Adam Dash has been a Town Meeting member for 18 years, and over the past year, he said he noticed a growing dysfunction in the town’s legislature.
According to Dash, rulings from the moderator were sometimes problematic, there were more people calling for points of order from the floor, and the meeting seemed less controlled than in previous years.
Dash is now running against incumbent Michael Crowley, who has held the position for one year.
“I figured, rather than sit back and complain, I would actually run. So, I’m putting myself out there because I believe I have the experience and skills to do the job,” Dash said.
In addition to 18 years on Town Meeting, Dash served two terms as a Select Board member, 10 years on the Warrant Committee, two years on the Zoning Board of Appeals and was part of the Community Preservation Act study committee.
“I think there was some expectation there would be a learning curve [for Crowley],” he said. “I wouldn’t have a learning curve because of my work in town up to this point and me being a municipal attorney.”
The moderator, Dash said, has three main responsibilities: Running Town Meeting; making legal and procedural rulings; and appointing people to various committees, including the Warrant Committee.
As an attorney, Dash said he is often responsible for running large in-person, remote, or hybrid meetings. His legal work focuses on municipal law, including zoning and project permitting, an asset when running a Town Meeting.
Because of his law background, he will be able to make procedural rulings quickly, without calling on Town Counsel for consultation.
For making committee appointments, Dash cites his long career in Belmont government as evidence of his ability.
“I think I’ve appointed something like 500 people to 60 or so committees over the years,” he said,
Dash also touted his ability to read a room, a way of divining the sense and direction of a meeting, that helps the meeting flow naturally.
Added up, he said, it would make Town Meeting run more smoothly and more efficiently.
Dash also vowed to improve transparency around moderator appointments, to make information about decision-making more readily available, ending what he considers a troubling lack of transparency around the mechanics of Town Meeting.
Several precincts struggle to find candidates for Town Meeting. Dash believes successfully recruiting people to run begins with a personal approach. For example, as he is courting the electorate, he often tries to plant the idea of a Town Meeting candidacy.
“When I’ve talked to people, and they start showing an interest in town, I’ll tell them they really should run for Town Meeting,” he said.
Among the obstacles for serving on Town Meeting is the time commitment. There have been three different meeting sessions since last May, including one in July. Dash believes his ability to run meetings and move efficiently through procedural rulings will help to shorten the time devoted to Town Meeting.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 7.
