LEWISTON — Most of the charter changes voters will see on the city ballot are pretty simple and straightforward, City Administrator Ed Barrett said.
“A lot of this stuff is really technical procedures that just make our operations better or that better conform to the way we really do things,” Barrett said.
Voters will face 11 proposed amendments to the City Charter on the Nov. 6 ballot.
“The charter hasn’t been looked at since it was adopted,” Barrett said. “There were an awful lot of minor, technical changes that needed to be addressed.”
Barrett has created a brief summary of the changes, as well as more in-depth reviews. All of the reviews are available via links on the City Clerk’s section of the city’s website, www.ci.lewiston.me.us.
“Some of the changes are designed to make life easier; for example, scheduling a special meeting,” Barrett said. “Some of it simplifies administrative or council process. And how we make use of modern technology, like providing notices and posting information electronically.”
Some of the changes go beyond modernizing language. For example, Question 7 increases the requirements for write-in candidates, requiring them to get at least as many votes as the number of signatures traditional candidates need to qualify for the ballot and requiring them to register with the city clerk.
“It’s designed to make sure people know who’s running, and so there isn’t a stealth candidate on the ballot,” Barrett said. “It also ties in to the financial reporting requirements for write-in candidates.”
There currently is no standard for write-in candidates. If there is no candidate on the ballot for a given seat, a write-in candidate could win with one vote.
Candidates for the mayor’s chair have to get at least 100 signatures to get on the ballot. Candidates for City Council or School Committee seats need 50 signatures to get on the ballot.
Other changes proposed in Question 7 would allow councilors to appoint someone to fill a vacant seat.
“That came up last time with the election of Councilor (Doreen) Christ,” Barrett said.
Christ was elected in November, but it turned out she had moved into the neighborhood too close to Election Day to qualify for the seat. Soon after her election was disqualified, she was voted in again.
“In that case, rather than have another special election, the councilors could have just appointed her,” Barrett said.
Councilors created a committee in August 2011 to review the charter with an eye toward changes. That committee presented a report to the previous council in November and to the current one this past summer.
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