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Date: 9/10/2015
EAST LONGMEADOW – The Charter Commission voted to adopt a strong town manager as the executive branch of a proposed new form of local government within its draft charter, which is anticipated to come before voters in April 2016.
Previously, the commission voted unanimously at its Aug. 20 meeting to add a seven-member town council at-large form of government within the legislative branch to the draft charter.
Town Councilors would each serve three-year terms.
Charter Commission member Eric Madison made the motion to allow for a town manager form of government, which was approved by a majority vote.
Charter Commission member Larry Levine, who voted against the idea for the charter to include a town manager, said prior to the vote he believes a mayor working alongside a chief of staff administrator could best serve the town.
“The reason for that is that I would want someone who is elected to be in that position,” he added. “I do see the points of a town manager and the professionalism and the concerns that, ‘What if you get a rotten apple?’”
Levine said he believes the mayor should have “absolutely no power” and the position should be ceremonial.
He noted that although he voted in opposition, he did not have strong feelings against the town adopting a town manager form of government.
“I think that there has to be a change,” he added.
Charter Commission member George Kingston said the community should be overseen by a town manager because of department heads such as the Department of Public Works, Fire Department and the school district are led by hired officials.
Charter Commission Chair Dawn Wiezbicki-Starks said she researched information on the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s website that listed pros and cons for the town manager and town council form of government.
The pros included a smaller legislative body, frequent meetings of the legislative body, ability to establish experience and qualifications for the chief executive, and the ability to remove the chief executive at any time by the vote of the elected council, she noted.
“To me that was pretty strong,” she added.
The list of cons included smaller citizen participation and decision making and the potential for political appointments to administrative positions, Starks said.
Madison said town manager and council form of government is effective because the council could take “swift action” to fire a town manager before “a lot more damage is done” than would be if an elected official were serving as chief officer of the executive branch.
“The other aspect of this is that we have the opportunity while we’re drafting this there are some minimum qualifications that a town manager has to meet,” he added. “We don’t have that opportunity with a mayor.”