By Katie Farrell Lovett
NEWBURYPORT — Saying they wanted to gain the input of the community to find out what residents think works and doesn't work in the city government, the Charter Commission held its second public hearing last night.
About 15 people attended the hearing at the library — some to offer an opinion and others to listen. Suggestions included changing back to a town form of government, complete with Town Meeting, while others want to see the mayor's term in office lengthened or the size of the City Council decreased.
Fred Murray, 2 Clipper Way, told the commission he and his wife moved to the city 10 years ago from Winchester, a town with "a very fine form of government" with a town manager and Board of Selectmen. He urged the commission to look into the possibility of changing to a town form of government with a Town Meeting-style government and moderator.
In Winchester, there's an unwritten rule that no one serves more than two terms on the Board of Selectmen, Murray said. The town runs a representative form of Town Meeting in which citizens know the members, he said.
"Town Meeting is really a big deal in Winchester," Murray said. "That's where people really get a chance to sound off."
Judy Mouradian, Liberty Street, told commissioners they should include the city of Worcester in their research. A city run by a manager, it's never reached its full potential, she said.
"It can't get out of its own way," she said.
She urged the group to study the term length for the mayor, saying it should be at least four years.
Alan Papert, State Street, suggested the commission look into the possibility of hiring a college intern to help analyze all the research it will compile. In addition to subcommittees, the commission will spend the coming months interviewing officials in cities and towns across Massachusetts, and possibly other states, studying charters from other communities and gathering survey information from citizens. Surveys were sent out with the Census form.
Former City Councilor James Shanley agreed with other speakers that the size of the council is "too unwieldy." Many important votes require a super majority vote of eight, which can mean that sometimes worthy initiatives "fall victim to politics," he said.
Having lived for years in Stoneham, a community with an open form of Town Meeting where all voters can go and vote as opposed to elected Town Meeting members, Shanley said he is a big supporter of representative government, where citizens are elected to represent the entire city.
In Stoneham, town meetings were "an ungodly affair" to which groups would come in droves to support their initiatives and then leave, leaving the rest of the important votes to the 20 or so remaining audience members. Merrimac just got rid of their quorum requirement, since it could sometimes be months before a Town Meeting could draw a big enough crowd, he said.
The City Council currently has "tremendous review" inside the workings of City Hall, even having to approve transfers for office supplies, Shanley said. Things can slow down or be held up due to politics, he said.
Former planning director Bill Scott, 19 Chapel St., also cautioned the commission to look closely at the line between "policy and practice," saying the city has shifted, and elected officials have taken on a greater role once belonging to staff.
When elected officials start practicing versus setting policy, it causes problems, Scott said.
"If you want to get things done, it happens at the staff level," he said.
Where once the finance department gave finance presentations, you now see elected officials giving the presentation, he said. A staff can be held accountable when things don't get done, he said, adding that pink slips can be distributed when a project isn't completed or a time line isn't met when it was ordered. A situation like the landfill shouldn't take seven years to reach an end, Scott said.
The city needs a personnel director and a professional human resources department, Scott added.
Olga MacFarlane, of Clipper Way, agreed, saying she has long advocated for a personnel department in the city.
"It would tighten up a great deal of efficiency and accountability," she said.
Charter Commission Vice Chairwoman Kathleen Bailey said the group has set a time line and hopes to have a rough draft completed between September and November. Any proposed changes will need to be submitted to the state attorney general's office for review. Residents will vote on whether to accept the proposed changes during the November 2011 election.
