Committee Shares Pros and Cons to Appointed Town Clerk

On the Town Meeting Warrant this September will be an article asking to place a question on the ballot that many towns in Massachusetts have passed. Sarah Cawley, who sat on the subcommittee to investigate the pros and cons of having an appointed Town Clerk in the town of Burlington, reported out what the subcommittee had found after researching on their own and hearing from the Town Clerk in Arlington, who has been through this process.

The advantages and disadvantages to both elected and appointed roles are laid out on Page 8 of September's Town Meeting Warrant Backup; here's a summary:

Pros and Cons to having an Elected Town Clerk

An elected Town Clerk is directly accountable to voters and buffered from influence by the Select Board or other town government bodies. As a Burlington resident who has to campaign for their role, the elected Clerk demonstrates a commitment to the town and to the office.

As of now, though, the only requirement is that the electee be a Burlington resident. There are no expectations around working hours, collaboration with other town Departments, or anything else. While our current Town Clerk works more than full time and collaborates effectively with town government and departments, this is not a guarantee. Voters also are not in a position to supervise or evaluate the performance of a Town Clerk, and if an unqualified, inexperienced person came in there could be liability to the town if mistakes are made during the learning process.

And, of course, there is the risk that no one would run at all, leaving this essential role—which is in charge of maintaining public records and running elections—vacant.

Pros and Cons to having an Appointed Town Clerk

A significant advantage to making the Town Clerk an appointed role would be the ability for the town to search a wider pool of candidates and vet them based on their experience and qualifications. The town could better evaluate an employee than an elected official and could remove them for poor performance. There could be a greater likelihood of finding a candidate with Town Clerk experience by going outside Burlington in the search for an appointed Town Clerk, which could decrease the learning curve.

However, if the Clerk is appointed by the Select Board or Town Administration, there is the potential for lack of impartiality, and someone coming from a different community would need to take time to get to know Burlington. The electorate might also feel less connected to the process.

The Article before Town Meeting seeks to add a question to the April 2025 local ballot so the town at large can vote on whether or not to make the conversion. Burlington's current Town Clerk, Amy Warfield, plans to retire in the coming years, and there doesn't seem to be a clear successor from either inside or outside the Clerk's office.

Also at Select Board:

• Public participation time:
  • Resident, Town Meeting Member, and Zoning Board of Appeals member, Jeff DiBona, came to request the Board look into the Building Inspector's office following an incident he experienced and after hearing from several residents who have had difficulty with that office.
  • Resident, Bob Young, voiced his concerns against transitioning the Town Clerk to an appointed role, saying he disagrees with taking away the citizens' right to vote and he thinks the town should do more to try and find a qualified candidate for election.
• Malcolm Farrell was appointed as a building inspector.
• The Council on Aging contribution to the Pigs on Parade installation, Poppy, will be placed outside the entrance to the Council on Aging building to help the public find the proper entrance.
• Diwali will be celebrated on the Town Common on September 29, and the trees on the Common will be lit up from October 28 through November 4.
• A new public art installation will be placed in the Town Center and programmed by Burlington artist, Catherine LeComte.
• Verizon's grant of location hearing was continued to the October 7 meeting.
• School Department representatives were present to answer Select Board questions about the project for a new Fox Hill building. We'll summarize this conversation separately soon, but the Board voted 4-1 to "voice their approval" of the Town Meeting Warrant Article for funding of this project, with Mike Espejo voting No. He stated he did not agree that putting Fox Hill and the police station on the April ballot was likely to pass and does not believe the plan presented by Ways & Means is the most fiscally responsible.
• The Select Board cast 5-0 advisory votes in favor of four of the Warrant Articles for September Town Meeting.
• Members Cawley and Espejo volunteered for the Retail Marijuana Subcommittee.
• The Fire Department responded to 470 calls last month, including 271 EMS-related calls, one house fire, and two brush fires.
• The Green Communities Grant of $250,000 has been awarded to the town.

The Select Board will meet next on September 23, 2024.