10 Questions for Town Government

Perhaps the reason many voters are suspicious of government efforts to solve problems is that they have concluded the government itself is more a problem than a solution. Well, tonight (Wednesday, February 3, at 7:30pm at 50 Carby Street) the Government Study Task Force will be holding a public hearing where Westwood residents are welcome to weigh in with their opinions and suggestions for changes to the Town Charter.

Here is a copy of the Town Charter. That might make for some fun reading on the train ride home tonight, but I thought I would stir things up a bit with a few of my own questions. Maybe some answers are obvious, but have they been asked in a context where there was an actual opportunity to do something about them?

1. Does Open Town meeting "work?" Other communities have Representative Town Meeting where you elect someone in your neighborhood to be responsible for attending, voting, etc. Imagine if one parent could attend to represent several others who did not want to pay for child care, etc. while they sat through 3 hours or more of procedure waiting to cast their vote.
2. Why is the Finance Commission, arguably the most powerful and influential component of town government, appointed by the Town Moderator? Should they be elected or confirmed?
3. Should there be a geographic representation element to the composition of the Finance Commission or Board of Selectmen?
4. What is the purpose of having a 3-member Board of Selectmen instead of more, less, or none?
5. Does the at-large system of election in this town serve all parts of town effectively?
6. Is the practice of a board member running for an elected office, then retiring so that the Selectmen can appoint someone else the best way to handle vacancies? (This is not intended to be a criticism of any person in particular, but just questioning how vacancies are handled now.)
7. Why is the Town Election held in the Spring when there are no other elections happening? Wouldn't it make more sense to combine the Town Election with a November election and have only one election per year?
8. Is the Warrant Article process working? To get an item on the May agenda, it must be approved by the Board of Selectmen by early January or petitioned onto the Meeting Warrant. It is vetted through FinCom hearings and, at least in the perception of many, can thereby be "killed" prior to Town Meeting.
9. Is the practice of putting "placeholder articles" on the Town Meeting Warrant so that the Board of Selectman can add items later helpful (allowing urgent issues to be added when necessary without opening the floodgates to frivolous items) or hurtful by creating an "insider track" for policy?
10. Does the structure of multiple independent boards and commissions work effectively for residents and business? Example: to do anything significant in the town involves working with the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, and Selectmen--and of course the Town Administrator. Is this structure friendly to the kind of business and economic development we want?

I will attend the meeting tonight--which will be video recorded by the Town for future reference. I don't expect to pose all these questions, but thought it would be interesting to begin a discussion here, report back from tonight and see if this discussion can continue as the Task Force conducts its ongoing work.