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Petitioner asks Westborough to add initiative and referendum options to town charter; Select Board and residents voice concerns
Summary
Wilford Savoy presented two citizen-initiated charter amendments to allow local initiative and referendum petitions (200 signatures threshold); board members raised legal, timing, cost and procedural concerns and the Select Board ultimately recommended defeat of the initiative petition and sent the referendum wording to further discussion.
A resident petitioner urged the Select Board on Oct. 14 to place two Home Rule petition-style changes before the legislature to allow Westborough voters to use initiative and referendum procedures in town governance.
Wilford Savoy described Article 15 (a local initiative petition) that would let 200 registered voters—at least 25 from each precinct—file an initiative with the town clerk to place a binding question on the ballot, and Article 16 (a referendum petition) that would enable a townwide referendum on a town-meeting vote if 200 registered voters filed a petition within seven business days, subject to certain exclusions and a 20% turnout requirement to validate the result.
Savoy said the proposals would expand voter participation by enabling town-wide votes on important issues and cited examples in other Massachusetts towns. Select Board members and other residents pressed a range of concerns: the potential for frequent, costly special elections; whether voters would get enough context and committee review before a binding ballot; the risk of “buy me” or fiscal-populist measures that do not reflect budgetary trade-offs; and whether the proposals would circumvent the deliberative town-meeting process. Town counsel was reviewing legal questions about implementation and whether the state legislature would approve the specific charter language.
After extended discussion the board recommended defeat of Article 15 (initiative petition) by a 5–0 recommendation and voted to defeat Article 16 initially but the final Select Board recommendation on Article 16 recorded a 4–1 vote (some board members supported referendum language with stronger guardrails). Petitioner Savoy said the process would not be used frivolously and that collecting 200 signatures in the required window is a substantial burden.
What’s next: Both articles will appear on the Fall Special Town Meeting warrant for Town Meeting consideration. Town counsel is reviewing legal implications and staff will include counsel’s comments in the Town Meeting materials.
