Petition for a Special Election for Water and Sewer Commissioner

The Coalition is circulating a petition to hold a special election to fill the vacancy in the Water and Sewer Department. The office of Commissioner has been vacant for more than 45 days despite the fact that the department has received applications for the position from several qualified applicants.

We received the following comment,"Have you considered how much a special election will cost?" The answer is yes. Elections cost money, but in this case it may be the only way to get the position filled. The Water and Sewer department is facing a financial crisis, it needs to change its accounting practices so that the operation of the department is clear and transparent, it needs to work on developing a feasibility study and business plan for the receiving station, and it needs to resolve problems with Utility Partners. The person elected to this position needs to have a good understanding of the issues, the operation of the department, and the ability to make good decisions based on factual evidence. It is very likely that the department will have to raise rates in the future, and the new commissioner must be able to make difficult decisions and explain them clearly to the towns people.

Given the current impasse, the towns people have no other recourse than to call for a special election. The current commissioners could save the town the expense by appointing one of the applicants.