by Valerie Hurley ·
Friday, January 16, 2026
The newly formed Charter Review Committee met for the first time this week to elect officers and set its schedule. It elected Select Board members Eric Ward and SusanMary Redinger as chair and vice chair, respectively, and voted in Bruce Leicher as clerk. The nine-member committee did not settle on a regular meeting time. But it did schedule a public hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m., to answer questions and collect opinions as to what it should focus on in reviewing the Harvard Charter.
The committee must present any proposed amendments to Town Meeting by spring 2027, according to the committee’s mission statement on the town’s website.
Ward told the Press that, in his own opinion, “the intent and spirit of the original charter is solid and should be maintained.” Any 10-year-old document is likely to need updating, he added. In fact, the charter itself requires that the document be reviewed once per decade. Ward, a former Finance Committee member, said he is especially interested in clarifying the charter’s section on finance and fiscal procedures.
The charter, adopted in 2018, defines the roles and processes of the town’s government. For example, it requires elections for the Select Board, School Committee, town moderator, and the Harvard Public Library and Warner Free Lecture boards of trustees, but empowers the Select Board to appoint members to most other boards, such as the Planning Board and the Park and Recreation Commission. The charter also specifies the duties of the town administrator and other town officials and departments.
Whether meetings will be held every two weeks or monthly has yet to be decided. Ward said he expects to assemble the regular meeting schedule by next week.