The debate over Wellesley’s move to a more centralized form of town government has headed to the lawns. Driving down Weston Road this morning I noticed at least a dozen “Keep Citizen Voices Strong: Vote No” signs along that stretch (I even spotted a “Ben Carson” sign on one side street). We assume Vote Yes signs will appear soon, if they haven’t already.
The town votes on March 15 on whether to move to a Town Manager-Board of Selectmen form of government. Those for and against the move have laid out their arguments online and in fliers/letters, some of which were handed out at the primary polls this week.
One proponent of the No campaign who contacted us this week pointed to a Boston Globe poll on “Should Wellesley create a position of Town Manager” that she said is misleading in its wording: “few are against a town manager per se, it’s the whole government structure they are setting up that people don’t want – an extreme form of centralization that undermines what has always been a citizen-run democracy that is not even the norm even for town manager governments.” Nevertheless, poll results so far show many more Nos than Yesses based on 920 votes.
A YES vote would change the form of government in Wellesley to a Board of Selectmen-Town Manager system according to the terms of the Special Act and bylaws passed by Special Town Meeting.
