Catherine Jurczyk - Active Citizen

06/03/2026

Looking forward to more community engagement and real democracy in Ashland. Below is a Facebook post from the Moderator in Monson Mass who takes his role seriously to help people participate in Town Meeting.

From Monson Town Moderator Facebook Post:

🎤 The Moderator Minute - Town Meeting 101:

The Discussion Is the Process

One of the most common misconceptions about Town Meeting is that it's simply a place to cast votes.

In reality, Town Meeting is a deliberative assembly. That means voters don't just vote—they discuss, question, debate, and consider information before reaching a decision.

Unlike an election, where voters cast ballots based on information they've gathered beforehand, Town Meeting allows residents to hear presentations, ask questions of town officials, propose amendments, and listen to differing viewpoints before voting.

Sometimes the discussion confirms what voters already believe. Other times, new information presented during debate may influence how voters decide an issue.

This deliberative process is one of the reasons Town Meeting has remained a cornerstone of local government in Massachusetts for centuries. The goal is not simply to vote, but to make informed decisions after public discussion.

Whether you agree or disagree with a particular article, participation in the discussion is one of the most important rights Town Meeting voters have.

05/25/2026

Thank you to all our veterans for your service and sending blessings to our current service members on Memorial Day.

05/09/2026

We had early voting starting today in Ashland and it was busy so Go Ashland! I am happy to report that there were both people supporting the Prop. 2 1/2 Override and people who were not and civil, thoughtful conversations happened. I am fairly confident that had we planned community engagement right away once we noticed budget issues, Ashlander’s could have figured out a compromise that wouldn’t have left one side or the other disappointed. We skipped this step. Yes, it takes time and effort. We need to do better.

04/20/2026

On Patriot’s Day, a holiday in Massachusetts and a few other states, I am grateful that it is a chance to remind us what risks average citizens took to eventually establish a whole new democratic government.

On Marathon Day, I hope Ashland residents take pride in knowing that the original starting point of the Boston Marathon is in our town and was for the first 27 years.

03/15/2026

The Selectboard voted to support an override. I would have preferred if they had a listening tour to hear from the public before they voted. Nonetheless, residents need to participate to be heard.

02/03/2026

In an article I recently read, I came across the use of ‘civic muscle’. I think that is a great way to think about our civic life. What do you do to build, or streghen, your civic muscle?

Here is a link to a webpage with more information on civic muscle:

A vital condition for health and well-being, playing vital role in creating inclusive and empowered communities for a more equitable and thriving future

01/08/2026

Tomorrow night, January 8th there is a public hearing on a Zoning By-Law and information on the Housing Production Plan. Please plan to attend the Ashland Planning Board meeting to have your voice heard.

Link to where you can find the meeting agenda which will have information on remote login, the meeting is hybrid.

https://www.ashlandmass.com/AgendaCenter/Planning-Board-13/? -7652

11/03/2025

It is Town Meeting Time in New England! If your town has town meeting form of government, please try to make the time to participate. Here is a link to short video on the Town Meeting Process which hopefully gets you fired up to be an active citizen.

Ashland’s is November 19th, 7PM at the High School.
Ashland is getting better at assisting with participation, we have free child care! Next, we need to help seniors and those who don’t drive get to the meeting.

This is "The Town Meeting Process" by Comcast Digital Media Services on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/22/2025

Hi Ashland,
As Precinct 4 representative to the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee I would like to report that we had our last meeting on October 16th. The Committee approved to accept the plan which sends its on the way for further levels of approval. Next week the Planning Board and Select Board will have a joint meeting where they will vote. After that, the community votes on the plan at Town Meeting November 19th.

Below is a link to the draft, the Consultant should be issuing the final plan not in draft form shortly but this draft via this link has nearly all the final changes discussed.

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1wW3rzvhq_tRggJjvXk6HOJlolcEx5m4k?usp=sharing

Upon final approvals, the Select Board and Planning Board will be organizing the next phase where we will need community volunteers to help with Implementation of the plan. So please stay tuned!

08/05/2025

Who should be an active citizen? All of us! How are you civically engaged?

Civic Engagement happens any time someone takes action to better their community and encourages others to do it, too.Learn more about the basics of Civic Eng...