Citizens' committee proposes recall rules, fewer town meeting seats and other changes to Danvers governance

A citizens committee appointed by the town moderator presented a written report and recommended redlined changes to the Danvers Town Meeting Act and the Town Manager Act at the Select Board meeting on Sept. 23.

The Town Meeting–Town Manager Acts Review Committee, chaired by Sally Calhoun, recommended multiple changes intended to encourage citizen participation and modernize town governance. "We became most concerned about finding ways to encourage more active participation by the citizens of the town of Danvers," Calhoun told the board, describing the committee's effort to "revitalize and reemphasize" the representative role of town meeting members.

The report, delivered to the board in May and discussed at the meeting, recommends: reducing the number of town meeting members per precinct from 18 to 15; requiring all town meeting candidates, including incumbents, to pull nomination papers and gather 10 signatures; formalizing an informational session for town meeting members by the…