Letter to the Editor: Protect what works in the Mattapoisett Select Board

To the editor:

On Saturday, October 4 at 1 PM in the ORR High School Gym, Mattapoisett residents can speak clearly: keep our Select Board at three members. This vote is our chance to correct a rushed decision pushed through Beacon Hill and passed last May by fewer than 110 votes — hardly a community consensus.

More than 335 residents signed the petition calling for this Special Town Meeting. Opponents dismiss it as “non-binding” and “unnecessary.” But it was their unprecedented haste that denied voters a full voice. Citizens are simply asking to be heard — something that should have happened from the start.

Under our three-member board, Mattapoisett has earned a AAA bond rating, maintained one of the lowest tax increases in the region, submitted only one small tax override in a decade, and passed every independent audit. That’s a record of competence, not dysfunction.

Advocates claim expansion brings “diversity.” But adding seats doesn’t guarantee new ideas — elections could yield the same viewpoints. True diversity comes from voter choice, not from enlarging government.

Research from Harvard Kennedy School and others shows larger boards are less efficient, more divided, and less accountable. Growth in size rarely improves performance — it adds complexity and conflict.

This meeting gives us a voice that Beacon Hill ignored. Let’s affirm the system that works — one that’s proven, efficient, and accountable. Show up. Speak up. Vote YES on October 4 to keep our board at three and protect what works.

Let’s show that arrogance has no home in Mattapoisett. As they said in the ’60s — Power to the People. Right on!

Paul Criscuolo