The Newton Charter Commission is happy to report that our website is active, updated, and ready for visitors. You can check it out at http://www.newtonma.gov/charter.
There is also a sign up form you can use to receive email updates from the Commission, which if you’re interested in following the process I highly recommend.
Lastly, don’t forget that TOMORROW at 7PM is the Commission’s first public hearing, details on which are in this previous Village 14 post.
Confirmation email on the signup was oddly slow but it eventually arrived.
When will minutes and audios be posted?
Would also be good to have a link to the current charter.
Julia, there is a link to the current charter, on the Documents page.
@Julia…link to current charter is under documents on Charter Commission website. Audio failed to record at Dec 9 meeting. Audio chip used up all memory before meeting’s end last night. Hope CC can fix technology by tonight. Also hope NewTV records public hearing live tonight.
Our webpage “newtonma.gov/charter” includes two folders, “Agendas and Minutes” and “Documents”. Currently the minutes from our initial Nov.23 meeting are posted, after they were approved at our Dec. 9th meeting. The Dec. 9th meeting minutes were approved last night and will be posted shortly, pending small edits (also approved).
As Sallee mentions in her post, initially we encountered technical difficulties with the audio, which we expect will be resolved moving forward.
Links to Newton’s current charter, a document overviewing The Charter Commission process, and others that may be of interest were recently posted to the “Documents” folder. Many thanks for your support!
To be clear, the audio didn’t fail at the December 9th meeting. To my chagrin, I failed to plug it in completely. We will have a backup audio system at tonight’s hearing.
Please note that the Dec. 9th meeting minutes have been posted to newtonma.gov/charter.
Documents page is great, thank you! I was looking on the wrong side of the page.
Yea, it sounds like you need belt & suspenders for audio. Although you’re not alone in that. There have been inconvenient battery failures on some B of A committee meeting recordings.
I was very disappointed at the turnout for the Public Hearing tonight which began at 7pm and ended by 8:15. Not more than 30 people attended and fewer spoke. I hope the people who stayed home will send their thoughts and comments to the Charter Commission at the Commission’s website.
looks like easy pickins’ for the WotGC this time around..
What’s the WotGC?
While the turnout may have been disappointing I thought the speakers covered several areas of the charter with reasoned arguments for their points of view. I am hopeful that the tone is as cordial throughout the process as it was last night.
I didn’t think it was such a low turnout. It was a very general somewhat academic public comment time, not a specific item. If it was a public comment on a specific item discussion it would likely be a larger turnout.
People turn out when there is controversy. when the topic turns to the number of Councilors or term limits you can bet the ranch there will be a bigger turnout.
My fervent hope, Charlie, is that you are correct!
It is smack in the middle of holiday season.
Even the Commission recognized this wasn’t anywhere near an optimal time for this meeting, but it had to occur within 45 days of the election.
We are grateful to those who attended the hearing last night, and to all who have provided comments and feedback to us as we have gotten started with our work.
I’d like to provide one more “quick link” to our mailing list signup form:
http://www.eepurl.com/bKbp1D
This can be easily accessed, forwarded, and/or posted. As always, all members of the Commission can be reached at [email protected]. Many thanks!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to join us and share your thoughts. I was impressed as I often am here in Newton with the level of thought and creativity that many members of the public put into their comments.
Special thanks to Karen and Jane for all of their hard work putting the technology in place to keep the public informed.
@Dan: Correct, the timing was unfortunate but I look forward to further hearings that I expect to be better attended. I think particularly as we begin to address the substantive issues in our regularly scheduled meetings and debate on government structure begins, we can expect greater public interest and participation.
Thanks to the Charter Commission for encouraging public feedback. Susan Flicop’s comments were stellar. She hits it out of the park at 61.5.
A voting both should be place where people can chose their elected officials, yet in the last election, 75% of the positions were uncontested! We need to make Newton more challenger friendly.
Please also give a warm welcome to Byran as our newest Village 14 blogger. He’ll be keeping us all posted on Charter Commission matters … and anything else,that comes into his head.
Jerry: Byran, although with an “o”, was a Lord! Bryan is our new Charter Review Commissioner with no English accent. I am unsure if he is a poet, but he is thoughtful and writes well when given an assignment.
Thanks for the correction and the kind words, Sallee!
My name is rarely spelled correctly. On the plus side, it’s easy to get the right website URL.
I clearly empathize about the misspelling, Bryan!
Thanks Sully