The Harwich Charter Commission signaled a major shift toward a Strong Town Administrator governance model on Thursday, reaching a consensus to centralize the hiring and evaluation of department heads under the town’s chief executive. The move, intended to clear up ambiguous reporting lines, would strip the Select Board of its historical role in appointing most administrative positions, though members opted to delay a final decision on the status of the Police and Fire Chiefs until further interviews are conducted.

The debate over administrative authority was sparked by comparisons to neighboring towns like Chatham and Sandwich. Commission member Richard Way argued that the current structure lacks clear accountability, noting that whoever hires a staff member should be the one responsible for their performance. In any organization... the organization is very clear defined channels of who reports to who, who reviews, Way said. I would like to see those words utilized so that there's no ambiguity. If the TA hires the Police Chief, the Police Chief is reporting to the TA.

Commission Chair Linda Cebula echoed the need for operational management over ceremonial appointments. Personally, I don't care if the Select Board appoints everybody. Who manages them? I'm more interested in the management of the position, Cebula said. She noted that Acting Town Administrator Tony Schiavi has expressed that the Town Administrator should be the primary hiring agent to ensure professional oversight.

The commission reached a general consensus that the Town Administrator should hire, evaluate, and supervise almost all department heads, with the exception of the Library and Water/Wastewater departments. The status of public safety leadership remains the primary sticking point. Sandy Underwood expressed hesitation regarding the inclusion of the chiefs in this new structure. I'm not on board at this point with the public safety services. I think that's a whole different discussion and I'd very much like to talk about the chiefs before we even consider that, Underwood said. The commission plans to invite the Acting Town Administrator and the Police and Fire Chiefs to future sessions to resolve the matter.

Support for the transition also came from member John Ketchum, who pointed to Chatham’s success in delegating appointments to the Town Administrator. I like how Chatham does it, Ketchum said. It's too confusing to have somebody else hire someone and the other person manages them. Paul Don highlighted the practical limitations of the current five-member Select Board in handling human resources duties. The Select Board are part-time people. They don't have time to come in and hold regular interviews with the 30 people here... the Administrator is the guy who's interacting with the folks performing the duties, Don said.

In a separate decision regarding the town’s executive structure, the commission rejected a proposal to expand the Select Board from five to seven members. While Underwood suggested that a larger board could facilitate precinct-based representation—My only thought initially with seven was if we were ever to do something like call for a Select Board member to be elected from each district, she noted—other members warned against the change. Don cautioned that such a move might stir the pot without public demand, stating, Changing the number of Select Board members is one of those issues that concerns residents. Way suggested that while expanding the board might dilute the power of individual members, the difficulty of finding enough candidates to run for seven seats made the change impractical. The commission ultimately reached a consensus to maintain the current five-member, at-large configuration.

Financial oversight and the status of the town’s $38,000 consulting contract with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management were also addressed. The contract, which was previously awarded to help draft the new charter language, is currently undergoing a final review. Cebula reported that while she and members Lou Urbano and Sandy Underwood had reviewed the document, Acting Town Administrator Tony Schiavi has requested that Acting Finance Director Eric Ker provide a secondary review before signature. The town holds the funds. Our Acting Town Administrator has it and he just wants Eric Ker to just look at it... but we should be good to go, Cebula said. Because the contract is under the $50,000 threshold, it only requires Schiavi’s signature to proceed.

The commission is also looking into lowering the barriers for resident-led recalls of elected officials. The current charter requires signatures from 20% of registered voters to initiate a recall election, a figure Cebula described as a big hurdle. Underwood volunteered to research whether Massachusetts General Law mandates that specific percentage or if the town has the flexibility to lower the requirement to a flat number, such as 1,000 signatures, or a lower 15% threshold.

Earlier in the meeting, the commission addressed a minor correction to previous records. Motion Made by S. Underwood to approve the minutes of August 21, 2025, as corrected. Motion Passed (8-0-1), with one member abstaining due to absence from the prior meeting. Member Herb Bell arrived shortly after the meeting was called to order, completing the full attendance of the body.

The commission also addressed immediate scheduling conflicts. Member Tony Lord noted that several members would be traveling or unavailable throughout September, prompting concerns about maintaining a quorum. I'm going to be out the 4th and the 11th... and the 18th, Lord said. In response, Motion Made by L. Cebula to cancel the September 4th meeting and reschedule the Collins Group consultants to October 9th. Motion Passed (Unanimous Consensus). The delay is intended to ensure a full commission is present when the consultants begin the formal drafting of the charter’s Strong TA language.

Input from other town agencies continues to trickle in, with the Water and Wastewater department submitting their feedback. Responses from the Finance Committee and the Capital Outlay Committee are expected shortly, following recent tensions regarding budget transparency and the $35 million sewer expansion surprise that has fueled the push for charter-level financial reforms.