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The Newburyport Democratic City Committee will be sponsoring a forum for all Charter Commission Candidates on Tuesday, 10/27 at 7PM at City Hall Auditorium. This will be nonpartisan much like the event for Mayoral and Council candidates sponsored by the Newburyport Republicans earlier this fall.
Hope to see you there.
And please check out our new page “The Candidates” which features short bio’s for all 20 candidates.
Please spread the word!!!
On Thursday, September 10 at 7:00PM there will be a meeting in the City Hall Council Chambers to shed further light on the City Charter ballot question. Over 2000 citizens of Newburyport have signed petitions calling for a review of the city charter. The question will appear on the ballot in November.
If the question is approved by the voters, a 9-member commission will also be elected.
Attending the September 10 meeting will be Steve McGoldrick of the UMass Collins Center for Public Management. McGoldrick is an expert on options for structuring forms of city governance. The president of the Winthrop City Council, Tom Reilly, will also be attendance. Winthrop is a community that has recently changed its form of governance.
The meeting will be purely informational, and will be covered by local news outlets, including Port Media cable TV.
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For Further Information contact Bonnie Sontag at 978-499-7904.
Then
December 11, 2008 Email from Chip Wyser:
“I picked up a few copies of the Petition from the Clerk’s office this AM, and have gotten 26 signatures so far: 1.2% of our goal.”
Now
June 18, 2009 Email from City Clerk’s Office:
“you have reached the goal of 1920!!!!!!!!”
The City Clerk’s Office has been certifying signatures as petitions have been handed in…..so, the Charter Review Question will be on the November ballot!
Thanks to everyone who signed and everyone who collected signatures! Now we need more Charter Review Candidates….more to follow.
Welcome to the Newburyport Charter Review Website and Blog. Click on the Pages and Links to learn more.
CHARTER REVIEW; WILL IT BECOME A BALLOT QUESTION?
On November 24, 2008 the Newburyport City Council voted in favor and Mayor Moak approved a Resolution endorsing efforts of local citizens to put a question on our November ballot calling for a review of our City’s Charter; something not done in over 90 years. This was a follow-through on one of the Council’s stated Goals and Objectives established in their first month of office.
As a result, during the next several weeks you may see volunteers (even several City Councilors) carrying petitions to put the question of Charter Review on the November 3rd Newburyport municipal ballot. The question will read; “Should the City of Newburyport revise it’s charter or adopt a new one?” In other words; Shall a Commission be elected to Review and Recommend possible revisions to the current Charter (or form of government) for the City of Newburyport? It will take the signatures of 15% of the City’s registered voters to get this question to the ballot.
IF enough signatures are gathered, and the voters approve this initiative… a nine-member Charter Commission will also be elected by popular vote in November. YOU may want to be a part of this historic Charter Review effort by running for a position on the Commission or simply helping to gather signatures.
The elected Charter Review Commissioners will then study our City’s form of governance, research the pros and cons of how other communities are structured, hold hearings, receive public input and file a report, with a minority opinion if necessary with the City Council within 18 months. Recommendations for change, if any, will be put to a ballot vote in November 2011.
We are now governed by what the State calls a “Plan B” type of City government; with a two-year mayor, an 11-member City Council, elected by Ward and At-Large. There are five forms of State-approved City government; Plans “A” through “E.” Each has a different make-up of elected and appointed city executives and terms of office. If a Charter Commission is approved in November, each of these alternatives will be explored as implemented in cities throughout Massachusetts and as they might be applied here. The Commission may recommend a four-year term for our mayor, a different configuration of elected City Councilors or a City Manager with or without an elected mayor. The mayor may be elected by the public or by the City Council. All of these possibilities will be reviewed with an eye toward making our City’s government work as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
Please show your support for this important initiative by signing the petition or even gathering signatures yourself. Petitions to put the Charter Review question on the ballot as well as nomination papers for those who may wish to be a part of the Commission are available at the City Clerk’s office now. All signatures must be gathered by early June to insure this process moves forward.
Chip Wyser, Newburyport
Ed Cameron, City Councilor
Bonnie Sontag, Newburyport
Hugh Kelleher, Newburyport
CITY CHARTER REVIEW PETITION
The other evening I approached a friend and asked her if she would consider signing the City Charter Review petition. She said “Of course, I’ll sign it. I read about it in The Daily News and was wondering where I could find a petition to sign.” A couple of days later I asked someone else if he had heard about the petition. He told me he already knew about it and said “Give me a pen, where do I sign!”
For those of you ready to sign the petition, please look for signature collectors on most Saturday mornings in June at the Post Office, Abraham’s Bagels, CVS and Shaw’s Supermarket. If you’d like to help collect signatures, go to one of those places and someone will give you a petition and help you get started. Or you can pick up blank petitions for your neighborhood at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall.
For those of you who’d like to know more about the petition, here goes. This petition endeavors to put the question of City Charter Review on the November 3rd Newburyport municipal ballot. The petition statement reads: “We request that the City of Newburyport revise its present charter or adopt a new charter.” It will take the signatures of 15% of the City’s registered voters – or about 1914 signatures – to get this request on the ballot.
It’s been 90 years since our charter was reviewed. Here are a few of the options that could be developed during the review process: stagger terms of City Councilors; change number of City Councilors; extend the term of the Mayor; establish budget and capital plan procedures; create a City Manager position to function as the executive; elect, rather than appoint, some City boards and commissions.
When enough signatures are gathered, and if the voters approve this initiative, a nine-member Charter Review Commission will also be elected by popular vote this November. The Commission will study our City’s form of governance, research the pros and cons of how other communities are structured, hold hearings, receive public input and then file a report. A minority report might also be filed. Recommendations for change, if any, will be put to a ballot vote in November 2011.
Note that the Charter Review Commission may find that what we have now serves the City well and deserves no change. In that case, we will simply renew our Charter in its current format, knowing that we have at least been through this review and looked at revisions that may lead to efficiencies and cost savings in the long run.
My final request is for you to consider becoming a Charter Review Commissioner. If you would like to participate in shaping the future of our City governance structure, explore alternative types of governance, exchange views with Newburyporters, and contribute to your community for generations to come, please pick up nomination papers also at the City Clerk’s office. You only need 50 signatures to get your name on the ballot.
So what are you waiting for?!
Bonnie Sontag
Newburyport
