“What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”

-James Madison

GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE

OF BURRILLVILLE

This should help you to understand how our local government is set up

Burrillville operates under a home rule charter with a council/ manager form of government. (Cities have council/mayor structures).

TOWN COUNCIL/ TOWN MANAGER

The Town Council is comprised of 7 elected members, with each seat up for election every 4 years, in a staggered fashion. Council seats are not specific offices for specific candidates like a senator or congressman; they are at large or open seats. For example, in the 2006 election, there are 5 seats up for election, with 8 candidates running town-wide for those seats. The 5 highest vote getters will win them. The remaining 3 will of course, loose.

The Town Council has the final say on all matters in town. There are those who believe that the town manager does, but that is not the case. That is because he is appointed by the Town Council as administrative head of all local appointed officials and employees. Because council members are elected by the people, they are ultimately held accountable for their actions while in office by the threat of being voted out by the people. That is the only measure by which citizens can control the direction of their own government. When you have an official like a town manager who is appointed, he is NOT accountable to the people, because he can’t simply be voted out of office. Therefore, there is no public oversight over him. That duty falls to the Town Council, whose job it is to oversee the town manager. If the council continually defers critically important decision making to the manager, a case could be made for absentee leadership in the council chambers. All too often this seems to be the case. If this is the rule, rather than exception, perhaps the charter should be amended to designate the town manager’s position as an elected one. That way, he could be held to the same standard as the Town Council. In the meantime, the only remedy would be to elect new councilors who would vote in the majority not to renew the manager’s contract.

TOWN SOLICITOR

Overseeing the whole operation is the town solicitor, who is intimately familiar with all the crucial aspects of town government, just as the town manager is. It is his job to ensure that all town government personnel abide by legal standards to prevent the town from being liable, and therefore subject to lawsuits. With this is mind, it would be absolutely irresponsible for town officials to act on their own whims, outside the law, triggering lawsuits that cost thousands of taxpayer dollars to settle. Recently just such an event occurred. The town was held liable, not the individual(s) responsible in it’s employ. There are those who might take comfort in the fact that Burrillville carries liability insurance for these situations. However, like any insurance policy, premiums go up once they’re paid out.

BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

Boards and committees are appointed by the Town Council and are empowered to make specific decisions related to their field of expertise as set forth by federal, state and local laws. All too often these bodies are comprised of people who have no such qualifications, familiarity rather than expertise being the criteria for appointment.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

While not an official entity of town government, this 7 member body has the responsibility of overseeing the Burrillville School Department, and ultimately all aspects of education in the town. Like the Town Council, its members are held accountable to the citizens because they are also elected on an at-large or open basis. School Committee members do not have direct access to the town’s pocketbook, but can significantly affect it when it comes to approving contracts for school employees, such as the ridiculous 3.9% increase on raises just a few short years ago. As with all governmental bodies, conflicts of interest can always occur, such as teachers serving on the School Committee, or member’s spouses running for Town Council. These troubling issues should be addressed at the next town charter review.

TOWN CHARTER

Here is a link to Burrillville’s charter. Remember, it is up for review every 5 years, giving the people of Burrillville the opportunity to constructively change and improve it to better serve it’s residents.

Burrillville Town Charter (as of 7-14-04)