Coventry charter commissioners hear public concerns on town manager power, voter thresholds and registrar certification

Coventry — The Charter Revision Commission on April 23 presented proposed updates to the town charter and heard an evening of public comment focused on how the changes would affect who holds power in town government, how budget decisions are decided, and how elections are administered.

Vice Chair Justin Murphy, who opened the hearing at the CHS Veterans Auditorium, said the charter had not been revised in 35 years and the commission’s work aimed to modernize wording, align the document with state law and improve the budget process. "The Charter has not been changed or updated in 35 years," Murphy said, describing the draft edits as either readability changes or substantive clarifications to make the charter reflect current practice.

Nut graf: Residents praised the commission’s work but raised several substantive concerns. Speakers said the draft could concentrate too much authority in a Town Manager who is appointed by the seven-member Town Council; questioned the removal of some positions (such as the tree warden and references to a K-9 officer) from the charter; urged caution about language that would require registrars to be "certified"; and debated whether the commission’s proposed 3% active-voter threshold for Town Meeting decisions or automatic referral-to-referendum rules would improve or undermine community participation.

Several residents made the case that shifting hiring authority to a manager could reduce direct public control over key offices. "The Town Manager can hire whomever he wants," resident Beth Shaw said, arguing the draft could allow appointments that bypass voter choice for roles historically filled through election or different procedures. Commission members responded that removing a position from the charter does not, by itself, eliminate the job and that state law governs certain required roles.

Registrar of Voters Sandye Simon praised some language changes for clarity but urged caution about adding an explicit requirement that registrars be state-certified, saying the change could disqualify someone newly elected who had not yet completed training. Simon also recommended consistent use of the term "active voters" when the charter refers to official voter lists.

On budget procedure and Town Meeting rules, residents and commissioners debated the draft’s 3% threshold for petitioned Town Meeting changes and whether large turnouts should automatically send matters to referendum. Resident Patrick Wagstrom and others said low weekday turnout may bias results and urged options that expand participation; other commissioners warned against overusing referendum processes in place of deliberative Town Meetings.

The commission reviewed each comment on the record. Staff and commissioners said they would add clarifying language to the explanatory spreadsheet to note that Animal Control and the tree warden functions remain staffed even if not listed as standalone charter offices, and staff will consult the town attorney and registrars about statutory requirements and the practical meaning of "certified" registrars.

Procedural actions: after a brief recess the commission reconvened and approved both the April 8 and April 16 meeting minutes on motions by John Elsesser, seconded by Monica Gallegos-Ramirez; both votes were recorded as unanimous. The commission also voted unanimously to adjourn at 9:22 p.m.

Next steps: the commission plans a May 6 meeting to finalize its report and will submit that report to the Town Council by May 15; the council is scheduled to review the report and hold its own hearing and may request further revisions. If the Town Council approves, it may place the revised charter on the November ballot for voter consideration.

Reporting note: Quotes and attributions are drawn from the Charter Revision Commission’s April 23, 2026 public hearing transcript; the commission and staff indicated they would seek attorney guidance on statutory questions and would circulate clarifying edits before the final report.