For many years, Rumford selectmen have complained that too few citizens attend and vote on the budget at the annual town meeting. They have never offered a solution to the problem beyond complaint.

Now, a group of Rumford citizens has offered a solution.

Citizens petitioned the selectmen to implement the secret ballot method for voting on the budget. The reason for the secret-ballot petition was that past experience in the town’s elections demonstrated that 10 times as many citizens vote by secret ballot as vote at the town meeting.

Question 3 of the poll in the Rumford town warrant titled, “Town Meeting Advisory Referendum on Budget,” is the option of the Rumford citizens who petitioned for the secret ballot vote. Question 3 will protect the privacy of voters, defend them from intimidation, nullify the power of special interest groups and bring broader citizen participation to local government decisions.

The desire of citizens for secret ballot voting is to stop last-minute projects like the proposed Rumford Town Hall renovation from being rushed through a town meeting. Secret-ballot voting would place this project and others under the scrutiny of 10 times the number of citizens than vote at a town meeting. That would be local government as it should be.

So, now is the time for the change in Rumford. Now is the time to create accountability in our elected officials with the secret-ballot vote.

Tom Fallon, Rumford