Politics & Government
Aldermen Won't be Able to Handpick Replacements
Aldermen handpicking replacements is likely becoming a thing of the past.
The tradition of resigning aldermen handpicking their replacements—which happened twice in the past year—has likely come to an end.
However, after a public hearing about the matter, held Tuesday, the specific process for filling vacant seats on the Somerville Board of Aldermen has not been settled. Several options remain on the table.
On the other hand, some options seem to have been eliminated.
No School Committee members
Members of the Board of Aldermen's Legislative Matters Committee, which held the public hearing, agreed that members of the Somerville School Committee shouldn't be automatically appointed to the Board of Aldermen if an alderman resigns.
In that regard, they agreed with a number of those who spoke at the public hearing, including Katie Wallace, who said appointing School Committee members to the Board of Aldermen is "throwing the burden on the School Committee." She suggested, somewhat sarcastically, that when a vacancy occurs on the School Committee, it should be filled by a member of the Board of Aldermen.
More special elections
Another apparent consensus among members of the Legislative Matters Committee was that, when possible, the city should hold a special election to replace resigning ward aldermen.
"What's the big deal about having a special election in a ward?" asked At-Large Alderman John Connolly. "It's not expensive to do it." A ward election would need to take place in just three precincts.
Currently, if an alderman resigns with more than a year until the next election, the city will hold a special election. If an alderman resigns with less than a year until the next election, the Board of Aldermen appoints a replacement—until recently, rubber-stamping the departing alderman's handpicked replacement. Aldermen serve two-year terms.
The Legislative Matters Committee indicated it would support holding special elections every time a ward alderman resigns, unless he resigns after May of an election year. By May, regular candidates are already gathering signatures to run in the fall, so a special election would be redundant.
Treat at-large and ward aldermen differently
The committee also drew a distinction between ward aldermen, who represent specific neighborhoods in Somerville, and aldermen at large, who are elected citywide.
There was a consensus that if one of the four at-large alderman resigns, the seat should be filled by the fifth-place finisher from the previous election.
However, when it comes to replacing ward aldermen, members of the public balked at giving the empty seat to the runner up from the previous election.
A runner up "was not elected by the majority of the people" and therefore shouldn't be handed a delayed victory, argued César Urrunaga.
"A lot of times people are voting against the person," said Diane Masters.
Members of the Legislative Matters Committee seemed to agree the city should always hold a special election to replace ward aldermen (see above).
Why the hurry?
There was also a debate about whether vacancies on the Board of Aldermen need to be filled with much haste.
In a letter, Somerville State Rep. Denise Provost—a former alderman—suggested the Board of Aldermen could operate with a vacancy for a few months.
At-Large Alderman William White, however, said it was "frightening to leave the vacancy open" because important votes, like zoning changes, the issuance of bonds and overriding mayoral vetoes, requires eight votes. The Board of Aldermen has 11 members, but a vacancy would bring membership down to 10.
At-Large Alderman Dennis Sullivan said "people need that contact" with a representative in city government. They need someone to call about problems and issues. "I think the residents need that representative on the Board of Aldermen," he said.
Wait until next year
Simon Hill, who spoke at the public hearing, suggested the Legislative Matters Committee wait until the new year to pursue the matter, because the Board of Aldermen will have five new members in the coming year, changing the dynamic and priorities of the Board.
Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente said he would be open to letting the upcoming Board of Aldermen decide on the matter.
Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, who chairs the Legislative Matters Committee, seemed eager to complete work on the issue, saying her committee had been discussing the matter for nearly a year.
Don't resign in the first place
There was one point of agreement: Aldermen shouldn't resign in the first place.
Matt Hartman, who spoke at the hearing, wanted to create a "disincentive" for aldermen to resign.
Lafuente said that, unless an alderman gets sick, is in a bad accident or has to follow a family member out of state, "There's really no reason to leave the Board."
No revolving door
Others wanted to prevent aldermen who resign from turning around and accepting jobs with city government. When former Ward 1 Alderman William Roche resigned in December of 2012, he was hired, the next day, as the city's acting personnel director, and he eventually took over the position full time."Those who resign from the Board should not be able to work for the city," said Lynn Weissman, who suggested they be barred from city employment for up to 10 years.
"I don't think they need to wait 10 years; maybe they need to wait more than six hours," said Wallace.
More
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
