Politics & Government

VIDEO: Moderator Brown Shares Tricks of the Trade

Speaking at the Lexington League of Women Voters Candidates' Night last week, Town Moderator Deborah Brown said she hopes to continue with strategies that helped streamline last year's annual Town Meeting, which concluded before Patriots Day.

Town Moderator Deborah Brown doesn’t have an opponent in the March 6 annual Town Elections, but she still made a few promises she intends to keep in the coming year.

“The first is maintaining a civil tone of debate without censoring the expression of differing perspectives,” Brown said at the Lexington League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night held last week at Clarke Middle School. “And the second is facilitating an efficient meeting without sacrificing adequate discussion of important issues.”

Brown, who took over as Town Moderator in 2009, said she’ll continue with strategies that helped streamline last year’s annual Town Meeting, which concluded before Patriots Day.

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Some of those strategies include limiting article report presenters and outside-of-the-warrant awards or presentations, and closely managing the agenda and making tweaks to ensure the next article is always teed up along the way.  

“It’s important to note that both civil discourse and an efficient meeting are not my responsibilities alone, but shared by everyone in the meeting,” said Brown. “But I have the advantage of the podium, where I can set the tone and set expectations and I have the advantage of the gavel to enforce those expectations, so I promise to try to wield this power fairly and judiciously.”

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To view Brown’s full statement made during the Feb. 16 LWV Candidates’ Night, watch the video posted above.


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