NEWBURYPORT — A public forum will be held tonight at 7 in City Hall Council Chambers to discuss the Charter Commission process.
Earlier this year, citizens spent months collecting signatures from registered voters, asking if they would support putting a question on the ballot in November. That question would ask citizens if they wanted a review of the charter.
With enough people signing the petition, voters will now be asked if they support the creation of a Charter Review Commission, answering, "Shall a commission be elected to frame a charter for the City of Newburyport?"
At the same time, they will be asked to vote for members for that commission from a list of candidates on the ballot. Nine commissioners would be elected.
A Charter Review Commission would be charged with reviewing the document and making proposed changes. Those could include changing the city's form of government from a mayor to a city manager, extending the mayor's term, extending city councilors' terms or changing how people are appointed or elected to boards.
Steve McGoldrick of the UMass Collins Center for Public Management will attend tonight's forum. McGoldrick is an expert on options for structuring forms of city governance. The president of the Winthrop Town Council, Tom Reilly, will also attend. Winthrop has recently gone through the charter review process.
Citizens can still take out nomination papers to run for the Charter Review Commission, having until Sept. 15 to return the forms.
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