From: Andrew Payne <andy+moderator@payne.org>
To: Lincoln-Talk mailing list
Date: January 1, 2026
Fellow residents,
I once told a friend I’d never run for any office. She said, “yea…..right.” Sometimes our friends know us better than we know ourselves.
I’m running for Town Moderator.
Some of my background & principles:
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I was on the Finance Committee for several years, chairing it for five. I have experience with and appreciation for the Town Meeting process, working with residents & town staff, finding agreement, and respectfully disagreeing.
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Town Meeting starts long before the actual town meeting. I would strongly encourage groups to host sessions & post materials (FAQs, videos, slides, etc.) in advance so residents can come fully informed.
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For especially contentious topics, it might be possible for the Moderator to play a pre-meeting facilitator role between opposing groups.
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Long meetings are burdensome for some, and the Town Meeting Study Committee has done excellent work identifying accessibility issues.
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I believe that clickers, front-loading the schedule with the expected contentious topics, pre-published information, and moving even more items on the consent calendar will go a long way toward keeping things manageable. Also, chyrons on the video feed clearly indicating the current and next warrant articles, along with (possibly) a simple text alert system for agenda items, will support those who need to “cherry-pick” their attendance.
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With that said, I believe it’s worth spending some extra meeting time to ensure the process is as fair as possible and people feel heard, even when the vote goes against them. Also, it’s important for us all to understand the mechanics of Town Meeting and town government.
The election is on Monday, March 30th.
Sarah Cannon Holden will leave some very big shoes to fill after our upcoming Town Meeting (March 28), but I’d be honored to have a chance to try.
If anyone has questions, comments, feedback, concerns, and/or suggested dad jokes, please email me at andy+moderator@payne.org.
One “I’d be grateful for your support and vote” resident’s view,
-andy