Proposed Charter Changes Going to Voters

Editor’s Note: This referendum date has been changed to June 8.

Qualified residents will have a chance to vote on proposed changes to the town’s charter on May 17.

On Wednesday night selectmen voted to bring the proposed changes in the elections and emergency sections to referendum.

Selectmen appointed the commission to fix a typographical error in the elections sections that would have severely limited the number of selectmen candidates and in some cases potentially resulted in all candidates getting automatically elected.

The commission, however, decided to make further changes, most notably the staggered terms.

Just two residents spoke at a public hearing on the matter at the beginning of the evening. Both supported the idea of staggered terms.

“Having staggered terms — like all the other major boards — is a great improvement,” David Sinish said. 

If the proposed changes are approved by voters, the first selectman and two members of the Board of Selectmen would be elected for four-year terms at the town’s next regular election, while the other two members would be elected to two-year terms. Starting with the regular election after that, terms would be four years for all members. 

Two selectmen, Bruce Lockwood and first selectman Richard Barlow, expressed disappointment that a losing first selectman candidate could still be elected to the board as a selectman.

Lockwood had advocated that change as well as some of the others the commission did make.

Barlow said it was unfortunate that a first selectman candidate would be thrown into that mix when just two other board slots were open.

“That’s not something I would have hoped to have seen,” he said.

The changes keep intact the rule that one member of the Board of Selectmen must be from a minority party. 

In the emergency section of the charter, the proposed change is to allow a third selectmen to declare a temporary state of emergency. 

Lockwood said he appreciated the proposals for staggered terms and the change in the emergency section.

“I’m happy to see the majority of the changes,” he said. 

Selectmen voted 4 to 1 to bring the proposed changes to voters, with Marc Cerniglia voting against it. He did not state his reasons for doing so.

For more detail on the proposed changes, visit the town's charter revision site. 

Officials are also expecting the town’s budget plan to go to referendum the same day as the charter vote.