Dear Editor,
This Annual Town Meeting will mark the first that I have not been Town Moderator in 25 years. I wanted to take a moment and thank the voters and residents of Wilmington for the support and confidence you have shown in me over the years
You elected a young, unproven 23 year old to the Board of Selectmen in 1982 and 8 years later as Town Moderator. The Town of Wilmington has been very good to me and my family for many years and for that I am very, very grateful.
The Town has seen many changes in those 33 years and the voters of Town Meeting have played a critical role in many of those developments. A new Middle School, High School, Public Safety Building, fields and programs for the kids in Town and articles to simply help your neighbors. Hundreds of voters of those years and all were important.
In some cases discussion took a bit longer than we would like but you realized that the right to speak and debate is a fundamental privilege that we all cherish.
At the end of the day the process work, sometimes painful, but it works. Town Meeting continues to be the more democratic form of government in the world. I have been honored to be part of that process in Wilmington.
Jim Stewart
Wilmington Apple 