In today’s issue and from Friday’s paper our news section is filled with stories about the reorganizational meetings of our local towns. Whether a board has new members or not, they convene in the first weeks of January to go over important items for the year. 

And in most cases, there are new faces on these boards (not just the town council, but also zoning and planning), as well as new leadership.

Many residents want to be better informed citizens, and one of the best ways to do that is attend a town board meeting. You can learn about proposed projects, developments before the planning board, and the nitty gritty from budgets to tax ratables.

This is also a chance to get to know your board members—after all, they live in your town too. 

There are numerous incidents of people showing up to town meetings angered over certain decisions, only to find out that it had been discussed at prior meetings, with the chance to weigh in during public comment. 

And many other times word of mouth from these board meetings goes off the rails, and people are hearing misinformation passed down through a game of telephone or internet misinformation. 

Don’t let that happen—when you can go right to the source and attend your town’s meetings and find out valuable information. Or, read it in the pages of the Sullivan County Democrat. 

As stated before, there is always a public comment section where you can make your voice heard (just be respectful in both your language and of other people’s time — they don’t want to be there all night!). 

Most elected officials would agree that they want public participation, to ensure they are taking into consideration your values and input. It’s a two-way street — information sharing leads to a stronger and better-served community.