The Town of Granby is governed by charter, carried out by a board of selectmen and a town manager as established in 1960. A five-member board of selectmen is the Town’s legislative body and an appointed town manager serves as the chief executive. The selectmen are elected every two years, serving a two-year term. An elected board of finance is the town’s budget authority. A part-time treasurer, the town manager and a finance officer oversee the town’s finances.
Some of the areas covered in the charter include elections, duties of the town manager and the various boards and commissions, taxation, the budget and town meetings. An important function of the charter is to assure that there is minority representation on the boards and commissions.
Every 10 years, the Town of Granby revisits the charter that defines how its governing bodies carry out their duties. The most recent revision occurred in 2012, so the Board of Selectmen recently put out a call for residents willing to serve on a committee that will review the current charter to see if and where any revisions should be made.
First Selectman Mark Fiorentino noted that an unusually large number of residents volunteered for the committee, making it difficult to choose the required nine members. He thanked all who participated and encouraged them to remain engaged in the town government. Those chosen for the committee are: from the Democratic Party—Fran Brady, Lynn Guelzow, Teri-Ann Hahn; from the Republican Party—Mark Lockwood, Ed Ohannessian, Ben Perron; Unaffiliated—Rebecca Brewer, Tony Capelli, Anthony McGovern.
The committee has eight months for its study. It will report back to the Board of Selectmen before May 22, 2023 and residents will vote on any changes proposed on November 7, 2023.