What
is a fence viewer? Wood and bark measurer? A grain weigher? For some,
these leftover jobs from Somerville's 1899 city charter are proof that
the city's political culture needs reform.

In his inaugural
address last month Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone promised to convene a
charter reform commission this year to examine possible changes to the
structure of city departments, elected bodies and government
procedures.

But the first move by an elected official to
explore such changes failed last week when Ward 4 School Committee
member James Norton's proposal to send "a statement of support of the
mayor's proposal to convene a Charter Reform Commission and ask that
the mayor appoint a member of the School Committee to that commission"
was voted down by all other members of the School Committee.

The
fairly tame resolution provoked strong reactions from the other School
Committee members. Ward 7 member Mary Jo Rossetti said, "My blood
pressure is ready to burst. I absolutely, positively will not support
this motion."

Ward 2 member Theresa Cardoso said, "Where is the
outcry from the community? There is outcry – just on the other side in
opposition to this."

However, Curtatone said that strong
response will not deter him from appointing a task force
"representative of the entire community" to analyze the charter.

"That
was a lot of over reaction," he said. "We are not focused on any one
area of city government, services or departments. They [the School
Committee members] overreacted. It is inaccurate to say this process is
about the School Committee." Curtatone did say that changing the
committee to an appointed board is something the task force could look
at.

Pieces of the city charter are outdated, he said, yet he
would not go into details about his own views on what should be
changed.

One thing Curtatone said he would not support in a charter reform is any lessening of his power as mayor.

"I
believe in a strong mayor form of government. I think it makes the
mayor more accountable to the voters. I don't believe in the Cambridge
model of a city manager and a weak mayor. I'm accountable to the voters
every two years, if they don't like what I am doing they can vote me
out of office," he said.

Curtatone said his motivation for
charter reform comes from frustration with his city's lack of power
over "basic housekeeping issues."

"We had to send home rule
petitions to the State House to create the position of a 311 director,
remove the police chief from civil service and to combine the jobs of
health and building inspectors," he said. "Home rule is a myth. Most
times municipalities find themselves handcuffed when trying to serve
the needs of their communities."

The task force will analyze the
charter and any possible changes will be sent to the State House for
approval, he said. However, if city officials want to change the terms
of office for the mayor or aldermen a charter change committee will
have to be elected by city voters, said Alderman-at-Large William A.
White. Changes to the School Committee could be made without an elected
commission, he said.

The issue of charter change was last raised
in 1995 when aldermen submitted recommendations to former Mayor Michael
E. Capuano and no action was taken. In 1982, aldermen passed, and the
mayor signed, a comprehensive charter revision. In the Legislature, it
passed the House of Representatives, but failed in the Senate.

White
said he expects more discussion on the issue in the year to come but
for now he has not heard much about it from constituents.

"I have not had anyone contact me about it," he said.