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Committee split on proposal to expand Board of Health membership

The Board of Health, seen here holding a public forum on synthetic THC/kratom products in July, hopes to maintain its current size despite recommendations from both the Charter Review Committee and the Health Department’s own strategic plan. FILE PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD

The Charter Review Committee will bring a recommendation to expand the Board of Health from three members to five to its public forum Sept. 30 following a joint meeting with the board Wednesday.

The groups met to discuss two proposed charter revisions the Charter Review Committee previously had pitched to the Board of Health. The first would shift reporting duties for the health director from the board to the town manager. The second involved expanding the board’s membership. Following a discussion with Charter Review chair Connor Degan on Aug. 31, the Board of Health voted against the proposals.

During the joint meeting, the Charter Review Committee informed Board of Health members that it would be recommending maintaining the board’s authority to set goals, perform reviews and hire a director as necessary with input from the town manager. The only major revision it would make is ensuring reviews occur prior to annual town elections.

Committee member Jean Bertschmann explained the goal was to standardize the town manager’s support in these activities across other boards that appoint and oversee director-level positions.

“We’re hopeful that this doesn’t really feel like a change in your current practice,” Bertschmann added.

The Board of Health offered some suggestions on wording but otherwise were open to the suggestion. “As long as the language makes it clear that authority is maintained [by] the Board of Health … I’m OK with it,” said vice chair Mary Jo Ondrechen.

Charter Review members spent time asking questions about the merits of increasing the Board of Health’s membership, with committee members split on the issue. They recognized that the current arrangement of three members has worked for the board but wondered why it would go against the Health Department’s strategic plan, which was developed by an outside agency following input from residents and other stakeholders.

Member Peter Mimmo worried that the Board of Health’s resistance relied more on political considerations rather than the needs and wants of the residents. “It seems to me it’s ultimately the people of this town [who] should be determining the structure and size of this board,” he said.

Degan echoed Mimmo’s concerns regarding the political nature of the board’s pushback later in the meeting.

Ondrechen reiterated points she has made in previous conversations about the charter proposals, stating that the dissolution of the town’s caucus system has made finding and vetting candidates for office more difficult. She worried that unqualified individuals or those with personal motivations could get on the board if its membership expanded.

“We want to have people who believe in facts,” she added.

The Charter Review Committee remained split on the membership issue following the discussion. All agreed, however, that it made sense to get the question in front of residents at the Sept. 30 public forum to obtain more feedback.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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