The Government Study Committee appointed by the Selectmen is scheduled to hold it first session this Thursday in the Carol Blute Conference Room at Town Hall. They are expected to review the charter and appoint a chairman. The committee was appointed after local resident Michael Joyce appeared before them to introduce a similar initiative.

Joyce had submitted a citizens petition to place an article on the warrant to review the structure of town government. The article was defeated. Town Meeting members who spoke against the article advocated for keeping Town Meeting as is. “I do not want my democracy to be efficient,” said one. However, a committee had already been appointed and Selectmen Hurley argued against the article because as he said, “We already have a committee that does this.” The purpose of the article appeared to shift from the time Joyce submitted it to the debate on the floor of Town Meeting. Joyce sought to have a committee formed and appointed by the Town Moderator. The Selectmen evidently believed that was a good idea; but thought they should be the appointing authority. In defeating the article Town Meeting endorsed the appointment of the committee formed by the Selectmen and agreed that there should not be two committees doing the same thing.

At Town Meeting Selectmen Hurley stated that the committee would include two members appointed by the Town Moderator and that the committee would report back to Town Meeting.

Members of the Committee appointed by the Selectman are Town Meeting Member and former Selectman Rick Neely, former Town Administrator John Cronin, current Warrant Chair Ewan Innes, and former Warrant Chair Kathleen Conlon, School Committee member Leroy Walker, Asst. Town Administrator Ann Marie Fagan, and resident Robert Gatnik.

A request we sent to the Town Moderator for his appointments is pending.