Sweeney Letter & Packet to fellow Charter Commission Members

Before the election on April 26th, I wanted to put together my idea for a schedule and process the Salem Charter Commission could operate under. If elected to the Commission I would fight for the schedule regimen I’ve described below as well as ensure the public has adequate ability to make their voice heard throughout the process. I’m proposing nine meetings in total for the Charter Commission - the organizational meeting prescribed by law to elect the Commission officers followed by an informational meeting to allow Commission members the ability to get in detail the options available to Salem. Following those two first meetings I believe the Charter Commission should have a mixture of public input sessions and work sessions to develop and prepare a Charter that works for the Town of Salem.

The Charter Commission process needs to be transparent, accessible, and effective. The Charter Commission, once elected, has roughly 5 months to solicit public input and craft a proposed Charter. The absolute deadline to submit the Charter Commission report to the State of New Hampshire and Town Government is 170 days following the Charter Commission Election; that day is October 13th, 2022.

I sent my fellow candidates for Charter Commission the following packets in the mail and they should receive them shortly; all can see the letter, my proposed draft schedule, and relevant State RSAs in crafting a proposed Charter here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SNnAD8dBppJ8JX4-SuMKAVWjlAwX8Fl8/view?fbclid=IwAR1EBBNjZFGFA-81nqMpW6p-VyeX8wSeVu1GAxe4DnlREZQ8CHJey0KVvWw