LETTER: Streaming local meetings creates more participation

March 25, 2026

By Justin Betts

To the Editor:

I read Travis Fifield’s recent piece on streaming and Zoom at town meetings, and I think it misses what a lot of people around here are actually dealing with day to day.

I don’t live in town, but I work there, and my whole family does. So what happens at these meetings matters to me, and I pay attention.

The idea that adding Zoom or streaming somehow hurts the process doesn’t line up with reality. For a lot of people, getting to a meeting in person just isn’t possible. If you’re working nights, out on the water, dealing with kids at home, or just can’t make a drive after dark in the winter, you’re out. Not because you don’t care, but because you can’t be there. And right now, if you can’t be there, you don’t really have a voice. That’s the bigger issue.

Just adding the option for people to join remotely would open the door for a lot more people to at least listen, and in some cases participate. It’s not complicated, and it doesn’t take anything away from the people who prefer to show up in person.

Let’s be honest—most meetings are the same small group of people. That’s not because others don’t care. It’s because they don’t have the time, flexibility, or ability to be there at a specific place and time. So decisions end up being shaped by whoever can consistently attend, not necessarily a true cross-section of the community. Adding remote access doesn’t create that imbalance—it helps fix it.

Streaming meetings shouldn’t even be controversial. People should be able to see what’s happening in their town without relying on secondhand information or word of mouth.

It builds trust. It keeps things open. And it lets more people stay informed, even if they can’t actively participate every time. That’s a good thing.

Life isn’t built around town meeting schedules anymore. People are working longer hours, juggling more responsibilities, and in a lot of cases just trying to keep up. If we actually want more people involved, we have to meet them where they are. Adding Zoom isn’t some radical shift—it’s just catching up to how everything else already works.

This isn’t about technology versus tradition. It’s about whether we want more people involved in local decisions, or we’re okay keeping it limited to those who can always make it into the room. Because that’s what the current system does.

Zoom doesn’t take anything away from town meetings. It just gives more people a chance to be part of them. And around here, that feels long overdue.

–Betts lives in Sedgwick.

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