By Richard Price
Grafton News Editor –
Every 10 years, the town reviews and recommends changes to its charter, a document that defines its seats of power and establishes duties and responsibilities.
But the review, now underway, could alter who decides town warrant articles and who sits in key local seats.
A charter committee of seven members is exploring a recommendation of three significant changes to how town government works: changing the Planning Board seats and the Town Clerk position from being elected to appointed, and altering the open Town Meeting system to a representative system.
The review is not complete but town voters may face a decision next May.
The charter committee members — which include Town Administrator Tim McInerney, former School Committee member Daryl Rynning, retired Grafton Police Officer Dennis Perron, Groton Town Manager Mark Haddad, and retired editor of The Grafton News Don Clark — are sorting it out.
Here is a breakdown of the three key issues.
Appointing Planning Board members: Town officials, including McInerney and Selectmen Craig Dauphinais and Brook Padgett, have called the Planning Board inflexible. They claim the board has run up delays by bouncing projects to the conservation commission and the zoning board of appeals. They have also argued that in recent election cycles seats have gone either uncontested or unfilled and that changing the system from elected by voters to appointed by Selectmen will enable qualified candidates to enter without the messy election process, while also bringing in accountability.
At the Sept. 1 committee meeting, Planning Board Clerk David Robbins defended the current process, saying the criticism is based, in his words, on wrong “perceptions.” He argued the Planning Board has to follow state laws which can be onerous and complex. He also said it is common for applicants to arrive at meetings unprepared, which can drag the process out, and that they sometimes don’t listen or drag their feet to complete the requirements.
Robbins also said delays in finding candidates to fill a seat has happened only once or twice in the last 10 years.
According to Town Clerk records, since 2006 there have been only two contested Planning Board races: in 2012 and 2014. The 2015 race was the only one in the last 10 years where an appointment was needed because there weren’t enough candidates.
During a Sept. 8 Charter Committee meeting, Planning Board member Bob Hassinger said the speed of a decision depends on the project. “A subdivision takes a long time,” said Hassinger. “Some of it is complicated … some of it is contentious.”
Member Linda Hassinger said she does not know why there are fewer candidates running for a seat but she said the process is part of a democracy and should not be tinkered with. “It’s still important to have the people vote,” she said. “They can kick me out.”
But Selectman Craig Dauphinais, who served on the Planning Board for three years, said changing the current system is important because the board is not getting enough candidates to run. He also said if the system is changed the town can find a bigger pool of qualified candidates. “The Planning Board is a reflection on the whole community,” he told the Charter Review Committee on Sept. 1. Dauphinais said his experience on the board was “a grind” but added that a change would be positive and that if enacted the Planning Board won’t be taking orders from Selectmen but they will be accountable. “It’s about the future of our town,” he said.
Selectman Sargon Hanna, who served on the Planning Board for over four years, said the seats are important and require a big time commitment. But he also said there is a “huge discretionary piece” to be effective. “If you have five members who are afraid of growth then the town will never grow,” he said adding that he ran for re-election twice unopposed. “It didn’t matter how voters felt about me,” he said.
Appointing the Town Clerk: The Charter Committee is also exploring whether to recommend changing the Town Clerk seat from elected to appointed, now held by Donna Girouard whose term expires in 2019. Before her, the seat was held for over four decades by Maureen Clark who retired in 2013.
Referring to the position as “keeper of the records,” Town Administrator Tim McInerney said the position has evolved over the last 10 years and now requires someone who is certified and qualified. McInerney added if it became an appointed position then Selectmen should be the decision maker since they are elected and closer to the voters.
But Charter Committee member Daryl Rynning said although that would relieve an interested candidate from the hassle of an election it would replace it with a public review of resume candidates which she said could be intimidating.
Girouard told The Grafton News she “walks the fence” on the issue. “There is less control for the townspeople,” she said but added it is nearly impossible to come off the street and do the job because it requires a refined skill set. “I worked for Maureen Clark for 13 years and I was still learning,” she said.
Open Town Meeting to Representative Town Meeting: Although not much has been discussed yet on this by the Charter Committee, participation in open Town Meeting, where all registered voters are invited to decide on each warrant, have declined since 1997, according to data from the Town Clerk’s office. After subtracting meetings where numbers spiked because of hot button warrants (such as votes for new schools or a library expansion) the average voter attendance in five-year increments have dropped from 262 to 174.
Town officials continue to fact find and do not have a recommendation to present to the town, which is projected to come to a Town Meeting vote in May 2017. Residents are encouraged to voice their opinions in a brief online poll at grafton-ma.gov/charter-review-committee.
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