Voters reject government reforms at first TM session

By Mike Berger

Various attempts at reforming municipal government, including proposals by individual citizens and the Finance Committee, were either defeated or postponed indefinitely during the opening session of annual town meeting Monday night.

Jim Sims, a FinCom member, sponsored an article proposing term limits for elected and appointed officials; the FinCom proposed to eliminate stipends for board members; and resident Anthony Braconi submitted articles proposing changes to the way mitigation funds are managed and spent, as well as a proposed committee to examine the feasibility of creating a municipal wireless network. Braconi’s original list of reforms outlined in Article 22 contained 10 separate items, but he decided to focus his attention on the selectmen’s mitigation account and moving the town elections to a non-school day (Saturday), although he later chose to postpone the article altogether.

Sims’ article on setting term limits was ruled illegal by Town Counsel Paul DeRensis, who said that as a home rule petition it should be enacted first by the state legislature and then return to the town for a vote. Sims said his goal in establishing term limits was to encourage new candidates and new perspectives in town government. Currently, the Capital Outlay and Finance committees have term limits in place, and Sims argued that there should be term limits for all committees. Sims was supported by fellow FinCom member Nichola Gallagher, who favored the idea of welcoming new candidates and new ideas and as a check on potential fraud and misuse of town funds.

George Comeau spoke passionately against Sims’ proposal, arguing that a voter’s personal choice should not be taken away.

Also speaking in opposition was FinCom member Dianne Gustafson, who was forced to take a year off from the FinCom herself because she had reached that committee’s term limit. In her absence she said the FinCom struggled to meet a quorum. She added that those who are intimidated by incumbents should not be afraid to challenge the status quo.

“You have to have the courage to stand up and run,” she said. “You can’t protect people’s feelings.”

Regarding the salaries of elected officials, FinCom Chairman Barbara Saint Andre said an overwhelming majority of FinCom members supported setting the salaries to zero in the interests of fairness to all board and committee members and in part to save the town approximately $44,000 in health insurance costs.

State Representative and Board of Assessors Chairman Bill Galvin said the article was petty and represented a small amount of money. He said the practice has been in place for somewhere between 30 and 50 years. “Canton is a well-run town and I don’t think Canton is a petty town,” he said.

Galvin said positions are hard to fill and many who are being paid modest sums work countless hours and have to have a big understanding of some complicated issues.

In the end, town meeting voters favored Galvin’s plan to reestablish the former rates of $2,400 for each member of the Board of Assessors; $600 for each Board of Health member; and $1,400 for each selectman with an additional $200 to the chair.

Regarding the mitigation reforms, Braconi revised his original proposal to allow selectmen to accept mitigation funds but to have them deposited in a separate account deemed as a “Negotiated Revenue Fund.” Expenditures or withdrawals of the account should not exceed $20,000 without authorization of town meeting, Braconi suggested. In the event of an emergency, however, a super majority of the FinCom would allow for the expenditure. All debits, credits and other expenditures would be posted to the town website within 72 hours of the vote with a note of explanation. Braconi said he proposed the article to make the mitigation accounts more transparent.

Many who spoke on the proposal said they were looking at the article for the first time and didn’t have time to review it. Saint Andre and many of her FinCom colleagues felt the article needed more study and review.

Selectman Victor Del Vecchio said most of the mitigation spending was done in an emergency repair situation and argued that the $20,000 maximum would paralyze a number of important projects. DeRensis added that Braconi’s article was in direct conflict with state law, which allowed for these discretionary accounts.

Regarding Braconi’s request for a committee to study municipal wireless options, voters decided to indefinitely postpone the article after Louis Jutras, town information systems manager, said the article did not take into consideration the potential impact to school and municipal buildings and raised a variety of legal issues.

In other action Monday night, town meeting approved a series of zoning bylaw amendments sponsored by the Planning Board, including changes to the table of dimensional requirements, allowing kennels in a limited industrial district, changes to the definitions of lot width and frontage, changes to the definitions of manufacturing and light manufacturing, and expanding the types of projects subject to site plan review.

The only zoning amendment that did not pass was Article 34, which proposed a limit of 800 square feet for all accessory structures in all districts. Planning Board Chairman Jeremy Comeau said the article would keep accessory buildings to a scale that is proportional to the primary structures. Speaking out against the proposal was Comeau’s brother Jonathan, who questioned the arbitrary nature of the proposed limit and argued that structures should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlight’s from Monday’s town meeting session. A full recap of Wednesday’s session, including the passage of tuition-free full-day kindergarten, will appear in next week’s edition. Subscribe by May 31 and receive 3 months free!

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