Southbridge Charter Changes Require 10 Different Senate Bills

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Ken O’Brien
In what the Massachusetts Senate events list describes as “aninformal session” it met on September 6, 2012and approved ten separate bills to authorize Southbridge citizens to adoptalmost all the amendments to the town charter rammed through the rump towncouncil last year.
The one amendment that was dropped was that whichwould require any citizen running for public office to be “in good financialstanding” with the town. Attorneys at the State House saw this as one bridgetoo far, violating constitutional law, and had it eliminated. 
Also, whereas Mr. Durant originally submitted thesechanges in one bill (H. 3900), the Senate saw it necessary to embody eachremaining change in a separate bill.
They mandated that the voters of Southbridge wouldhave to approve each of the amendments at an election.
They also mandated that the election to accomplishthe result had to be held in 2012.
Since it’s already been determined that such an electioncan’t be arranged to coincide with the national elections in November, when willit be?
Perhaps while we’re all getting ready forThanksgiving? Maybe when we’re caught up in Christmas shopping? Better yet, whynot during the Christmas holidays?
I have a better idea.
Why not tell these clowns to just give it up. Savethe town the money for a special election designed to do nothing more thanfurther strengthen the people who have brought us trash cops and labeled us aspigs and barnyard animals while feathering ever more comfortably their ownnests and those of friends and relatives.*********************************************************The original bill filed by Representative Durant canbe found at: AnAct relative to the charter of the Town of Southbridge.
The bills affecting the Southbridge town charter canbe found at the following locations:


H.4039  An Act exempting thetown of Southbridge from attorneygeneral approval of by-laws                         H.4040  An Act relative tonon-councilors on committees in the town ofSouthbridge 

H.4041 An Act relative tothe removal of the vice chairperson of thecouncil of the town of Southbridge                                  H.4042 An Act relative tothe prohibition on multiple appointmentsto quasi-judicial boards in the  town ofSouthbridge                 H.4043 An Act relative tothe addition of members to the board of healthin the town of Southbridge.                            H.4044 An Act relative tothe appointment of the liquor licensingboard in the town of Southbridge                     H.4045 An Act relative tothe rescission of appointments to quasi-judicialbodies in the town of Southbridge    
 H.4046   An Act relative tothe removal of the manager of the   town of Southbridge.                H. 4047 An Act relative tothe prohibition on commercial manufacturing orsale of alcohol by the members  of the liquorlicensing board of the town of Southbridge                  
H.4048An Act relative to the recall of elective officers in thetown of Southbridge.