Letter: Vote No on All Three

To the Editor:

On Tuesday, Weston voters will decide three Charter questions. Question 1 matters to me the most.

Question 1 asks whether to replace Weston’s “bare majority” rule. On the seven-member Board of Education, one party holds four seats and the other holds three. If Question 1 passes, one party could hold five. That extra seat matters. Presently, the one-seat margin encourages collaboration between the majority and minority parties. Diverse perspectives produce better results for our students and our town.

I have served on the Board of Education for five years as a member of the minority party, under three different chairs from the majority party. Under the current Charter, a constructive conversation with just one colleague from the majority can lead to a different outcome. That gives everyone an incentive to engage and look for common ground. If the majority can hold five of seven seats, the minority would need to win over two majority members, a far steeper climb that would rarely succeed. Meaningful engagement with the minority members would all but disappear.

Some argue that keeping the current rule shuts out residents who want to serve. I believe the opposite is true. A No vote does not silence anyone. It protects the balance that lets minority voices be heard.

Question 2 would remove residents’ ability at the Annual Town Budget Meeting to reduce or eliminate budget items before the budget goes to referendum. That meeting is one of the most direct ways residents can shape spending. Without it, residents’ only chance to influence specific budget items would be public comment at board meetings. Public comment lets residents be heard, but it does not require anyone to act on what they say. It can feel like participation without real influence. I see no reason to give that up.

Question 3 bundles the remaining amendments into a single yes-or-no vote. Taken together, these changes reduce transparency and accountability in how our town spends money. For example, Question 3 would double the additional appropriations the Board of Selectmen can make, from $5,000 to $10,000 per department and from $50,000 to $100,000 town-wide. It would also let the Board of Selectmen approve transfers within a department of up to $35,000, and transfers between departments of up to $15,000, without Board of Finance review. Fewer checks on spending means less accountability to taxpayers.

Voting No is not a vote against improvement. It is a vote to keep balance on our boards, keep residents’ voice in the budget, and give good ideas a better hearing.

I urge my neighbors to vote No on Questions 1, 2, and 3.

—  David Felton

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