When Rob Gurwitt isn't writing for Governing , he's trying to get more people involved in local government. Rob lives in Norwich, Vermont, a little burg of 3,500 people.
Concerned about a drop-off in attendance of Norwich's annual Town Meeting, Rob and three other Norwichians had an epiphany -- lure them with food!
So they created Town Eating, a food-focused Saturday preceding the Monday night Town Meeting. It's a day of breakout sessions and discussion groups about the town -- fueled by coffee and doughnuts in the morning and a free lunch in the middle of the day.
Well, they're calling it a "free-ish" lunch, since your payment is your civic engagement. Sounds like a deal to me!
Here's a story on Town Eating from Vermont Public Radio.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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