Want a closer look at selectboard, planning board and town committee meetings?

Night time may be the right time for most of these panels to meet, to maximize members’ attendance, and the public’s. But no matter what time of day a meeting is, it would still be when some residents could not attend due to work, classes or family or other obligations or pursuits. So what to do?

Besides reading meeting coverage on Wiscasset Newspaper and Boothbay Register’s websites and in the papers’ joint print edition, you can get a front row seat to a lot of meetings online.

Either live or recorded, immediately uploaded or days later, at least some of the meetings in area towns including Wiscasset and Alna, and for some school departments, are viewable via the entities’ websites, Zoom, YouTube, or more than one of these.

Like some movies with a slow start, the meetings tend to start with housekeeping items such as approving minutes and payroll. But wait. There is usually more. Soon the panel and sometimes fellow residents get into multiple topics that may affect motorists, students, taxpayers and other residents, contractors and other commerce, and town or school employees. Potential big ticket projects and proposed new or retooled ordinances get their early airings as officials and others mull the possibilities.

You might decide to weigh in if you are watching live; or later, in person or remotely at another meeting of that panel; or maybe even via a letter to the editor.

Whether or not you weigh in, just tuning in is a help to you and the town, because you are educating yourself on the issues you may see on the next annual or special town meeting warrant. The boards and committees, and we, do what we can to get the word out, but sometimes there is nothing like the minute by minute discussions in the meetings to answer your questions and see what you agree or disagree with.

And you may see people you know! Plus, you are seeing your elected officials at work – how they reason, problem-solve and communicate. This, as well, informs you as a voter.

Week’s positive parting thought: According to days.to, spring is now fewer than 10 weeks away. We can do this!