Poor and perfect attendance at Town Meeting

by: Brian

Tue Feb 05, 2013 at 12:48:48 PM EST

Interestingly, this is an improvement over the early years of the Town.  Harvard Kennedy School Professor Jane Mansbridge has found that

even though no more than 58 men were eligible to come to the Dedham town meeting and to make the decisions for the town, even though the decisions to which they addressed themselves were vital to their existence, even though every inhabitant was required to live within one mile (1.6 km) of the meeting place, even though each absence from the meeting brought a fine, and even though the town crier personally visited the house of every latecomer half an hour after the meeting had begun, only 74 percent of those eligible actually showed up at the typical town meeting between 1636 and 1644.

Coming back to the present day, I wanted to go a step further and see how this broke down.  Is it the same people attending, or missing, every Meeting, or does it change from year to year?  I looked back three years and on the whole was pretty pleased with what I found.  

Of all the 200 Representatives who have been in the Town Meeting for each of the last three years (a total of 338 served one or more years), 85 of them have perfect attendance.  That is, they attended both the Special and the Annual Town Meetings all three years.  An additional 50 only missed one of the six.  That means better than two-thirds of these Representatives made all or all but one Town Meeting in the last triennial cycle.

The complete breakdown is as follows:

Six meetings: 42.5%, 85 people
Five meetings: 25%, 50 people
Four mettings: 16%, 33 people
Three meetings: 7%, 14 people
Two meetings 4.5%, 9 people
One meeting 4%, 8 people
No meetings .5%, 1 person

On a neighborhood level, Precinct Six did the best with 18 of their 39 representatives (46%) putting forth a perfect record.   Precinct Five had the worst, with only 6 (15%).  For the other precincts, One had 16, Two had 15, Three had 7, Four had 8, and Seven had 15.

On the flip side, Precincts Four and Seven didn't have a single Representative  with poor attendance.  Nearly one in five Representatives from Precinct Three had an average of one per year or less, however.  

A full listing of those with the best and worst attendance records is below.   As the saying goes, decisions are made by those who show up, and as you can see most Town Meeting Representatives will at least come out for the two nights a year required of them.

Perfect attendance over the last three years

Precinct One
ANNE M. PODOLSKI, 91 SANDY VALLEY RD
BRUCE H. BOWERS, 935 HIGH ST
DANIEL PIERCE, 354 WESTFIELD ST
FRANCES BOLTON WILMERDING, 149 COMMON ST
HANA JANJIGIAN HEALD, 975 WASHINGTON ST
HOPE C. MCDERMOTT, 580 BRIDGE ST
JENNIFER B. JORDAN, 14 FRANKLIN SQ
JESSICA PORTER, 4 WILLOW ST #2
MARGOT C. PYLE, 47 VILLAGE AVE #203
MARY KEOUGH, 8 MERRALL RD
MARY LOU M. WOFFORD, 59 RICHARDS ST
MAY H. POLLY PIERCE, 354 WESTFIELD ST
ROBERT L. SANDMAN, 3304 GREAT MEADOW RD
SUSAN U. MCINTOSH, 14 ALLINDALE WAY
THOMAS C. COCHRAN, JR., 800 HIGH ST
WILLIAM SHAW MCDERMOTT, 580 BRIDGE ST

Precinct Two
CAROLYN A. JENKINS, 31 ZOAR AVE
CHRISTINE M. ROSS, 14 SHORT ST
DONALD R. SAVI, 51 RIVERVIEW ST
FRANCIS A. GALVIN, 52 BEACON ST
JAMES M. SULLIVAN, 299 RIVERSIDE DR
JANET F. SEBAGO, 14 WOODLAWN ST
JUDITH A. PIAZZA, 14 VOLK RD
KENNETH C. BRAGG, 16 MAYNARD RD
KRISTINA J. KRUG, 41 MASSACHUSETTS AVE
MAURICE C. BURNS, 278 RIVERSIDE DR
MICHAEL J. WALTER, 24 RIVERSIDE DR
NANCY J. CLEMENT, 30 ARLINGTON RD
PATRICIA M. CRONIN, 47 MASSACHUSETTS AVE
PAUL D. PODOLSKI, 131 JENNEY LN
RUSSELL W.POOLE, 4 HILLSIDE RD

Precinct Three
FREDERICK C, MATTHIES, 73 CLEVELAND ST
HEIDI A. DINEEN-SERPIS, 23 HARDING TER
LINWOOD PUTNEY, 37 GREENHOOD ST
MAUREEN L. TETI, 2 HANSON ST
RICHARD P. DELLOIACONO, 54 THOMAS ST
RITA MAE C. CUSHMAN, 121 GARFIELD RD
VIRGINIA L. BROBST, 28 MYRTLE ST

Precinct Four
ANN LOUISE MERCER, 750 EAST ST
CECILIA T. EMERY-BUTLER, 163 MT. VERNON ST
JOAN C. CUMMINS, 137 GRANT AVE
KEVIN F. HAMPE, 215 MONROE ST
RICHARD P. RADOSTA, 163 CENTRAL AVE
ROBERT J. FRASCA, JR., 305 WALNUT ST
SUSAN P. FAY, 295 WALNUT ST
WILLIAM J. MCELHINNEY, JR., 56 BOULEVARD RD

Precinct Five
JOAN CONNORS, 66 ALTOONA RD
MARIANNE T. MARTIN, 15 HOLMES RD
MARIE T. RIZZO, 30 GAINSVILLE RD
MICHAEL HUMPHREY, 113 PAUL ST
MICHELLE HOLMES LABADINI, 142 PAUL ST
SUSAN N. WEBSTER, 6 KIMBALL RD

Precinct Six
ANDREW E. SULLIVAN, 99 MADISON ST
BARBARA A, GULA, 211 CURVE ST
BARBARA MCKENNA, 66 LINCOLN ST
CHERYL M. FISH, 29 BELKNAP ST
CHERYLANN W. SHEEHAN, 234 WALNUT ST
CHRISTOPHER POLITO, 30 BROOKDALE AVE
GAYLE D. ALBERICO, 53 SCHILLER RD
LISA M. MORAN, 78 LOWER EAST ST
MARIE J. ROSE, 21 CROWLEY AVE
MARYANN MOLLOY, 65 WHITING AVE
MICHELE M HEFFERNAN, 26 BROOKDALE AVE
ROBERT F. CHAFFEE, JR., 81 SUNSET AVE
ROBERT J. FISH, 29 BELKNAP ST
ROBERTA LAWLOR, 145 WALNUT ST
STEVEN M. MAMMONE, 33 ABBOTT RD
THOMAS J. CLINTON, 38 EDISON AVE
THOMAS R. POLITO, JR, 35 LINCOLN ST
MICHAEL S. KELLER, 7 COLUMBIA TER

Precinct Seven
A. PETER BENSON, 40 SCOTT CIR
CAMILLE S ZAHKA, 216 GREENLODGE ST
CELIA BLACK, 2 INTERVALE RD
CHARLES F. BLACK, 2 INTERVALE RD
CHERYL A. SCHOENFELD, 256 GREENLODGE ST
CHERYLE E. BIGGAR, 25 WESTCHESTER CIR
DIANE A. NOLAN, 309 GREENLODGE ST
ERIC MERITHEW, 73 LEDGEWOOD RD
KEVIN F. MAWE, 11 CORONATION DR
MARK A. REILLY, 32 ROSEN RD
MARY ELLEN MCDONOUGH, 20 HERITAGE HL
MAUREEN E. PACELLA, 976 EAST ST
MICHELLE PERSSON REILLY, 32 ROSEN RD
PETER A. ZAHKA, II, 216 GREENLODGE ST
RICHARD J. SCHOENFELD, III, 256 GREENLODGE ST

Average of less than one meeting per year

Precinct One
STEPHEN B. MACAUSLAND, 121 SANDY VALLEY RD
RICHARD N. STILLWELL, 986 HIGH ST
STEPHEN MOORHEAD, 1 COMMON ST

Precinct Two
MICHAEL PROVOST, 282 NEEDHAM ST
NEIL F. CRONIN JR, 36 MARLBORO AVE
CONSTINTINE P. CALLIONTZIS, 126 VINE ROCK ST
JOHN J. DONOVAN, JR., 28 VOLK RD

Precinct Three
JACQUELINE J. KOHUT,14 STORMY HL
ROBERTHA V. CIVITARESE, 121 GARFIELD RD
SUSAN M. BROBST, 237 COLBURN ST
THOMAS M. BONCEK, 1 SHERWOOD ST
DONALD MCKEE, 99 MILTON ST
LINDA GALANTE MCKEE, 99 MILTON ST
THERESA C. O'CONNOR-HEISLER, 27 MEADOW ST

Precinct Five
JOHN J. GILLIS, 120 ALDEN ST
LAWRENCE J. ROONEY, 24 BEECH ST
CAROLE R. DONOVAN, 16 SHERMAN RD

Precinct Six
THOMAS J. HEALY, 217 WHITING AVE

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The Dedham Foundation