Recent letters to the editor about local elections discuss the lack of candidates, or how many current officeholders run unopposed. Some suggest that more opposing party candidates need to run or that the electorate is satisfied with their current elected officials, so there is no need to change.

No one has yet suggested that most people have no idea what is going on in local government. If they knew, they may get more involved. They may agree or disagree with how the current members are voting on matters that affect them most and find a trend there. Last week the five members of the Town Council did the following:

Continued their discussion on changing their unwritten policy to deny a full liquor license for new restaurants, allowing only limited wine and beer license for a trial period; moved forward an amendment that would restrict short-term rentals, including a requirement for a special permit, one off-street parking space per bedroom, and the homeowner living on site for any future short-term rentals; and discussed the impact of data centers and what to do about them if proposed in Bristol.

While we are distracted by the divisive, poison partisan politics being played out nationwide, our local government is hard at work making important policy and laws that affect our everyday lives right here in town. Do we know what’s coming and how it will affect us?

It is understandable that The Phoenix cannot cover every meeting in Bristol. Perhaps instead, the Phoenix could publish at least three Town Council agenda items that are most interesting each week and report how each member votes.

That would promote more civic engagement — and may just increase readership.

Marianne Bergenholtz
Bristol