Town surveys, in Wiscasset or elsewhere, do not always get huge responses, just as local votes at the polls or town meetings do not always draw most registered voters. They all get whoever shows up for that meeting, or votes Election Day or absentee, or completes the survey. And close results may not be as satisfying as wide margins, but they reflect those people’s wishes. It is better than mind-reading or assuming voters’ wishes on town business based on the comments of those comfortable speaking up or writing a letter.

Comments in hearings and comments in open town meetings help, because officials rightly look to those announced public proceedings for feedback and direction; but beyond those, it is hard to beat votes and surveys in gauging a town’s will as a whole, when a town panel is planning what to propose or not propose. 

It would work even better if more people took part, but that is another matter. The point here is, when votes and surveys result in narrow margins supporting or rejecting the issue(s), town officials are right to follow the direction the responses tipped toward. What else can they do? Discount the survey or vote, with one reason or another more people did not take part?

Some Wiscasset residents said they did not get the recent marijuana survey in the mail. The town worked on that, including also having the surveys available at the town office. And officials have wondered again and again why a school resource officer budget item lost by four votes last June. But when all is said and done, Wiscasset has been looking to town votes and surveys like these and basing decisions off the results.

Doing the opposite would not fly, nor should it.

Week’s positive parting thought: According to https://days.to/spring/2022, viewed on this week’s snowy Tuesday morning, as of Thursday, Jan. 27, spring will be 51 days away. That’s not too bad.