I wish Adam Dash success with his new Moderator’s Advisory Council (“Moderator Advisory Council Aims to Increase Transparency in Committee Appointments,” Belmont Voice, July 31, 2026).
Building on the charge of the Moderator’s Advisory Committee I established as moderator, Dash’s Council has the potential to do useful work. For example, a focus on recruiting new Town Meeting Members is helpful. With fewer residents choosing to run for these important positions, Belmont needs to ask why—and do something about it.
I’m also pleased that Mr. Dash plans to seek the Council’s input on moderator appointments. Opening the appointment process to broader participation and transparency was an important reform instituted during my tenure, and I’m glad to see that continue.
But the Council’s charge leaves out things that matter.
First, there needs to be a fulsome commitment to transparency. The Council should commit to operating under Open Meeting Law (OML), as my Moderator’s Advisory Committee did. Meeting minutes are one important requirement under OML. But Mr. Dash does not plan to make meeting minutes available to the public. And recordings are no substitute for those looking for a quick read on what transpires at Council sessions. Transparency only becomes meaningful when information is fully accessible.
Second, improving Town Meeting should be a central part of the Council’s charter as it was for my Moderator’s Advisory Committee. Belmont should constantly ask how Town Meeting can be more accessible, inclusive, efficient, and effective. That requires a forum specifically charged with examining what works, what doesn’t, and what should change.
Mr. Dash’s Council is off to a promising start. Give it an improved charter, a full commitment to transparency, and a clear mandate to improve Town Meeting, and it could become something even more useful.
Mike Crowley, Farnham Street
