Why Change Our Form of Government?
While Open Town Meeting served Andover well for many years, with Andover’s growth from a small farming community to a Town of over 36,000 people, Town Meeting has become inefficient (e.g., frequent, lengthy and costly meetings), ineffective (e.g., not suited for thoughtful deliberation on complex issues) and unrepresentative (e.g., poorly attended and not reflective of our large and diverse town). The first night of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting was attended by fewer than 2% of registered voters. By the end of the second night, fewer than 1% of registered voters were in attendance.