The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-05-06
Proposed New Form of Gov
ernment to Be Acted
Upon Tonight
VILLAGE MEETING
IN FESTIVAL HALL


Believed Charter Will be Ratified
No Prospect of Changing Name of
Elliot Street.
Tonight will decide the question of
whether Brattleboro village is to have
new form of government The an
nual village meeting will he called to /
order in Festival hall at 80 o'clock |
and the first article of business to /
come up, after hearing reports, is to
see if the village will vote to approve, /
ratify and adopt an act Of the legisla- /
ture granting Il new eharter which |
provides for commission form of gov
ernment.
As is well known, this new charter !
emhodies the best features of the old |
charter and the best of the various |
amendments that have been enacted in |
the past 40 years, besides some new
features which the charter committee
have thought best to adopt in it. In
stead of the usual board Of five baiiiffs,
who are elected every year, it provides
for three commissioners, one to be
elected each year for three years. If
the new charter is adopted the meeting
Will proceed to elect officers under it.
! f it is rejected, officers will be elected
under the present charter.
Some opposition to the new charter
/ has developed, but Just how widespread
/ the opposition Is cannot be told before
the meeting. On the surface it does not
/ appear TO be extensive. 1t Is felt by
4some that more territory should be in
cluded within the village limits, espec-
tally more of the residences on West
ern avenue. That section of the town
has grown rapidly in the past few
years, but everything west of the Home
for the Aged is outside the village and
is not subject to the village tax.
As to that objection, the village can
not itself vote a charter to extend its
limits. That question is not ques
tion of charter form. but rather of
boundaries, and of course the outside
district that was sought to be put in
to the village would have to be heard
on the question.
The principal opposition. however, so
far as has appeared, relates to the pro
posed three-vear tenure of office of the
commissioners. The argument made by
those opposed TO threeyea term Is
that ii a commissioner proves insult
, able or develops disagreeable traits in
his official capacity he cannot toe sup
planted until his three-year term eX-
pires, whereas with a one-vear term
housecleaning may take place when
ever it seems desirable.
On the other hand there are very
many citizens who feel that the prob
' ability of such a condition arising Is
50 remote that it falls far short of off
setting the benefit to he derived from
having on the board all the time men
who have had year or two of expert
ence in the office.
The proposed charter has so many
ii good features that it is not believed
Il the voters will turn it down on account
u of the considerations which are here
Il mentioned. If it should be adopted
IL an amendment could be secured, if de
8 sired, at the special session of the leg
islature which will be called for incor
porating into the state constitution
the amendments which were adopted
at the last March meetings through
=. out the state.
u Of much more vital Importance t
the village than the matter of th
, tenure of office is the question of Civ
:. ing the village new powers, partlcrlar
y " the power to deal with the matte
re of street sprinkling and the powe
"a over the collection and disposal o
DI garbage Neither of these question
r. has been handled in a very satisfaC
as tory way in the past and it Is YER
ed desirable that the village be granite
us the power to deal with then
ut The charter does not commit the vi
IN lage to any policy in regard to then
but simply empowers the village I
lie deal with them whenever il sees fit.
licd Little talk has been made as to caI
lie didates for the office in case the ne
IA charter is adopted. Chairman II.
at Barber of the board of bailiffs is NJ
a candidate. He intends to build
house on Western avenue on i
r. which he has bought outside the vi
age. Solon A. Richmond, anoth'
member of the board of bailiffs, is ma
ars ing no effort to be elected, but
would serve as commissioner if electe
Io,, 1t is understood that the same is trl
,on of the other bailiffs, Oscar 7. Ware al
ras John T. Kaine. >There have been b
on four bailiffs the past year, although t
,on village is entitled to five. 1t has be-
Iav suggested that Henry r. Brown, (
mo town road commissioner, be made y
her lage commissioner, which might wo
the out advantageously with respect to I
IS roads.
Article relates to making an app
vas priation of $500 for series of
)ar- band Concerts. No opposition to TINS {
md. preparation has appeared. The only otf
to article except those relating to routi
nto matters is article 8, to see if the v
ers will change the name of Ell