By Katie Farrell
Staff writer
July 13, 2009 03:57 am NEWBURYPORT — It's not definite there will even be a Charter Commission in the city until the November election, but there's plenty of interest among citizens who want to be on that board if it is formed. Seventeen citizens have taken out nomination papers to run for the Charter Commission and that number could still grow, as the city learned recently that residents can take out papers for that board until September. A range of citizens has come forward, from a current School Committee member to a local blogger. City Councilor Ed Cameron, who spearheaded the effort to begin a Charter Commission process, along with other citizens, said Friday he's pleased to see the candidate pool so far. Cameron, who is seeking re-election to his council seat, said he will not run for the commission himself, due to the time constraints of being a councilor and having a young family. The Charter Commission will be a time commitment for those who get elected to it, Cameron said. "It's going to be fairly labor intensive," he said. The commission will go through the entire charter, the city's governing document, to make recommendations on what should be changed — that includes everything from how long elected officials hold office, to which committees have elected members. "It might be 10 to 15 hours a month of work," Cameron said. Cameron said he hopes to see citizens from all political backgrounds come forward to seek a seat on the commission, as well as those who have experience in government and volunteering on city boards. "I think it would great to have a couple of lawyers on the commission just to have a good balance," he said. Today, Cameron will ask his fellow councilors to vote to support placing a question on the November ballot that asks voters if a Charter Commission should be formed in Newburyport. Regardless of how the council votes, however, under state law it will be on the ballot, as organizers got signatures from the required 15 percent of registered voters to sign a petition to do so. The effort among city residents to begin a Charter Commission started a few months ago. Newburyport has a "Plan B" form of government, in which the legislative body is composed of a mayor and an 11-member City Council, with five councilors elected at-large and six representing the city's wards. The mayor has power to make all executive decisions — like hiring, firing and entering contracts — and the council has the power to pass ordinances and veto certain decisions by the mayor, including the mayor's choice of department heads. In addition to answering the question as to whether the commission will be formed, voters will also need to pick who will serve on it. Only nine commissioners serve on the board while 17 candidates have pulled papers so far. Three have already returned their forms with the necessary number of signatures to have their name placed on the ballot. Candidates for Charter Commission have a different deadline than other candidates running in the November election. They can take out nomination papers at the city clerk's office and return them by Sept. 15. With that in mind, Chip Wyser, who has been active in getting the Charter Commission movement going, said he could see the candidacy pool going up to 20 people, although he acknowledged that not every candidate to pull papers would return them. Wyser said he will not run for the board, as commissioners should be open-minded to all options, while he strongly supports switching to a city manager form of government. He hopes to see citizens with a background in finance and writing run for the board, he said. "They're all smart people," Wyser said of the candidates who have taken out papers. "I'm optimistic that we're going to get a good group of people." As of Friday, the following citizens had taken out nomination papers to run for the Charter Commission: Olga MacFarlane, 6 Clipper Way; Cynthia Muir, 10 Hancock St.; Bruce Menin, 83 Lime St.; Alexander Warren, 8 Maple St.; Bonnie Perkins, 27 Virginia Lane; Judith Grohe, 14 Strong St.; Bruce Vogel, 28 Myrtle Ave.; Douglas Locy, 17 Alberta Ave.; Paul Bevilacqua, 126 Merrimac St. Apt. 3; Thomas Lyons, 8 Oak St.; Roger Gagnon, 320 High St.; James Stiles, Strong Street; JoAn Kincaid, 52 Fair St. 2B; Janet Marcus, 25 Tyng St.; Thomas Salemi, 29 Oakland St.; Kenneth Woods, 18 Temple St.; David Clarridge, 15R Bromfield St., 2. Under the guidelines set by the state, the Charter Commission would need to submit their recommended changes within 16 months after being formed. The city would then vote on those recommendations. "I think it's just a great conversation," Wyser said. "It's a conversation this community needs to have and it's long overdue."
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