In the act of incorporation for Parsonsfield in 1785 Simon Frye, Esq., of Fryeburg, was authorized to call the first meeting for the choice of Town Officers. From the History of Parsonsfield written in 1885:
In both cases the main business of the day was to assume self-government. Since there were sometimes more offices than qualified citizens to fill them, the more knowledgeable settlers were sometimes forced to double up. In addition to three Selectmen, the slate called for a Constable, Tax Collector, Treasurer, Surveyors of Highways, and other such positions as are defined in Teg’s History of Porter:
Aside from the problem of roads, or the lack of them, vagrant livestock was a sometimes pressing issue, hence the "pound keeper, hogreaf and fence viewers". As New Englander Robert Frost later noted, "good fences make good neighbors".
The form or purpose of town meeting has not changed much over the centuries since the citizens of Plymouth Colony first met to discuss and decide on community-specific matters. In those early years the privilege of voting was limited to those male citizens 21 years of age who were property owners. Then, as today, the posted warrant “warned” the citizens to meet at a designated time and place to act upon the articles within. Traditionally, Maine town meetings were held in March and, until relatively recent years, were called to order at nine or ten in the morning and continued all day with a break for lunch put on by the church or Grange ladies. The Moderator, the election of whom is always the first order of business, brings the meeting to order and presides over the meeting after which his term of office ends. A good Moderator should know everybody in town, be respected, fair, and possess an operational knowledge of parliamentary procedures. Once a citizen both capable and willing was found, they could generally count on the job until health or infirmity intervened.
All Maine towns are not alike and many variations of town meeting exist but the process is basically the same. It may not be “pure democracy” as some contend but Meeting Day does afford Mainers the opportunity to speak their minds and to vote directly on matters that affect their lives.
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