Participate In Live Blog During The May 8 Special Town Meeting

We'll have a live conversation going on Tewksbury Patch before, during and after the Special Town Meeting to vote on proposed changes to the Town Charter.

As part of our coverage of the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 8, Tewksbury Patch will be running a live blog chat and invite you to be an active part of the discussion. We'll start the chat at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the Special Town Meeting is scheduled to start. We will continue the chat after the meeting concludes to get your reactions and comments. Here is the best part!!! You can participate in the live chat whether you are at home or if you are in attendance at the Special Town Meeting at Tewksbury High. Home: As with any live chats, just log on to tewksbury.patch.com, click on the chat and join in. At The Meeting: Download the Coverit Live app on your I-Phone, click on "Live Listings" then click on "Tewksbury Special Town…

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Rauseo Tells Selectmen He May Have Conflict Of Interest

Town moderator tells board he may not be able to oversee debate and vote on proposed changes to the Town Charter at Special Town Meeting.

When it comes right down to it, $450 really isn't a lot of money. But it could be enough to prevent Town Moderator Keith Rauseo from overseeing one of the most important Town Meeting votes in the history of Tewksbury. Rauseo appeared before the Board of Selectmen at its April 10 meeting and told members that he could have a conflict of interest when it comes to the recommended changes to the Town Charter. As town moderator, Rauseo receives a $450 stipend. If voters adopt the changes recommended by the Special Act Charter Committee, Town Meeting and the position of town moderator would be eliminated and with it, Rauseo's stipend. Rauseo told the board he reached out to the State Ethics Commission and was told the situation did represent a …

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Selectmen Expected To Vote On Charter Proposal Tonight

Close vote expected on whether or not to call a Special Town Meeting.

The calendar says Valentine's Day, but love may be a little hard to come by tonight when the Board of Selectmen finally debates and, possibly, vote on changes to the Town Charter proposed by the Special Act Charter Committee (SACC). Having hosted two public hearings on the substantial changes proposed in a draft of a  new charter prepared by the SACC, the board must now decide whether or not to call a Special Town Meeting, at which voters would decided whether or not to adopt the charter, which would, among other things, replace Town Meeting and the Board of Selectmen with a nine-member Town Council. The board has several choices. It could vote to do nothing -- simply accepting the recommended document and the related report and take no …

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billvill

8:10 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Doug: Thanks for the response.   more ›

Compare/Contrast Charter Document Released By Selectmen (POLL)

Document was prepared by Selectwoman Anne-Marie Stronach and Selectman Scott Wilson.

Attached you will find a printable PDF version of a Powerpoint presentation on the recommendations and report of the Special Act Charter Committee. This document was prepared by Selectwoman Anne-Marie Stronach and Selectman Scott Wilson as a primer for residents in advance of the public hearings scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 7. The stated purpose of the document is to provide a comprehensive but easy to understand report on the work of the SACC and their findings relating to three different forms of town government. Hard copies of this document are available at Town Hall, the Senior Center and the Public Library.

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today: Tuesday Jan. 10

Bits of knowledge to help you be the smartest person waiting in line at the drive-thru ATM.

Here are five pieces of information designed to start your Tuesday off on the right foot and to help make you the smartest person who thinks it's ridiculous that Brad Marchand got a five-game suspension for his hit on Sammy Salo, when Matt Cook only got four games for ending Marc Sarvard's career. 1. Today's Local Weather Forecast: According to the NWS, today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 45. South wind 5 to 11 mph becoming west. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Northwest wind around 9 mph. 2. Quote of the Day: "“I was a good boy. I helped my mom wash the table.” Kindergarten student Jacob, a student in Kathleen Ford's class at _Heath Brook, __talking about what he did as part of his …

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Selectmen Won't Schedule Special Town Meeting On Charter Changes ... Yet

Board instead votes to schedule two public hearings on the proposed charter changes in January.

It's rare when the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen is genuinely divided on an issue. But such was the case last night _at Town Hall,_ regarding the issue of_ proposed changes to the Town Charter._ The board voted, 3-2, against a motion to set a tentative date in March for a Special Town Meeting for the purpose of considering changes to the charter. The motion had been _made by Chairman Todd Johnson_ and was supported by Selectman Scott Wilson, who also serves as chairman of the Special Act Charter Committee, which is recommending the proposed changes. Johnson expressed concerns that denying the request by the SACC to schedule a Special Town Meeting after nearly two years of work might discourage residents from participating on such committees…

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The Week in Review

Counting Down The Top 5 Stories Of The Week

These are the stories you've been talking about for the week of Nov. 13-19.

Here are the Top 5 Tewksbury Patch stories for the Week of Nov. 13-19, based on readership and comments. 5. Man 'Writing Down License Plate Numbers' Raises Suspicions 4. POLL: How Many Town Charter Options Should There Be? 3. UPDATED: Tewksbury Man Involved In Fatal Crash, Victim Identified 2. Cold War Escalates Between Tewksbury School Committee and Shawsheen Tech 1. Tewksbury Police Detectives Crack String Of Burglaries

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POLL: How Many Town Charter Options Should There Be?

When voters finally get the chance to have their say, should the proposed Town Charter be "all or nothing" or should there be something in between?

At some point, voters in Tewksbury will finally get the chance to have their say regarding proposed changes to the Town Charter. But is that sufficient? As it stands, voters will decide between maintaining the status quo and accepting changes that would dramatically change the charter and the method of government used in Tewksbury. Some Patch readers have suggested they want choices. In addition to the "big change" option, they have mentioned wanting to seed one or more additional versions of the charter, which would "tweak" rather than overhaul, the charter and town government. What do you think?

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Open Town Meeting Or Nine-Member Council -- Voters To Decide

SACC adds ward representation to proposed Town Charter Changes.

When voters examine the new Town Charter being proposed by the Special Act Charter Committee (SACC), they will notice something brand new to Tewksbury town government -- ward representation. By a 5-2 vote, the SACC voted to modify its recommendation for a seven-member Town Council to a nine-member council with five at-large members and four ward representatives. Such a council would, with voter approval, replace Tewksbury's present open town meeting form of government. The SACC was acting on a recommendation from Marilyn Contreras, who works with the Mass. Municipal Association and the Department of Housing and Community Development and, according to SACC Chairman Scott Wilson, is considered a "charter guru." Contreras met with the SACC …

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Charter Committee Regroups, Will Meet With Expert This Week

No Proposes changes will be placed on October Special Town Meeting Warrant

When voters decide the future of Tewksbury Town Government, it will likely be the only item on their plate. Selectman Scott Wilson, chairman of the Special Act Charter Committee, said once the committee puts the finishing touches on the language of a proposed new Town Charter, it will ask the Board of Selectmen to schedule a special town meeting with the charter as the only warrant article. "It's important enough that it should be the only article on the warrant," said Wilson. "We're looking at probably either November or January." Last week, the committee voted unanimously to remove the charter recommendation from the Oct. 4 Special Town Meeting warrant. Wilson said committee members were in agreement that they wanted to give residents …

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