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Fact-Check Any Statements

A comparison of the letter from Ron Amara (“Vote ‘No’,” Sept. 26) with the actual charter proposal reveals some misunderstandings.

Ron fears that the proposed charter will “concentrate too much power in the hands of a few” and that “boards will be appointed, not elected.”

In fact, the proposed charter provides wider, more diverse representation. For example, the Board of Selectmen (BOS), all chosen by election, increases fro three members to five members.

And, there is no reason to fear “boards will be appointed, not elected.” Most of Chester’s boards are already appointed by the BOS. The very few instances in which the membership of boards will be changed from elected to appointed have been for positions that, year after year, have appeared on the ballot mostly as uncontested or supported by both parties. This means that voters did not have a choice on who was elected almost all of the time.

In addition, under the present system, candidates for those few elected board positions have been affiliated almost all the time with a political party. This narrows the number of candidates, thereby limiting voters’ choices. Since over 40% of voters in Chester are unaffiliated, they are typically not considered by the political parties as possible candidates, even though they might be highly qualified. Changing the process to selection by appointment expands the candidate pool and, contrary to Ron’s statement, increases the involvement of Chester citizens in their community.

Chester voters, please fact-check any statements in social media posts, on lawn signs, or letters to the editor before you vote. Go to the website www.chestercharter.org for accurate, objective information and explanations about the proposed Chester Charter.

Richard Holloway

Chester