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05/05/2020 04:40 PMThe work of the Ad-Hoc Government Studies Committee, interrupted by the pandemic, is underway again virtually, with a presentation of findings to the Madison Board of Selectmen (BOS) scheduled for later this month.
On May 4 at the committee’s second meeting since the pandemic shutdown, Chair Bob Polito said he was hoping to see residents engaging in the process and contributing their thoughts, though he said he understood that attention has rightfully been focused on safety during the crisis.
“There’s so much other things that people are worried about, obviously,” he said.
The committee was formed late last year to be part of what First Selectman Peggy Lyons described a two-step process, with this committee focusing specifically on questions about Madison’s fundamental government structure and whether there should be a change from the town meeting format.
A full charter review committee is intended to follow, which can examine more granular changes to the town’s charter.
The current committee had been scheduled to hold its first public information session on March 16 and to present some preliminary findings to the BOS on March 23; both meetings were canceled due to the pandemic.
Polito had previously told The Source two of the most important areas into which the committee was delving was how to increase public participation and how to increase efficiency and consistency in government operations.
Both of these issues have had new light shed on them by the current crisis, Polito said at the May 4 meeting, specifically the turn toward virtual meetings and engagement as a potential positive in the future.
“This is another avenue to get more people participating in town government. If they don’t have to leave their home, and they can just jump on the family’s P.C., that’s great,” he said.
Town Executive Assistant/Risk Manager Lauren Rhines confirmed that the town was weighing whether to continue allowing people to join meetings through Zoom or other virtual platforms after the end of the pandemic.
Much of the rest of the meeting was spent discussing research and interviews the committee had conducted with town officials around the state before the pandemic, findings that Polito said will help the committee answer questions from the public and BOS.
Specific topics that came up in many of these interviews were budgeting issues, the advantages of having a town manager, and four-year terms for first selectmen.
Polito said, rather than having an elected first selectman, that having a town manager, a professional, hired position not constrained by term limits or subject to political pressures, might allow a town to be more prepared for something as world-changing as the current crisis.
“What regular person, what regular citizen can deal with this at the town level?” Polito said. “[Town manager] is a full time job, this is what they do...It seems like a town manager form of government could be much more protective [and] efficient in the wake of a serious scenario.”
Polito said his comments were not meant to reflect on Lyons or any other individual Madison leader, but were only about the best way to structure the town.
Committee member Jean Ferris said she hoped the committee would get to speak to more of Madison’s former first selectmen, as well as possibly current members of the BOS.
The committee had previously spoken to former first selectman Filmore McPherson, who currently serves on the Board of Finance, and was generally supportive of the current form of government, according to committee members. Rhines said the town is seeking input from current town employees as well, with the committee scheduled to meet and consider additional input at least once more before a planned presentation to the BOS on May 26.