WINSTED — The Winchester Board of Selectmen established a new Charter Revision Commission last week for the purpose of deciding if a residency requirement for town managers should be abolished.
The new board will consist of former Mayor Maryann Welcome, former Selectman Barbara Wilkes, Shirley Allshouse, Richard Nalette and Marsha Sterling.
Mayor Candy Perez brought up the item and noted that the board had agreed in principle at their previous meeting to establish the commission, which would have to reach a conclusion and make a recommendation to the board, which would then send the issue to a townwide referendum.
“The only question is the timing of the vote,� Perez said. “Fifteen percent of registered voters would have to say yes if we hold the vote in November, but we would only need a simple majority if we had it in May.� This year’s mid-term congressional elections are scheduled for Nov. 2, while the town’s annual budget referendum is in May.
Selectmen from both parties have been concerned about the town manager residency requirement for years, and the issue has resulted in controversy on numerous occasions. The last time it came up was during former Torrington Mayor Owen Quinn’s tenure as town manager. Quinn was living in Torrington but had an apartment in Winsted, which his political opponents said was not sufficient to satisfy the residency requirement.
As with any Charter Revision Commission, the new group will not be limited by its instructions from the Board of Selectmen. If the commission finds that other changes to the town’s governing document are in order, members may vote to include them in recommendations to selectmen, who will then vote on whether to send the changes to a referendum. Changes may ultimately be voted upon as a group or as individual items.
Selectmen agreed to let the new commission suggest an appropriate timing for the completion of its deliberations and subsequent vote.
