Boards & Committees - Considerations

It’s worth thinking again about the discussions that took place at the Civics for Adults workshops:

“Discussion of the Planning Board, Zoning Board, and Conservation Commission drew questions about members, many of whom had been on the boards for many years. It was acknowledged that these boards often spent many meetings exploring and even researching mitigating factors, although there were questions about the extent to which the decisions of individual members might be influenced by the political preferences of others.

There was also concern about the ability of small groups of self-interested residents to influence final decisions that might not be beneficial to the town as a whole.”

“… concerns about the dominance of a small core of residents who seem to have more influence than others due to their longstanding presence on boards and committees. A suggestion was offered to appoint a nominating committee to seek prospective candidates and make recommendations.  There was agreement that term limits on all boards and committees might encourage new applicants.”

None of the above was intended to criticize individual members of any of these or the other boards who are to be commended for their steady commitment to the to the Town. It was only observed that long tenures often led to embedded positions on issues, and a Town cannot stand still if it hopes to ensure its vitality.

New ideas may need to be constrained until the time is right, but they deserve to be heard – and considered.