SHREWSBURY — Shrewsbury residents voted to reject Article 10 at Special Town Meeting at Oak Middle School on Monday night. If passed, the article would have changed the complexion of Shrewsbury’s government, turning the Planning Board from an appointed body to an elected one.
Due to a growing and more-complex budget, Shrewsbury in 1953 adopted an appointed Planning Board. The board has five members who serve five-year terms; a sixth associate member serves a one-year term. Since July 2017, 26 individuals have submitted 37 applications for the Planning Board. Town Manager Kevin Mizikar has made eight appointments to the body.
The case for elected members
A citizens’ petition signed by over 180 residents, Article 10 had been largely organized by Gregg Richards, who also runs “The Unselects,” a program on Shrewsbury Media Connection. In comments to the Select Board on Nov. 12, Richards identified a “series of decisions and pattern of behavior” from the current Planning Board that he said warrants a change.
In particular, Richards pointed to the Clinton Street decision. In August, the Planning Board approved plans for a 100-acre warehouse project along Route 70. After 18 hours of debate over eight months – including many high-tension moments and the sudden closure of the public comment period – certain opponents of the project left feeling unheard and disrespected by the Planning Board.
“I watched many of these meetings as residents shared concerns and impacts on their quality of life. They felt very dismissed and ignored. None clearer than how the hearing on the warehouses ended. The Planning Board continued a public hearing where multiple residents thought they were going to have another opportunity to share those concerns and speak, only to have … the public hearing closed, preventing them from sharing any last feedback,” Richards said Nov. 12.
The article would boost engagement in town and build trust in government, Richards said, and campaigns and elections would bring more awareness to town issues. According to data provided by Richards to the Select Board, 70% of towns with a Planning Board elected their members.
“What better way to expand engagement and interest with the towns and committees than to allow that board to be elected? Elections and the campaign process bring awareness to not only the Planning Board, but also the impact those individuals may have on the community,” said Richards on Nov. 7.
“I understand that change is hard, right? A lot of people might fear change. But just changing from an appointed board to an elected board does not guarantee the make-up of the board would change at all. If the existing Planning Board still feels they’re the best to serve in those positions, they can simply run, and that election process would allow them to present their experience and qualifications directly to those who matter most – the residents,” he added Nov. 7.
The case for appointed members
Town Meeting ultimately sided with the Select Board and Finance Committee. Each body unanimously recommended to defeat the article at their respective meetings in the lead-up to Town Meeting. Mizikar had also been a critic of Article 10.
Town officials were skeptical of the proposed change. Opponents questioned if – considering the lack of candidates in previous townwide elections – any candidates would run for Planning Board positions. Some qualified people who wish to meaningfully contribute to Shrewsbury may not want to go through a high-visibility, often-expensive election process to be on the Planning Board, they said.
“To me, you’re closing off access, whereas we’ve had a lot of people apply,” Select Board Chair John Samia said Nov. 12. “Same deal for Town Meeting – years ago you’d have 15 people for 10 seats, but now you’re lucky if you have enough people for enough seats.”
Other concerns included the possible politicization of the Planning Board – campaign dollars and end-of-term decisions could influence board members’ choices, opponents of Article 10 reasoned. At the Select Board meeting, Mizikar also argued that the responsibilities of Planning Board members are similar to those of appointed positions; it’s a stance others took at the Finance Committee meeting.
“I think that the scale tips toward Planning Board members being appointed … When you have limited policy-making responsibilities, your primary responsibility is guided by laws and regulations … [When] there are specialized qualifications, that tips toward the appointed side,” said Mizikar on Nov. 12.
“Our forefathers said that you should elect people and appoint people – and they’re two different people. One [is based on] electability, and one is supposed to be based on merit and skill for that position … When we elect people, we elect them and who they appoint. Forever. Since the beginning of this country. To say, ‘The Planning Board, I don’t like how they put things.’ Well, it’s the Town Meeting members that put that into law, and they’re elected,” said Finance Committee member David Remington on Nov. 7.
Although Richards has always maintained that Article 10 isn’t the result of a single Planning Board outcome, officials have also criticized the article for seeking to reorganize government simply because the Planning Board voted in one certain direction. Undoing a time-tested method of governance over disagreements about a project or two would be a mistake, officials said.
“This is an isolated moment in time. I want to make sure that when I’m making a decision on something like this that I’m thinking long-term. Before I make a change in a form of government that has served our community for 70 years – do I pull one thread and all of a sudden things unravel in a way that is unintended?” said Select Board member Beth Casavant on Nov. 12.
Mizikar summarized his arguments at the end of the Planning Board meeting.
“In sum, I believe that appointing Planning Board members can enhance the board’s effectiveness by fostering a balanced mix of professional expertise, sector representation, stability, and independence from political cycles. This approach enables the Planning Board to support the mandates of the zoning bylaw and associated strategic objectives of the community,” Mizikar said on Nov. 7.
The Community Advocate is providing real-time updates about Shrewsbury’s Special Town Meeting at Oak Middle School. For more information, and to see updates, follow us on Facebook or visit www.communityadvocate.com.
