The Fall River Special Charter Review Committee has completed a report proposing changes to the city’s home rule charter.
Committee chair Attorney Rene Brown says the report will be filed with the mayor and city council for consideration. The next steps involve state government examination before Fall River voters approve the proposed amendments.
The committee held over 20 meetings over 18 months reviewing the charter approved by voters in 2017.
The committee recommends changes to how candidates qualify to run for mayor, city council, and school committee during municipal elections. To run for mayor, candidates must obtain at least 300 signatures from registered voters to qualify. City council and school committee candidates need to secure 150 signatures. The committee wants to reduce the signature requirement for all local offices to 100.
The committee looks to change how candidates are ordered on the ballot (alphabetically versus by lottery) and remove the requirement that nomination papers be filed first with the city clerk before being certified by the elections commission.
During the recall election of former Mayor Jasiel Correia, residents were concerned that the mayor was recalled but then re-elected by a plurality on the same ballot. The committee seeks to simplify and clarify the recall process.
When it comes to citizen initiative petitions to change a city policy or ordinance, the committee recommends that if a petition qualifies for the ballot, it must be put before the voters.
The committee redrafted the charter to make it easier to read and included a table of contents and definition of terms.
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