VOTE NO on the Proposed Charter Change: Holyoke cannot afford this risky proposal!
Dear Fellow Voter:
There is going to be a referendum question on this year’s ballot that proposes to change our City Charter and would:
Weaken Voter Power:
· Voters will no longer elect the City Clerk or City Treasurer
· Voters will no longer elect a majority of their City Councilors
· Only vote for the Mayor every 4 years not every 2 years which could be problematic especially if you get someone who is not doing a good job.
Eliminate Checks and Balances:
· We already have a very strong Mayor: we should not consolidate nearly all power in one person!
· Proposes to weaken the City Council and make the Mayor even more powerful
· Mayor would appoint the Assessors, Tax Collector, Auditor and Treasurer instead of the City Council therefore eliminating the independence of their financial oversight roles.
· Abolishes most city commissions including the Public Works and Fire Commissions and gives those powers to the Mayor. Also makes the Mayor a member of most remaining commissions.
· Allows the Mayor to abolish or create any city department without the Council having the opportunity to amend the proposal.
· Terms of office of city department heads are eliminated and they would serve at pleasure of the Mayor.
· Recommends eliminating non-political civil service independence for city employees
· Allows the Mayor to appoint a majority of the future commissions who will review our city charter and our city ordinances.
Make Expensive Changes we cannot afford in these tough economic times:
· Gives the Mayor a 14% pay raise from $85,000 to $97,000 per year.
· Creates a New Chief Financial Officer position appointed by the Mayor that would likely cost over $100,000 per year.
· The proposed new charter is a risky exploration into a new form of government which no one fully knows for sure how it would work and could be the source of expensive future litigation.
Make other foolish changes:
· The War Memorial Commission would no longer be made up exclusively of veterans.
· Makes it harder for citizens to run for office and get on the ballot.
· Eliminates Residency Requirements for city department heads.
Instead of making some simple common sense changes the voters could easily understand, the Charter Commission scrapped our entire charter for a new 53 page confusing and harmful form of government. Their proposal is so complex and confusing that it reads more like mortgage then a referendum. Holyoke’s voters deserve better!
Please Vote NO on the Proposed Charter Change and protect our city!
