A Town Charter prescribes how a town is governed and should have no political bias. But in Tiverton, the Town Charter has become a political battleground. It started when a group of nine people, affiliated with the Tiverton Taxpayers Association (TTA), were all elected to the Charter Review Commission (CRC). These people were very open about their political agenda and were voted in because of it.

After a year’s worth of work, the CRC presented 40 proposed changes for Town Council (TC) approval and placement on the ballot. The TC threw all 40 proposals in the trash. The TC then put forward their own changes. In response, the CRC and the TTA are now advocating that the voters reject the TC’s proposed changes.

In light of all this, I believe that the best course of action for the voters is to reject the Town Council’s proposals. By doing so the Town Charter will remain unchanged for now. To make any hasty, uninformed decisions in this contentious environment could result in changes that we may regret in the long run.

Stephen Clarke, Tiverton Town Council candidate