by Valerie Hurley ·
Friday, February 20, 2026
A public hearing held Feb. 10 to collect suggestions for revising the Harvard Charter attracted only four members of the public, including two from the Press. The charter defines the roles and processes of town government and, by its own rules, must be evaluated every 10 years by a nine-member Charter Review Committee.
It’s possible that the inert link on the committee’s agenda page may have affected attendance. Although technically adept users were able to access the meeting by typing in the meeting ID and passcode at the Zoom website or app, or via the media button on the committee’s webpage, anyone accustomed to clicking on a live link from the posted agenda would have been out of luck. In an email to the Press, Chair Eric Ward said that the email address he set up to receive citizen input, charterreview01451@gmail.com, had not received any suggestions or questions. And as the process is just beginning, Ward said, there’s still time for the public to weigh in.
Paul Cohen, who was a member of the 2016 group that created the Harvard Charter and is now also on the review committee, told the Press he was not surprised by low attendance at last week’s hearing. “I do not believe the residents feel that there are significant problems with the structure of the town’s government,” he said.
Asked what notable change the charter had made to town government, Cohen pointed to the Select Board’s formal designation as “the town’s chief executive board.” As such, he said, the board can “establish the vision and priorities of the community” and take a greater role in the budget process. “The budget should facilitate the achievement of the board’s direction,” he said.
During the 15-minute hearing, Ward presented an overview of the charter and the process by which it would be amended. First, the committee will collect input from town departments and boards, town counsel, and residents. Then, it will review each of the charter’s eight articles and present recommended changes at another public hearing and to the Select Board. The 2027 Annual Town Meeting would then vote on the amended charter.
The committee has not yet established a regular meeting schedule but plans to convene Friday, March 6, at 2 p.m.