The Finance Committee was split last Wednesday in its recommendation on the Town Meeting warrant article that would adopt a town council plus mayoral form of government.

Three committee-members recommended "favorable action" on the article, while three were opposed and two abstained.

"I don't think the existing charter was really looked at," said FinCom Vice Chairman Donna Bronk, in reference to the Charter Review Committee's (CRC) analysis of the current town charter. Bronk is the FinCom's liaison to the CRC, and voted against favorable action on the article along with David Trudell and Dominic Cammarano.

"I really oppose having an elected mayor," she said. "It depends on which way the air is blowing, who's going to get elected. And it could just send the whole town into a lot of turmoil and turnover on a regular basis."

FinCom member Daniel Cheever said he thought a change would be good for the town. "I don't know how we avoid the problem that I see now with Town Meeting, which I think has made us ungovernable, and that is we only get 300 or 400 people out, and the ones who come out are the ones who are either violently opposed to or violently in favor of a particular issue and have no hesitancy in expressing themselves in uncivil ways so that nothing gets done." Cheever, FinCom Chairman Richard Paulsen, and Bonnie Cottuli voted for favorable action.

Noting that the FinCom has struggled with a recommendation on the article, Marilyn Donahue said she appreciated the way the Board of Selectmen voted on Tuesday. Each Selectman abstained from voting on a motion for favorable action, due to the Board's current role in town government.

"This seems to be a very personal issue, and I'm not sure that as members of the Finance Committee we should be out there projecting our opinions [about a charter change]," Donahue said. "I will choose to abstain and let Town Meeting vote its conscience." William White also abstained.

The Town of Wareham Charter is reviewed every ten years by a Selectmen-appointed committee.

The Finance Committee reviews and votes on whether to recommend favorable action or no action on articles on the Town Warrant.