The city has had to print a separate ballot at its own expense after being told by the Secretary of the Commonwealth that it had missed a June 1 deadline for being on the state ballot.
NORTHAMPTON – Northampton voters will be called upon to decide whether they want major revisions to the city’s charter when they go to the polls on Nov. 6.
A special committee spent more than a year holding public meetings to get input on the document, which was written in the 1880s. Among the recommended changes, the mayor's term of office will be expanded from two to four years. The revised charter also transfers the chairmanship of council meetings from the mayor to the council president and calls for the creation of a council vice president.
It also standardizes the terms of School Committee members at two years.
The new charter also increases the number of signatures candidates for various offices must solicit in order to be on the ballot. It provides new procedure for direct citizen participation in government through referenda. Another proposed change is an automatic review of the charter every 10 years.
The city has had to print a separate ballot at its own expense after being told by the Secretary of the Commonwealth that it had missed a June 1 deadline for being on the state ballot. Mayor David J. Narkewicz has protested, claiming Northampton was notified after the fact.