On Nov. 18 the town of Greene held a special town meeting to act on an amendment to the town’s solar ordinance.

The town meeting form of government is democracy at its purest. Residents gather to discuss and to act upon the affairs of the town; yes, tempers may flare, but the overall tone is civil and respectful.

This amendment clearly stirred the passions of many, as evidenced by the overflow crowd. Those in attendance were already on edge as the meeting began over an hour late due to the need to move to a larger location — but, with a little inconvenience, we began.

However, “civil” and “respectful” would not be words that can describe the meeting.

In order for non-residents to address the group, they must be granted permission by those in attendance. Representatives of both the landowner and the solar farm developer were willing to make their case. Minds were already made up, and the request to speak was denied.

A resident rose to speak and, while he was stating his opinion as to why the project would be a benefit to the town, he was constantly interrupted and shouted over to the point where he seemed to surrender to the unruly crowd. Throughout the meeting people continued to speak out of turn, with little regard for others.

The beauty of the town meeting form of government is that every citizen has the opportunity to hear and be heard. The residents in attendance demonstrated neither.

Carl Bucciantini, Greene