top of page
Search
sheltondemocrats

Charter Revision 2024 Explainer

No bipartisanship leads to poor decisions!

Vote no on questions 2 and 3 on the 2024 ballot!


Twice before Shelton voters have rejected a Charter Revision on a nonpartisan 3-to-1 vote and we must ask you to do the same once again. This year’s proposal is presented 2 separate questions this time and both include items that electors said no to in 2020 and 2023.


  • Makes government larger by creating a Technology Committee controlled by the City. 


Targets the Board of Education specifically to weaken the independence of the school system, which has different technology requirements from that of the City and make our schools cover City infrastructure upgrades. Why aren’t there representatives from other important departments on the committee? The Police Department, Fire Department, Emergency Service, and other departments, boards and commissions need IT infrastructure.


  • Denies our volunteer firefighters the ability to vote on the Commissioners they want.


Our volunteer firefighters are not required to be electors of the City, so why should they only be allowed to vote for Fire Chiefs who are?  This unnecessarily restricts the pool of candidates instead of allowing the best to serve.


  • Creates a 6-3 Supermajority Board of Education under the Mayor’s control.


Minority representation on the 9-member Board of Ed will decrease from 4 to 3 making it possible for one party to control all policies of the school system without having to listen to all residents, and for the Mayor to underfund our schools. One-sided partisanship, from any side, does not belong in our schools. Currently, both political parties must work together for the children of Shelton.


  • Creates a Deputy Chief of Staff position with no defined role and no way to remove them.


These are the types of mistakes made when bills are written without bipartisan input.


  • Allows the City Treasurer to also be purchasing agent for the City.


This is counter to Generally Accepted Accounting Practices as the roles of making purchases and reviewing spending should be separate.


You do not have to accept the bad with the good.


Proposals such as the makeup change to the public building committees, creation of a Veteran’s Memorial Commission, and correcting errors in the timings for the fillings of vacancies are not objectionable. But much of it could likely be done through ordinance, and citizens should not have to vote on a proposal that includes more bad changes, mistakes, and incomplete work, than it does good ideas.


Other items that the Charter Revision Should have Addressed.

  • The Zoning Board of Appeals has no term limits for the members.

  • There should be an enforcement mechanism to ensure timely renewals of appointments to Boards and Commissions so that the members, and the citizens they serve, are not left in limbo.


VOTE NO YET AGAIN!

Let the powers that be know that Shelton Voters demand a Government that represents and values our entire community!



29 views0 comments

コメント


bottom of page