeting Day
- “With our longstanding tradition of town meetings and our citizen legislature––any (citizen) can have an impact.” —Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith
- “The Town Meetings of New England were where the American Revolution was born,” said Powers. “When the moderator brings his gavel down and calls the Town Meeting to order, he’s also reconvening the American Revolution. Town Meeting has a duty to stand up for the rights of the people.” — James Hugh Powers, Needham’s Longest-Serving Town Meeting Member
- (Regarding this) “flagrant Outrage on the rights, and liberties of the citizens of all the free States of the Union…as citizens of a Republic, we feel called upon to use all constitutional and peaceable means in our power to cause its immediate and unconditional repeal.” —Needham Town Meeting Takes a Big Stand–in 1851
we the people | needham 