Video: City Council Workshop on Proposed Charter

Here is a YouTube video of the complete 2/8/12 public workshop held by Northampton’s City Council on the charter proposed by the Special Act Charter Drafting Committee. This video is 2 hours 45 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen. The councilors touched on many of the issues reviewed in the Charter Drafting Committee’s narrative about its recommendations.

The councilors discussed the merits of allowing free petitions and recall petitions, as advocated by Mr. Cohen, who cited the examples found in the charter of Methuen, MA. During the discussion about recalls, several councilors expressed reservations about extending the mayor’s term from two to four years, as proposed by the Charter Drafting Committee.

The councilors also discussed a proposal by Barry Roth to require that minority viewpoints be preserved in city records. There was debate over whether this requirement should be part of the new charter (Mr. Roth’s preference) or just implemented in the City Council’s rules.

The City Council aims to finalize the proposed charter by mid-March. The people will vote on it in November. Send comments now to your councilors.



See also:

Video: Charter Committee Presents Proposal to City Council