A Lot to Digest: Ordinance Review Committee Makes many Recommendations

After nine months of meetings, discussions, and public forums, Ordinance Review Committee Chairman Joseph Boncore submitted the committee’s 87-page report to the Town Council Tuesday night. The report contains the committee’s recommendations and proposed revisions to the town code and town charter.

All told there were recommendations for 100 “substantive and non-substantive” changes to the town code and six changes to the town charter. It is a well put together document and Boncore and his committee consisting of Councillors J. Larry Powers, Paul Varone, and Linda Calla, Town Clerk Carla Vitale, Town Harbormaster Charles Famolare, School Committee member Mark Rotondo, former town official Marie Turner, and resident Mike Power deserve credit for their important volunteer work on the project. Boncore, Power, and Rotondo are all attorneys and their legal expertise no doubt was invaluable to the committee as a whole.

The committee has laid the groundwork upon which the Council can move forward, along with additional input from the public, culminating with any proposed changes to the charter being placed on the town ballot. Winthrop is still in the new stage of the change in our governmental structure that went into effect five years ago, so it should surprise no one that after five years of trial and error (compared to the more than 150 years of our former Town Meeting/Board of Select men form of government), the committee has made many recommendations for changes.

Towns people can take a look at the entire document on the town’s Web site and weigh in on the proposed changes at upcoming public hearings.