The government of Monmouth is a mess.In 2004, we were presented with a plan that would enable voters to approve warrants from the Town Meeting by secret ballot.

Town Meetings had been confrontational and many voters were not comfortable voting by a show of hands, so a secret ballot sounded like a good idea.

What we did not know was that the secret ballot would entirely replace the annual Town Meeting.

Town Meeting gave residents a chance to talk directly to our elected officials and have a say in the warrants that fund the town of Monmouth. Now, except for selectmen's meetings where public comment can be made, voters have no input into the contents of any warrant.

Consequently, I have voted against all the warrants since then, with the hope of restoring Town Meeting. Finally, voters have rejected a warrant item (the police budget) and this rejection has caused havoc with the town's budget and tax bills.

If we people of Monmouth no longer have a Town Meeting where we can confront our elected officials and have little say in the governance of the town, then the form of town government needs to be changed.

The board of selectmen are elected at-large, meaning that not all of the town's population is fairly represented. The town should be divided into precincts and each precinct should be represented on the board. The way it stands now, Monmouth is being governed by a small group of people with a poor same result.

The government of Monmouth is in an unfortunate situation and it does not reflect well on the town. Monmouth has a very good town manager, who is a bright, well-educated and experienced person who is having to deal with a dysfunctional system.

Judson R. Duncan

Monmouth