Charter panel presses clarity on staggered terms, ‘‘first’’ title and party limits for selectmen

The Simsbury Charter Revision Commission on Tuesday wrestled with how to implement staggered terms for the Board of Selectmen, including how initial two- and four-year terms should be assigned in the 2027 transition and how party-representation caps will apply during the changeover. Commissioners discussed drafting language that would make clear which seats are two-year seats in 2027 and which become four-year seats thereafter.

The discussion matters because the commission is proposing to change some selectmen seats from two-year to four-year terms to create longer, staggered service. Commissioners repeatedly flagged the trade-off between continuity and voters’ ability to replace a majority quickly: longer terms give institutional experience but limit the ability of voters to replace an entire board in a single election cycle.

Commission members asked staff to add explicit language to the draft charter clarifying that in 2027 all six seats will be on the ballot, that three of the seats will have initial two-year terms and three will have initial four-year terms (including the ‘‘first’’), and how those seats convert in 2029 so the staggered cycle begins. Several commissioners said the draft should state those mechanics plainly so voters and clerks can tell which offices are up in which year.

The panel also debated whether to keep the historical name “Board of Selectmen” and to change references from “first selectman/first selectmen” to a gender‑neutral “first” while defining that term in chapter 3. One commissioner suggested leaving the formal name intact for consistency with earlier chapters and defining in the first sentence that the board is the town’s legislative body to make its role explicit.

On party limits, members noted the charter language capping the number of selectmen from the same political party at four. Commissioners sought clearer text showing how that cap interacts with the transition: whether a 2027 election could temporarily produce three members of one party in one staggered group and what combinations are and are not permitted under the cap.

The commission did not vote on final wording but directed staff to insert specific transition sentences (e.g., naming which seats are two-year vs. four-year in 2027, and that the ‘‘first’’ will be among the initial four‑year seats) and to bring revised language back at the next meeting.

"We should add the sentence that three members shall be elected to a four year term including the first," one commissioner proposed during the session.

Next steps: staff will redraft the staggered-terms subsection to add the clarifying sentence discussed and return the revised wording at the commission’s next scheduled meeting.