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Date: 10/22/2015
EAST?LONGMEADOW?– The Charter Commission’s plan for a town council-manager form of government received mixed reactions from residents during the commission’s second public hearing on Oct. 15.
Less than 100 residents attended the public hearing and approximately 20 shared their thoughts or concerns about the Charter Commission’s recommendation to adopt a seven member at-large town council and a town manager in the draft charter.
Town Moderator and resident James Sheils said he disagreed with commission’s idea with eliminating Town Meeting in favor of electing town councilors to serve as the government’s legislative branch.
“Let me be begin by stating that while my position as town moderator obviously reflects a bias in favor of Town Meeting, my comments are not intended to preserve my position,” he noted. “My term is expiring and I do not currently plan to run for re-election.”
Sheils said some main criticism of town meeting addressed by the Charter Commission include, the possibility of individuals “stacking” meetings to vote for or against issues and low attendance numbers for meetings.
“For attendance, I admit that East Longmeadow like all other towns has less attendance at a town meeting than I would like,” he added. “However, any voter can attend, can participate, and can vote. The number of residents attending alone should not indicate whether the process is fair, reasoned, or deliberative. Every town voter has the right to be there. I would point out that the commission itself has rarely had more than a handful of citizens attending its meetings and according to the count displayed on YouTube, the total number of viewers for each meeting ranges from the 30s to the 60s – numbers far lower than a quorum for a Town Meeting.”
Nothing prevents opponents for a particular position from attending meetings, Sheils noted regarding the issue of stacking meetings.
Resident Bill Caplin said he’s attended most town meetings during his six years as a resident and he believes the legislative process is “somewhat antiquated.”
He added that he would like to see the efficiency of town meetings improved by increasing the number of selectmen holding office.
“You talk about long-term planning – I don’t see any way that meetings could do any planning. It’s got to be the selectmen,” Caplin said.
Selectman William Gorman said the commission isn’t listening to what taxpayers want from a new form of government.
“We signed a petition because people wanted a choice – a manager, selectmen, mayor – which we thought,” he explained. “Taking taxpayers’ only right away to vote by eliminating the town meeting I don’t think is a very good idea. It’s better to have 150 taxpayers vote on something rather than seven people.”
Gorman said adding more selectmen does not guarantee smoother operation of the town.
He cited Longmeadow’s charter change from three selectmen to a five-member Select Board as an example of this.
Recently the Longmeadow Select Board hired a facilitator to improve the relationship between selectmen and Town Manger Stephen Crane.
“The selectmen we have now are not perfect, but we are changing all the mess little by little that was given to us by the last officials,” Gorman said.
Resident Stephen Loyack said he agrees with commission’s decision to include a town council-manager form of government in the draft charter, but would like to see change in the School Committee as well by having a town councilor or selectman serve as a voting member of the committee.
Joseph Townsend, a former selectman, said he’s not opposed to a change in the town’s form of government, but would like to see a mayoral system in place instead.
“I truly believe that right now if you’re looking into changing the government mayorship for this town is a good thing to do if you’re going to change it, otherwise, in my opinion, leave it the way it is,” he added.
Resident Robert Adams said he wants the commission to give residents several choices to choose from regarding a new form of town government.
“I don’t think you’re ready to go to the ballot in April,” he noted. “I think you need to take another year to look at all the options.”
Resident Laura Peavey said she is in favor of a town administrator who would bring departments together, take care of financial matters, and instill communication between town departments.
“I don’t feel that’s going on,” she explained. “I find, from my experience, when I call or ask a question, I don’t get a call back or I’m told to go to speak somebody else and then I still don’t get an answer to my questions.”
She added a seven-member town council would likely result in more conflict. She believes a mayoral form of government would be the best option with the addition of a town administrator.
Board of Public Works Chairman John Maybury said he would hope the commission would let know residents what the basis its decision by providing a list of pros and cons for a recommended new form of government.