By BOB BURGESS
LYNNFIELD — There’s a move afoot to expand the number of selectmen from three to five.
A petition has been making the rounds to place an article on the October Town Meeting warrant seeking just that. Ten certified signatures of registered Lynnfield voters are needed to place the petition on the fall warrant.
The article would read, in part:
“To see if the Town will vote to petition the Legislature, for the purpose of amending the Town Charter, to enact the following …
“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
“SECTION 1. The Town Charter of the Town of Lynnfield, which is on file with the archivist of the Commonwealth, as provided in section 12 of Chapter 43B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by deleting the first sentence of section 3-1-1 and inserting in place thereof the following sentence: A Board of Selectmen of five members shall be elected for three-year overlapping terms.
“SECTION 2. At the annual election for the Town of Lynnfield occurring in 2016, three selectmen shall be elected, as follows: two for a three-year term and one for a two-year term. Thereafter, upon the expiration of the term of a selectman, his successor shall be elected for a term of three years.
“SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage … provided that the Legislature may reasonably vary the form and substance of the requested legislation within the scope of the general objectives of this petition. …”
A simple majority would be needed for the proposed article to pass Town Meeting. Two thirds of both the state House of Representatives and state Senate would be required for it to pass on Beacon Hill, according to Town Counsel Thomas A. Mullen.
Selectman Tom Terranova is the front man for increasing the number of selectmen. He wrote in an e-mail, “I am responding to my constituents’ requests for MORE Representation, Transparency and VOICE in Town governance. People want better representation, more accurate and timely information, as well as additional Selectmen to oversee the increasing number of issues the good Townsfolk of Lynnfield are facing.
“The dynamics of Lynnfield has changed dramatically over the past few years: The addition of MarketStreet and its possible expansion, the future use of Center Farm, traffic issues along Walnut and Salem streets, the proposed new library, CVS’ attempts to build at the Bridgewell location, the scheduled closing of Union Hospital, the proposed new high pressure gas pipeline passing by our Town Wells, wetland and conservation land. Not to mention the constant need for monitoring our briskly increasing real estate taxes, as well as growing pension and long term health care obligations to our town employees.
“Never before has Lynnfield been under such pressure to ensure that our ever increasing tax dollars are being spent in the most fiscally responsible manner possible. An overwhelming number of Lynnfield residents believe better representation is needed for the people and more attention needs to be given to the many issues we are facing. Increasing the number of Selectmen will address these needs. A five member board has worked well in other communities and will work well in Lynnfield.”
Terranova continued, “This Warrant (article) is very important to the people of Lynnfield — it is the first step to achieving true, unbiased representation with the Town’s best interests in mind. With a five-member Board of Selectmen, the current status quo (as evidenced by one Selectman’s unilateral decision making in the matter of the NED pipeline) will change. The people of Lynnfield deserve to be heard and heeded, to have access to better and more timely information from their town government. Only then, can we all work together to make the best decisions for the future of Lynnfield.
“As a Selectman of Lynnfield, I support the will of the People and therefore, this Warrant.
“As a resident of Lynnfield, it is my personal belief that we will be better served with true, unbiased, independent representation,” he concluded.
Lynnfield’s Town Charter came into effect on July 1, 1971, and has been amended several times over the years. Those amendments included adjusting the size of the quorum needed to hold a Town Meeting session.
An attempt to amend the Charter to switch back to the old Executive Assistant form of government was shot down by Town Meeting last fall. The selectmen, in a 2-1 vote, opposed the change too.
Terranova supported the Charter change.
Terranova announced the petition to expand the number of selectmen from three to five at last week’s Planning Board meeting.
Selectmen Chairman Phil Crawford, who has yet to see the petition, said, “This is another attempt to alter the way the town is run by a small, divisive group trying to change town government to fit their own agenda. And there’s no reason to change it. We’re in the best shape we’ve ever been (financially and in other ways). There are several examples of how poorly five member boards work in communities our size or slightly larger. Take a look at Saugus, at North Reading, at Swampscott. Do we want that? I don’t think we do.”
Crawford added, “I think it’s important for Lynnfield residents to realize this move could result in an entirely different board of selectmen and I don’t think that’s something they want to see.”
Selectmen Chairman Chris Barrett agreed. He noted that a selectmen is up for re-election during each town election in April, which enables residents to “set the direction for the board.” He said that would become more difficult if the number of selectmen gets expanded from three to five.
“I am aware that (the warrant article) is being proposed,” Barrett said in a phone interview. “I do not think it’s a good choice for the town. There is no good logical reason for this.”
Barrett also noted a three-member Board of Selectmen has had a number of accomplishments in recent years, including getting the school project passed and the town being in good financial shape.
“I am quite confident the community will make the right decision and will oppose this Charter change just like last fall Town Meeting,” said Barrett.
