By Torrie Hargreaves
I have lived in Hingham for three years after moving here from Chicago. While I always voted in Chicago, it's a city of three million people so it is definitely more difficult to have your voice heard.
I am looking forward to seeing our town's political system at work as I feel Town Meeting gives you a front-row seat into the inner workings of Hingham government.
When we first moved here, I was new to Hingham, Boston, Massachusetts, the Northeast, etc. so didn't feel ingrained in the town or region. My children were little and not in school and I was trying to navigate moving to a new town and meeting people. Now that I have been here a few years and Hingham feels like home, I certainly feel more vested in our town and the decisions being made on my family's behalf.
While I am interested to see what happens with the water company acquisition proposal and would love to see a plastic bag ban go into effect, my biggest focus and concern is Foster School as my oldest child is a first-grader and my youngest will start kindergarten there in the fall.
We have had an incredibly positive educational experience, but there is no doubt the Foster building needs to be renovated or re-built. I was dismayed to read an article the other day that one of our fire stations has been experiencing a water leak in their living quarters. It seems unjust that the men and women who sacrifice so much for our town can't comfortably rest when it is raining out. I was surprised we let our facilities get to that point. That said, I know there are wonderful citizens who volunteer and work tirelessly in this town on committees, subcommittees, etc. and the answer is not always black or white.
While I always vote, I'm typically private about my politics and you will never find my political leanings on any social media pages. But I think the beauty of Hingham's Town Meeting is that it doesn't seem like a left- or right-leaning event, which is refreshing in such an ugly political climate. It's truly about the issues that affect our residents on a daily basis.
Reviewing the list of warrant articles, I noticed that there is so much I am not informed on, so I'm looking forward to gaining some education and insight on these issues. Like I always say, "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain."
I'm not sure what to expect come April 22, but I'm looking forward to hearing about the issues and seeing our town's political system at work. I hope many people consider attending.