On Thursday night, for the second time this month, Hopkinton voters will be asked whether to approve SB2. If approved, our town of less than 6,000 will do away with its traditional town meeting. I fear SB2 would irreparably harm Hopkinton and I am urging my neighbors to vote “No” on SB2 for the sake of our community. Like other New Hampshire towns, Hopkinton’s challenges are stacking up: a lack of housing for seniors and workers; hiring challenges; deferred maintenance on our roadways and infrastructure; and the high proportion of residential property taxes. How will we tackle these problems if we stop coming together? By doing away with town meeting, SB2 disincentivizes listening to each other.
Opponents of town meetings have argued that the SB2 deliberative session will still bring people together, but history shows turnout for these sessions is low. In his new book, “Fragile Neighborhoods,” researcher Seth D. Kaplan looks at what separates thriving communities from failing ones. He found that thriving communities come together to tackle their problems. They listen, and talk, and get creative. By contrast, when residents disengage, they become more polarized, more alienated, more resentful of one another. Those communities become weaker, they decay. SB2 is a disengagement, it will only make it harder in the long run to tackle our problems, and it’s not right for Hopkinton. I want to live in a thriving town. I urge my neighbors to turn out Thursday night and vote “No” on SB2.
Nicholas Larocque
Hopkinton