Letter: Winters for Planning Board

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To the Editor:

Please re-elect Chris Winters to the Williamstown Planning Board by voting May in support of his third term.

Winters offers a fresh perspective and is in tune with the needs of our community to broaden and expand our tax base so that we retain our attractive schools and community. His thoughts and support range from the diverse housing such as Cable Mills and Photech, which add attractive living space, tax revenues, and diversity to even helping our local environment with his bee keeping activity!

A diverse individual, having served on the Conservation Commission, the Finance Committee, and Community Preservation Committee over the years, Chris brings skill and dedication. His intellect is engaging and sharp. His analytical skills help guide positions and decisions in a highly informed manner. His views are needed to keep Williamstown at the very least listening to different ideas and taking new directions to keep our local economy robust.

We are going to be facing some additional financial issues such as Police, Fire, and Ambulance infrastructure needs, and we must begin to think of how we will pay for this. Planning that is current, and relevant will be presented and carried out best by Winters — Winters is the answer. Mark your ballot for Winters!

Daniel N. Gendron
Williamstown, Mass.

 

 


Tags: election 2017,   endorsement,   letters to the editor,   


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Williamstown Charter Review Panel OKs Fix to Address 'Separation of Powers' Concern

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter.
 
The committee accepted language designed to meet concerns raised by the Planning Board about separation of powers under the charter.
 
The committee's original compliance language — Article 32 on the annual town meeting warrant — would have made the Select Board responsible for determining a remedy if any other town board or committee violated the charter.
 
The Planning Board objected to that notion, pointing out that it would give one elected body in town some authority over another.
 
On Wednesday, Charter Review Committee co-Chairs Andrew Hogeland and Jeffrey Johnson, both members of the Select Board, brought their colleagues amended language that, in essence, gives authority to enforce charter compliance by a board to its appointing authority.
 
For example, the Select Board would have authority to determine a remedy if, say, the Community Preservation Committee somehow violated the charter. And the voters, who elect the Planning Board, would have ultimate say if that body violates the charter.
 
In reality, the charter says very little about what town boards and committees — other than the Select Board — can or cannot do, and the powers of bodies like the Planning Board are regulated by state law.
 
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