Harvard’s elected charter commissioners gathered one last time in Town Hall Wednesday evening, March 28, for a sparsely attended question-and-answer session to explain the charter they have proposed for the town.
Fewer than a dozen residents came to the meeting, but their questions and comments reflected the objections that have animated opponents of the commission’s recommendations since they were first proposed. Whether anyone else is paying attention, commission Chairman Paul Cohen said, is anyone’s guess. The debate over whether to pass the $54 million plan for a new elementary school “has sucked all the oxygen out of the room,” he told the Press afterward. “I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
Of all provisions in the proposed charter, the article that would empower the selectmen to appoint the members of the currently elected land-use boards remains the most controversial. The list includes the Planning Board, the Board of Health, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Community Preservation Committee, the Cemetery Commission, and the tree warden. Two other land boards, the Conservation Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, have been appointed boards for years. The School Committee, by law, would remain elected, as would the Select Board, the Library Trustees and the Warner Free Lecture Trustees.
Having the selectmen appoint town boards would be a structural change to town government that strengthens the authority of the Select Board to act as the executive body of the town. The charter also gives the selectmen responsibility for creating the annual budget and places more responsibility for day-to-day duties in the hands of the town administrator and Town Hall. But it is the provision to appoint previously elected boards that drew the first question of the evening.
What would make the selectmen more qualified than the voters in choosing board members? asked Jennifer Finch of Codman Hill Road.
There has not been a rush of candidates to fill vacant positions in recent years, observed Cohen. Commissioner Cindy Russo said, “It was our conclusion that a lot more people would be willing to serve if they didn’t have to participate in an election.” Commissioner Ron Ostberg agreed. In his experience, he said, “When people are asked to serve, they’re inclined to serve.” The commission felt the Select Board “would develop techniques, expand its [contact list], and develop some real charm when it comes to asking people,” he said. There are a lot of qualified people in town who don’t volunteer, Ostberg said, “but would be inclined to, if approached.”
Toward a more unified executive
But the decision went beyond a belief that appointing boards would simply be a better way to staff them, said Russo. The desire to create a more unified executive also figured into the decision. The commission had asked, she said, “Is town government accomplishing as much as we would like it to accomplish?” The answer was no, said Russo. Committees often acted as silos, she said. By bringing everyone under the structure of the Board of Selectmen, or Select Board, as it would be named, it would be possible to increase communication among the boards and cause people to work toward common goals set by the selectmen, she said. Russo cited the town’s failure to act on past Master Plans as an example. Master Plans are documents that tend to sit at the Planning Board and are ignored by selectmen or other boards, she said. The proposed charter requires that the selectmen incorporate the Master Plan into their strategic planning. “We can’t be sure it will work; we think it will work,” Russo concluded.
Appointing boards won’t impinge in any way on the roles already defined for them by the state, noted commission member Rick Maiore: “They have certain rights and certain charges. It is not for the Select Board to override these rights.” The boards will continue to perform their statutory responsibilities independent of their work on town goals, he said.
Former Master Plan Steering Committee Chairman Joe Hutchinson wondered whether the Select Board could be impartial in its appointments, noting that majorities on past boards had stacked their subcommittees with like-minded appointees. Commissioner Ron Ostberg said that the charter attempted to prevent partisan appointments by requiring that a supermajority—four of the five Select Board members—agree on appointments to any affected board. What if a Select Board becomes heavy handed in dealing with other boards? asked League of Women Voters President Meg Bagdonis. “That’s why we have elections,” answered Ostberg.
Town Election decides next steps
The meeting was moderated by Town Moderator Bob Eubank and lasted a little more than an hour, ending around 8:15 p.m. The commissioners provided an organizational chart of their proposed changes to town government and two pages of frequently asked questions, which will also appear in the Town Meeting booklet that will be mailed to voters. The booklet contains the entire text of the charter as well as the FAQs. State law prohibits the commissioners from publicly advocating for the charter, but it does allow them to conduct educational sessions. Commissioner Stephanie Opalka said she and others would hold coffees and make themselves available at local venues such as the General Store and Transfer Station in the weeks remaining before the May 8 Town Election.
Cohen reminded Wednesday night’s attendees that there will be no opportunity to debate or amend the proposed charter at this year’s Annual Town Meeting on May 5. Voters will make their decision by voting for or against Question 1 on this year’s ballot at Town Election. A majority is required to pass the measure.
