With all the political ranting I see on the internet from my local friends about the state of national politics, it's a wonder that more people don't get involved in local government, where the voices are fewer and change is easier. With so many voices on the national stage, each individual voice, while surely important, can easily be drowned out. Maybe that's the way we like. It sometimes feels good hurling our stones of criticism and indignation from a large, disorganized crowd at the slow moving beast that is the federal government. 

Don't get me wrong. The federal government matters, too, but if you really want to get something done without making it your entire life's work, show up to a few meetings or write a letter to the editor about something we can control locally (and there's a lot).

There's also no better time than now, in Camden and least. It's budget season and every Camden resident has a say in how the town will spend roughly seven million dollars of your money over the next fiscal year, which starts in July. Frustrated by property taxes? Thinking it's time we widened a sidewalk somewhere? Convinced we should be spending more or less on this or that? There's a whole Budget Committee of volunteers tasked with representing you, and public input is welcome at all of our meetings.  

Through March and April, the Budget Committee meets to discuss and make recommendations on the proposed 2017-2018 budget, which can be found on the homepage of the town website, along with our meeting schedule. Each meeting is also live streamed on townhallstreams.com and Time Warner Channel 22. This process all leads up to the Annual Town Meeting at the Opera House (June 14th at 7pm) which happens the day after we vote at the polls (June 13th from 8am-8pm at the Public Safety building). 

No matter what the Budget Committee, Select Board, or Town Manager has proposed, it's all up in the air until the Town Meeting, where just about anything can happen. One year, the town of Lincolnville decided to eliminate their entire Police Department! Anyone can make a motion from the floor, and even if you're a little rusty on your Robert's Rules of Order, there are always people there who know the rules well and will be happy to help.  

In some years, these meetings are so poorly attended that 30 or 40 people literally decide the entire budget, among other things. With so few voices, each one counts a lot, so take a look at the budget, ask some questions, and weigh in. 

Alison McKellar lives in Camden