The Middlesex Solutions Committee is a volunteer network working since 2001 to improve participation in town meetings and civic affairs in general. The group exists to strengthen our town’s democratic processes and support Middlesex’s local leaders on communication and community engagement.
All are welcome to participate. Opportunities for participation are publicized frequently via Front Porch Forum, public meetings and events, and the town report.
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In preparing for Town Meeting Day, the Solutions Committee works to ensure that all residents are welcomed and informed. Efforts include organizing free town meeting childcare and free town meeting dinner, offering transportation, recruiting student microphone runners, and publicizing the Orca livestream of town meetings. The group also coordinates an annual “Welcome New Voter” letter to people who have been added to the checklist, and organizes a town Candidates Profile webpage. (Between 2008-2020, the Solutions Committee pioneered remote town meeting participation, and hope to bring this practice back once the state has issued new guidance.)
Throughout the year, the Solutions Committee takes on projects such as organizing public issues forums, candidate forums, and community volunteer recruitment events. The Solutions Committee created two informational “Middlesex Operator’s Manuals," and organized the 2018 “What’s Next Middlesex?” vision-to-action community event. For details on the committee’s pre-town meeting activities, see the Annual Town Meeting Preparation document.
All participation is welcome. You can choose to take on a small task (bring snacks to an event, contact candidates for background information), or a longer-term project (draft materials to explain town decisions, facilitate a small group discussion). Or suggest your own new idea. Please reach out to this committee’s “Members” to get involved.