NEWFANE — Citizens of Newfane: You have all received a white card in your mailboxes from the Selectboard regarding the proposed Newfane Town Charter hearing and voting dates. I realized that there was no mention in that notification of the hearing that took place Dec. 11.
Maybe that's why only about 25 citizens came to the hearing that proposes a momentous change in the way our town will be governed forever.
Why did your Selectboard think it prudent to go through the trouble of convening a “committee” to not only “research” why this would be beneficial to the citizens of Newfane, but to go ahead and actually write up a final copy (without legal counsel), set up an (Australian-ballot) vote on this document that will forever change the way we are governed, and to do this in the depths of winter with little fanfare or notice?
We should be discussing the implications of imposing a “forever” charter, not to mention possibly taking an honest look at the underlying issues and other, less onerous, solutions before we go ahead and write a document and attempt to pass it quickly and quietly.
Pay special attention to the fact that this charter takes away our right to vote for both town clerk and town treasurer, which effectively removes the democratic checks and balances built into the system for our protection.
This is taken from the Municipal Law Basics document from the Vermont Secretary of State's office: “Within a municipality there is a separation of powers. People who interact with Vermont's local officials often want to know who is in charge of a municipality.”
“There is no easy answer to this question. Vermont law does not give any elected local official the general authority to tell another elected local official how to do his or her job.
“Consequently, within a municipality the elected officials are somewhat independent of one another and need to find ways to work out their differences as equals.”
As Medgar Evers once said, “Our only hope is to control the vote.”
Get out and get involved! Early ballots are now available in the Town Clerk's office for the Jan. 22 vote on the charter change.
The next hearing is Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m., at the NewBrook Fire Station on Route 30. You can also read the proposed Town Charter at newfanevt.com/pdf/charter_3_Draft.pdf.