Several charter changes proposed by the Charter Review Committee sparked debate among members of the Board of Selectmen at meetings on Saturday, October 2, and Tuesday, October 6.

The Saturday meeting was called so the Board could discuss a number of articles on tap for October Town Meeting. The discussion continued at their regularly scheduled Tuesday meeting.

In addition to a number of routine articles, the Board discussed Community Preservation Committee proposals, Charter Review Committee articles, and heard from citizen petitioners who added articles to the agenda. Town Meeting is scheduled for October 25.

The Selectmen and Finance Committee separately vote on all Town Meeting warrant articles, recommending to voters that either "favorable action" or "no action" be taken. The Selectmen opted to get some of the work out of the way on Saturday, due to the long length of the 91-article agenda.

Selectmen disagreed on which action to recommend for a number of the Charter Review articles, including one that would change the format of Town Meeting, allowing 25 Town Meeting voters to petition for "the most important articles affecting town residents" to be taken out of the hands of Town Meeting, put on a ballot, and voted on at the polls within 60 days of the end of Town Meeting. (Fifty registered voters could do the same, prior to Town Meeting.)

"You'd hopefully have a much higher turnout," said Charter Review Committee Chair Alan Slavin.

Poor Town Meeting attendance has been a concern of many, including members of the Charter Review Committee, because a low number of registered voters in attendance can make decisions for the entire town.

"I think it's only fair to try to reach out as much as we can to people and to give everyone an opportunity to say something," said Selectman Brenda Eckstrom.

Selectmen Cara Winslow and Steve Holmes noted that there is already a process for putting questions on a ballot, though those questions are non-binding.

Winslow cited costs of opening the polls as another reason she was opposed to the article, and she suggested that perhaps having Town Meeting on a Saturday and offering childcare to families would increase attendance.

"I understand that it's a big change," said Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue. "In my opinion, it adds a process and enhances the [Town Meeting] process."

In the end, Selectmen voted "no action" on the proposal, with Holmes, Winslow and Selectmen Walter Cruz in favor of no action and Donahue and Eckstrom opposed.

Also a topic of debate was a Charter Review Committee article that, if approved, would make the Board of Selectmen the sole appointing authority for town committees. The Selectmen currently appoint members to the bulk of boards and committees, but an Appointing Authority appoints members to several committees considered "critical," such as the FinCom and Planning Board. The Appointing Authority includes the Town Moderator, Selectmen Chair, and the Chair of the particular committee to which a person is applying.

Eckstrom is in favor of the proposal, saying the current method of appointing is a key flaw in the charter.

"This is the most secretive form of government, is this [current] Appointing Authority," Eckstrom said, adding that the chair of a board could essentially hand-pick who to put on their committee.

Cruz disagreed. "I think the system we have now is [a] check and balance," he said, with the committees doing critical town work appointed by the separate authority.

Charter Review Committee member Ed Pacewicz noted that since the Board of Selectmen is the executive branch of the town, that board should be making the appointing decisions.

"I really, frankly, don't care for the process," said Donahue, adding that she wished those critical boards could be elected.

After much debate, most of the Selectmen abstained from voting "no action" on the article, with Selectman Cruz voting in favor of no action.

Slavin stressed that the proposed articles did not all stem from the ideas of members of that committee.

"Most of [the Charter Review Committee articles] have been proposed through the public," Slavin said.

The remaining warrant articles will be discussed at the next regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meeting.

An informational meeting about the warrant articles, hosted by Town Moderator Claire Smith and the Onset Protective League, will be held on Saturday, October 16, at 1 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium.

Earlier versions of this story included the incorrect spelling of Charter Review Committee member Ed Pacewicz's name. Wareham Week and WarehamVillageSoup apologize for the error.