Government

Background for the New Gloucester vote to create a charter commission

|John Salisbury|

Did you ever wonder why the voters in Maine municipalities can vote to create a Charter Commission?  That question is answered in the Maine Constitution.  In 1969 Maine citizens approved a constitutional amendment that provided municipal “home rule”.

Home rule is very important for municipalities because it affords the citizens of a municipality the opportunity to adopt a municipal charter rather than depend upon the state legislature for their governing authority. Under home rule it is the right of a town or city to enact laws that are municipal in nature and do not run counter to state law.

Some may be under the mistaken impression that every town has a charter that serves as their constitution.  It is true that every organized town does have a charter.  However, the content of most municipal charters is only a description of their geographic boundaries.  They do not detail the municipal governing and administrative structure.

Municipalities, regardless of their population, can adopt a municipal charter that is basically their constitution and spells out how they are governed and their operational procedures.   The nearby towns of Poland, Mechanic Falls, Gray and North Yarmouth all have charters.  It is a fact that more than two-thirds of the municipalities in the 5,000 to 7,000 population group have charters.

1 Belfast 6,680 Yes
2 Fairfield 6,612 Yes
3 Oakland 6,218 Yes
4 Winthrop 6,006 Yes
5 Houlton 5,911 Yes
6 Hermon 5,789 Yes
7 Rumford 5,730 Yes
  New Gloucester 5,679 no
8 Gardiner 5,672 Yes
9 Poland 5,522 Yes
10 Bar Harbor 5,356 Yes
11 Sabbatus 5,009 Yes
         

According to a 2016 textbook publication of the Maine Municipal Association “Home rule has rekindled civic pride, citizen interest and participation in local affairs.”

Is it time for the Town of New Gloucester to create a Charter Commission and ultimately adopt a charter that governs the Town in a manner that meets our needs?  That is the question New Gloucester voters will have the opportunity to answer on the November 2020 ballot.

The author of this article thinks it is.

Written by:  John Salisbury, a New Gloucester resident and former executive director of the Maine Municipal Association.