T-shirt notes 7-night Town Meeting

Tag : Long Shirts

It lasted so long, the town needed a T-shirt to commemorate theoccasion.
After seven nights, Shirley's annual Town Meeting finally concludedon June 26.
It was the "longest I can ever remember; I've been a selectman for17 years," said Leonardo "Chip" Guercio, chairman of the Board ofSelectmen. The previous record, he said, was three nights, sometimein the 1990s.
The meeting was so long that one resident designed a T-shirt withthe words "I survived seven nights at the Shirley ATM" written onthe front, referring to the annual session. The back of the shirtsays, "Now, if I can only survive the override!"
Dina Samfield, who came up with the idea for the shirt, saidproceeds from the sales will be used to start Safe Routes toSchools - a program to help children walk or bike to school safely- and for baby-sitting supplies, such as snacks, water, cups andbowls, at future town meetings.
This year's meeting was long because of the large budget deficitfacing the town, and the differences between the recommendations ofthe Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen. There wasdiscussion about every single line item, and the heads of mostdepartments had PowerPoint presentations, Guercio said.
But even with seven nights of discussion, the town still doesn'thave a balanced budget, with the spending plan for the new fiscalyear off by some $600,000, according to Town Clerk Amy McDougall."Selectmen and various boards are going to be working together overthe summer to address the issue," she said.
Attendance at the meeting gradually dwindled from a record 423residents on the first night, June 16, to 162 voters on the lastday, McDougall said.
"It just seemed to go on forever," said Samfield, who organizedfree child care at the meeting. But, she added, the marathon alsohad a positive side: "I have to say as miserable as it was, ithelped me to meet people in town."
The Shirley Town Meeting shirts cost $20, and 50 of them will bemade. To see the design, go to customink.com/designs/forprint/ 8605520-1772958/share.