MARBLEHEAD — The Select Board has received 20 applications from residents interested in volunteering on the town’s Charter Study Commission.
The new commission, which announced it was accepting applications earlier this year, is being assembled as the town looks into the creation of its first-ever charter, a document that defines the operations of a local government.
In a March interview with The Item, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer said that an “ambitious” goal for the commission is to take about a year to study and review Marblehead’s government before presenting its proposed charter at Town Meeting in 2025.
At a meeting, Select Board member Moses Grader called the number of applicants “outstanding.”
“We are spoiled by the level of volunteers we have in the town,” Grader said.
Last month, the Select Board sat in on a presentation from the Collins Center, which has assisted multiple communities in the Commonwealth with charter processes. Recommendations from the Collins Center suggested that the board should seek have around nine members on the commission.
Grader added that it will be challenging to interview all 20 applicants, and instead suggested an “initial paper-based review” via a ranking system, where each board member will rank their candidate preferences. A “rank-order” vote would then take place to select the nine members.
“It’s not only looking at the outstanding qualifications of each person, but also trying to make sure that the committee represents a broad spectrum of constituencies in Marblehead,” Kezer said. “Your scores will take those matters into consideration.”
The Select Board is aiming to have its selections made by April 19 and to announce them at the board’s next scheduled meeting on April 24.
