Dear Readers,

This year's Boothbay Harbor town meeting reminded me of a NASCAR race. For the better part of an hour, it sort of went round and round, with little action, until the end when things got a bit confused.

We live in a republic; we elect folks to pursue our interests.

Sometimes it appears our representatives only obey the golden rule: “Them that got the gold, got the rules.”

Not so in our town meeting. This is a democracy, the one place where the voter is king. It is where they can, and do, chime in on whatever topic they wish.

On Saturday, the harbor's voters did just that, and the town's selectmen, town manager, budget committee and department heads were all lined up and ready to answer questions.

For the most part, the 50 or so residents listened quietly, asked few questions, and quickly approved the 2015-2016 budget totaling more than $4 million.

The only squabble between the selectmen and the budget committee was over the ambulance service's funding request. The budget committee recommended keeping last year's rate while the selectmen proposed an additional $16,000.

It seems the budget committee suggested that while the ambulance service provides us with first class health care, as attested to by budget committee stalwart Palmer Payne, its fiscal house was a bit disorderly.

After a bit of back and forth, Robbie Ham of the ambulance service acknowledged they had hired a new billing service and made other changes to shore up their business practices.

Good enough, said the citizens, and they voted to approve the selectmen's sum of $184,808.

Then a citizen asked why we spend $45,000 a year on street lights and a dozen or so of them were dark.

“I called Central Maine Power to complain. They told me to get the identification number off the poles and they would come out and fix them,” said Margaret Perritt. “But the snow was piled up and I couldn't get to the poles.”

She said it was a job for the town anyway. Tom Woodin, the town manager, agreed.

“Well, when?” asked Perritt. “How about next week,” Woodin said. Problem solved.

The Rev. Ami Sawtelle, the Methodist pastor, wondered why the town was cutting $200 from last year's appropriation for senior citizens services. She suggested taking $200 from the $5,000 allocated for fireworks and giving it senior citizens. After some parliamentary wrangling, the town overturned the ruling of the moderator and voted to approve her request.

Finally, the agenda turned to proposed changes to the town’s zoning ordinances.

After some back and forth over the differences in the old ordinance language and the proposed changes, the meeting broke down over a discussion of the difference between a parking lot, a parking area or a parking facility, and whether or not it had to include a structure. Are you still with me?

About that time, the meeting had gone on for two hours or so, and nearly everyone one seemed confused. When no one could agree on the definition of a garage, it was obvious the time had come to adjourn. And they did.

Was this just an exercise in futility? Is the town meeting form of government a waste of time?

No, said Chip Griffin, the lawyer/historian. It serves a very real purpose.

While the town meeting is not efficient government, it is a chance for officials to see how the public views the issues affecting their hometown.

“When we discuss the issues in a public forum, it really brings us all together,” he said.

Amen to that.