The Wellesley Select Board this week got an update on a planned Citizens’ Leadership Academy designed to inform and engage residents, inspire more people to volunteer on town matters, and perhaps help town departments to improve their own operations (see Wellesley Media recording of Jan. 27 meeting just after the 2-hour, 56-minute mark).
The initial plan for the free and interactive initiative would be for an 8-week course to start on March 26 and run on Thursday nights. Applications will become available in February for those who live or work in town. The first class will be capped at 25 participants (more details on the plan can be found in documents attached to the Jan. 27 Select Board agenda).
Participants will learn from the town’s executive director, clerk, sustainability director, police chief, and many more Wellesley government A-listers.
A brief graduation ceremony would be slated to take place at a spring Select Board meeting.
According to Assistant Executive Director Corey Testa, “Wellesley’s system of town government relies heavily on resident participation,” including elected and appointed town body members along with hundreds of volunteers who work with staff. “The system works best when residents understand how town government is structured, how decisions are made, and how departments and boards interact…”
Testa described a Citizens’ Leadership academy as a low-cost way to build such understanding, and a proven model in other communities, including Barnstable, which he said has had more than 1,000 graduates from its program over the past 20-plus years.
Nearby, Natick has offered such a program and is thinking of someday bringing it back. In recent years the town has offered Natick 101 in-person and online courses about its government operations, and made recordings available.
Wellesley’s plan is to offer tours, behind-the-scenes demonstrations, and more that participants might typically not have access to, Testa said.
Board member Kenny Largess joked that “I wished I had this two years ago” before joining the Board. “I think it will be really, really helpful.”
Testa said that the Academy might at some point inform development of a boot camp for newly elected officials.
The Board raised questions about the ideal number of sessions and more. The plan is to offer the Academy annually.
Among the big questions remaining: How to pay for snacks. Yup, that’s the sort of decision town governments need to make, and it’s not always straightforward.
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