Letter: What Are We Giving Up?

To the Editor:

Weston voters are being asked this November to give up two important protections they currently have under the Town Charter. Before doing so, residents should understand exactly what would change.

Question 1 — Political representation on town boards

Currently: No more than four members of the same political party may serve on a seven-member board.

If approved: Up to five members of the same party could serve, permitting a five-to-two single-party majority that the current Charter does not allow.

A four-to-three majority already has enough votes to govern. Westport limits its elected boards so that no political party can hold more than a simple majority. For example, that means four seats on a seven-member board and three seats on a five-member board. Why should Weston deviate from neighboring Westport and weaken a system that allows the majority to govern while preserving meaningful representation for other viewpoints?

Town government should serve its residents. Decisions are better when residents are informed, tough questions are asked, and different viewpoints are heard. Three voices outside the majority provide more scrutiny than two.

Question 2 — Annual Town Budget Meeting

Currently: At the Annual Town Budget Meeting, residents have the right, subject to the required quorum and procedures, to vote to reduce or eliminate specific appropriations in the proposed annual budget.

If approved: Residents would lose that right. The existing separate referendum votes on the town operating budget, Board of Education operating budget, and capital budget would remain, but residents would no longer be able to reduce or eliminate specific appropriations.

That distinction matters. If residents believe a specific appropriation is excessive or unwarranted, they currently can vote to reduce or eliminate it. Residents could still ask questions under the proposed system, but officials would face less pressure to justify a questionable appropriation if it is bundled into a larger budget that voters can only accept or reject as a whole.

Weston residents pay substantial property taxes. Their role in the budget process should not be diminished by taking away the ability to reduce or eliminate specific appropriations.

This is an especially important time to preserve that role. Weston is considering a new middle school estimated to cost approximately $127 million, along with other major capital projects. Decisions made in the next few years could affect our tax bills for decades and deserve close scrutiny by the taxpayers who will pay for them.

For these reasons, I urge Weston residents to vote NO on Question 1 and NO on Question 2. The protections we are being asked to give up are meaningful ones. Once surrendered, they may not be easy to restore.

—  Brad M. Aron

Information about standards and practices for Letters to the Editor of Weston Today can be found here.