Morristown mayor backs charter change to at-large council seats; committee issues negative recommendation

Mayor Gary Chesney told the Private Acts Committee that Morristown’s population and voter registration numbers make at-large council seats a better fit for city governance and argued the change would preserve broad accountability across the city.

"For a city of just over 30,000 residents and just 15,000 registered voters…ward-only voting will strip away the voting rights of our citizens to have a voice," Mayor Chesney said, explaining the city attorney and comptroller had compiled data showing the change would not disenfranchise groups. Charles Cook, a Morristown resident who opposed the charter change, said he shared a private video link with committee members in which he asserted the mayor explained the change as an effort to control who could be elected to council. "This charter change is designed to take away the local community's ability to elect their representatives to the city council," Cook said, and he asked the committee to vote no.

Members pressed whether the change should be placed on a local referendum and whether the city had adequately engaged voters. Vice Chair Davis said he had received more outreach opposing the change than supporting it and asked whether a community referendum had been considered; Mayor Chesney said that had not occurred but could be pursued if required. The committee voted to send House Bill 2,641 to the State and Local Committee with a negative recommendation: 1 aye, 7 no's, and 1 present not voting. The bill will still be heard at the next committee stage.