One of the Myths about the Holyoke City Charter is that the document is too old to still be practical for our current needs.
I ask you to consider the following facts before you vote on this radical proposal to change our city government:
There are 3 Foundational Documents that impact the City of Holyoke:
Federal Level: US Constitution which was drafted in large measure by James Madison - it was Ratified on June 21, 1788.
State Level: The Massachusetts Constitution which was drafted John Adams, Samuel Adams and James Bowdoin was Ratified on June 15, 1780. It is the oldest active Constitution in the world!
City Level: The Holyoke City Charter was Ratified in 1896. 108 years younger than US Constitution and 116 years younger than the Massachusetts Constitution.
The Holyoke City Charter has been amended no less than 30 times. The Massachusetts Constitution has been amended 120 times and the US Constitution has been amended 27 times.
The Holyoke City Charter like its accompanying other Constitutions is a concise and powerful statement of the checks and balances of government. The new proposed Charter disgards balance to make way for an Uber-Powerful Mayor and a government less accountable to the electorate. To accomplish this task, the new proposed Charter is filled with sweeping and confusing legalese (I am a lawyer by the way) and is now 53 pages of changes.
Unless you as a voter fundamentally understand those 53 pages of legalese and their sweeping ramifications, please do not just vote to abolish our current form of government.
Consider first that we should make careful amendments to the current document. Our predecessors in reviewing our foundational documents never just abolished them but carefully amended them. I suggest we do that as well. Those amendments can either be crafted by the City Council and Mayor or brought individually before the voters.
This careful approach that respects checks and balances has served us well since the founding of our Republic and November 8th should be no exception.
Re-Elect Holyoke's Fiscal Watchdog!
