Charter Commissioners Disagree Over Nessessity of County Government

Plymouth County Charter Commissioner and 9th Congressional District Candidate Christopher Sheldon said Monday that he has joined a group of four other Charter Commissioners in opposition to the proposed Plymouth County Charter recently submitted by the Charter Commission to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate.  The four other Charter Commissioners include: Gordon C. Anderson, Sr. (Halifax), Carl Harris (Hingham), William Harris (Duxbury) and Edward O’Connell (Marshfield).

The group has outlined and provided a description of their objections to the proposed charter in a document entitled, “The Minority Report.” The report was signed by the group in a brief ceremony on Sunday evening.

A complete copy of “The Minority Report” can be found at: http://plymouthminorityopinion.webs.com/

When asked about the purpose and responsibilities of the Plymouth County Charter Commission, Sheldon stated, “Eight of Fourteen Counties in Massachusetts have abolished county government since 1997. Plymouth County is one of the six that have survived, though compared to other counties both in and out of Massachusetts; the services provided at the county level are relatively sparse.

The Charter Commission in Plymouth County was formed with two tasks.  First, determine whether we should continue forward with county government. And second, if the decision was made to retain county government, develop a Charter that will improve the function of, and services provided by, Plymouth County Government. The Charter Commission completed both of these tasks by deciding to retain county government and by proposing a new charter document.”

Sheldon continued by explaining why his group has formed and documented their opposition to the proposed charter, “Like any legislative process, there were a number of decision points along the way where there was not a unanimous decision.  By recording these minority opinions in one succinct document, we hope to give voters a tool to that will help them make an informed decision should the proposed charter make the November ballot, and to record our objections to certain aspects of the proposed charter for future reference.”

Sheldon concluded his comments by discussing why his group plans to vote against the proposed charter should it make the November ballot. “While most of us within the minority, including myself, would have preferred to see Plymouth County government eliminated, our objections to the proposed charter are based on our sincere belief that the document does not represent an improvement over the existing county structure. 

We object to the substantial increase in revenue without any specific plans for how that money will be spent, we object to increasing the size of the board of commissioners from 3 to 5, and we object to having an advisory board that is not held accountable by the voters.  We, also, object to recall provisions that not only may apply to the Sheriff and District Attorney in their current form (which we oppose), but that are also not realistically attainable. 

In short, the proposed charter does not improve services, reduce taxes or make government more efficient, and that is why we have chosen to oppose it.”

-Release from the Sheldon for Congress Committee