By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Over the past four-and-a- half years, Somerville residents have seen their government become more open, more accountable and more participatory. Through 311, through the ResiStat program, through the mystery shopper program, through service on appointed boards and commissions and through participation in project advisory committees on a wide range of development proposals, Somerville residents are steadily becoming more engaged in their government.

One of the best features of this increased level of civic engagement is that it hasn’t come solely from the same old sources: many recent arrivals (or folks who had just never been interested in the past) are now making their voices heard and pitching in to help improve the performance and the management of our city and its government.

This spring, another major opportunity for civic engagement is coming to Somerville – and I hope it will benefit from our renewed spirit of community participation.  It’s an especially exciting opportunity because it addresses some of the most fundamental issues of governmental structure and procedure.It’s called charter reform, and we’re looking for residents with the time, energy and wisdom to help guide the process and shape the recommendations.

The charter reform process gives us a chance to review, coordinate and implement systematic change in a coherent way. Should we change the terms of elected officials?  Should we change the size, scope or selection process for governmental bodies?  Are there outmoded boards or commissions that should be abolished or consolidated?  Do we need to create new boards to meet the needs of a changing community?

It’s been over ten years since Somerville last looked into charter reform. With the deep structural cuts in local aid that occurred in 2002, we have seen fundamental changes in the balance of the state and local relationship while, at the same time, we have seen a sharp increase in the technologies and managements systems available to improve the administration and efficiency of local government.

For all these reasons, we need a charter reform process that is itself a model of efficiency, of best practices and of civic engagement. That is why Somerville’s new 10-member Charter Advisory Committee (CAC) will include not only  an appointed chairman but also the president of the Board of Aldermen (or his designee), the president of the School Committee (or his designee), a representative from academia, a representative from the business community, three residents appointed by me and two more residents appointed by the Board of Aldermen.

As I announced two weeks ago, the post of CAC chairman will be filled by Howard E. Horton. Howard’s current title is President of the New England College of Finance, but he has compiled a long and distinguished record of service to the city in a number of key positions over several administrations. Howard has both the vision and the practical experience to take on this challenging role and I am delighted that he is willing to serve his community yet again.

In keeping with Somerville’s growing reputation for innovation in municipal governance, we can all take pride that in the fact David Luberoff has agreed to serve as the academic appointee on the CAC.  David is the Executive Director of the Rappaport Center for Greater Boston at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

But to complete the ranks of our Charter Advisory Committee, we also need five city residents, and a representative of the business community – all of whom must be ready, willing and able to serve on this important panel. In announcing the formation of the CAC, I invited any residents who wished to be considered as candidates to send in a letter of interest addressed to the City of Somerville Charter Advisory Committee C/O Mayor’s Office, 93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143 (or by email to charteradvisorycommittee@somervillema.gov).

We originally set a deadline of Friday May 9 and we have already received a number of submissions. In order to cast our nets at widely as possible, and to provide both the board and myself with a diverse and capable pool of potential candidates, I will be extending the deadline to Friday, May 16.

Service on the CAC offers a significant opportunity to make your voice heard on some of the most fundamental and crucial issues facing city government.  If you are one of the many residents of Somerville who want to change our community for the better by creating a more efficient, effective, and accountable city government, I hope you’ll submit a letter of interest. It’s a great way to make a lasting contribution to your community, and we will carefully consider every letter we receive.