
Members of the newly formed Rumford Charter Commission pose at their organizational meeting Jan. 16. From left are Chairman Frank DiConzo, Cory White, Travis Palmer, Jon Starr, Bev Soucy, Greg Deane, Sammie Sax and Jeff Gilbert. Rachel Henderson was absent. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
RUMFORD — The newly formed Charter Commission will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday for the first reading of town charter changes.
The meeting will be held in the conference room downstairs at the Town Hall before the Select Board meeting.
Frank DiConzo, who is vice chairman of the Select Board, was elected chairman of the commission at the Jan. 16 meeting. Others appointed are Jeff Gilbert and Sammie Sax. Elected members are Greg Deane, Rachel Henderson, Travis Palmer, Bev Soucy, Jon Starr and Cory White.
“I’ve been working diligently since the November election looking at the charter and putting my thoughts together on what I envision we need to change — to make everybody who works for the town accountable and make sure that everyone gets along, and how each department affects the other,” he said then.
He said he has major changes to present to the Select Board, which will decide what will go on the ballot for consideration by voters.
The committee has a year to review the document and recommend changes.
“Towns want a charter because they want home rule, he said. “There have been movements in the past that people said ‘do away with the charter.’ If you do away with the charter, then the state tells you what you can and can’t do.”
Voters approved establishing a commission in June 2024.
The charter was established in 1951, and includes amendments approved June 12, 2018.
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