Swampscott moderator schools Town Meeting members

SWAMPSCOTT – Town Moderator Joe Markarian took voting members back to school Thursday evening in the first pre-Town Meeting municipal finance seminar.Markarian said he had been thinking about holding an informational session for Town Meeting members for years, given his expertise dealing with town and city budgets as director of Financial Management Assistance for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. With Town Meeting on Monday, May 6, Markarian offered a crash course in some of the terms used at the meeting.”I thought it would be a good idea for Town Meeting members to become well-versed,” said Markarian. “They are making decisions for the town, so they better understand what people are talking about.”The free seminar drew about 20 people to a classroom at Swampscott High School, including members of the Finance Committee and newly elected selectmen Matt Strauss and John Callahan. Most took notes and asked specific questions as Markarian used a PowerPoint presentation to guide his pupils through the basics of how revenue, budgets, tax rate and how money flows through the town and its government.”I definitely see the use of having these meetings,” said Finance Committee Chairman Don Pinkerton. “Any time you help to educate Town Meeting members, it makes things run a lot more smoothly.”Markarian said he wasn’t sure what to expect for a turnout, but was so satisfied with the result he said he would hold another seminar next year.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].