GOL Still Wary of Filling Vacancy on Charter Review Committee

Report on the Joint Meeting of the Government, Organization and Legislation Committee and the Charter Review Committee, August 21, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present for Charter Review Committee
Julian Hynes (Chair), Meg Gage, Andy Churchill, Erika Mijlin, Raphael Rogers, Bernie Kubiak Absent: Marcus Smith, Ken LeBlond. Staff: Athena O’Keeffe. (liaison and Clerk of Town Council)

Present for GOL
Ana Devlin-Gauthier (Chair, District 5), Lynn Griesmer (District 2), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), Hala Lord (District 3)

The Charter Review Committee and the Governance, Organization, and Legislation Committee of the Town Council (GOL) met jointly on August 21 to discuss the vacancy on the Charter Review Committee that has remained unfilled since January, when Dan Muscat resigned. Ana Devlin-Gauthier explained that GOL is responsible for vetting applicants and making recommendations to Town Council. She noted at the outset that GOL members have already decided that the two individuals who have applied should not be considered a sufficient pool, but are interested in learning from the Charter Review Committee what the challenges and the advantages would be if a new person were to join the committee at this point. It is GOL policy not to disclose the names of applicants to committees. 

Raphael Rogers felt that an additional member would bring value to the committee by sharing the impending workload.

Meg Gage agreed that there is a lot of work ahead and hoped that a new person would not slow things down. After observing that the position should have been filled months ago, she agreed that the pool of two people was not sufficient. She stressed that the work of the committee is less about members bringing their own individual opinions to the process, but instead committing to gather input from a wide range of town residents. Also, she thinks  there is already a diversity of opinions on the committee. 

Bernie Kubiak reiterated his opinion, expressed in a prior email to GOL, that he is not troubled by the small number in the pool and that it is not in the committee’s best interest to bring in a new person at this point because it would take a substantial amount of effort for them to catch up. He felt that members have learned to get along and that bringing in a new person would require an adjustment period. And he questioned the motives of the current applicants.

Committee chair Julian Hynes, having also previously submitted his comments to GOL, urged that the vacancy be filled. 

Erika Mijlin felt that adding a new person would not impede progress, although she was concerned about the burden it would place on the new person, given that the committee is committed to completing its work by October 31. She asked whether maintaining a vacancy would cast doubt on the validity of the committee’s process, and Lynn Griesmer assured the members that similar committees who have maintained vacancies have not had their work called into question. 

Andy Churchill felt that the committee and its subcommittees are fully functioning and have gone through an extensive process of review of the Charter. He was concerned that a new person would upset “the equilibrium.” He, too, questioned the motives of the applicants and asked whether they would come to the committee with a perspective they want to impose rather than joining in the spirit of current members and listen to public opinion. Kubiak reiterated his suspicion that they would be coming onto the committee with an agenda.

Pat DeAngelis asked what skills the committee would seek in a new member. Those mentioned included some level of legal expertise, experience in qualitative analysis, advertising and promotion, and writing skills. Kubiak urged that the committee rely on KP Law, the town attorneys, for legal advice. Mijlin stressed that specific skills are less important than a new member sharing the committee’s commitment to seek and value public opinion. Churchill added that judgment and temperament are more important than skills.

Devlin-Gauthier thanked the committee members for their input. She reminded them that GOL has already determined that the pool of two applicants is insufficient but advised that it is not too late to encourage others to apply. GOL will continue their discussion at the next meeting on Tuesday, August 26.