Eight Districts Recommended Under New Representative Government-This Day in Norwood History-June 4, 1948

Next Step Is Submitting Plan To Special Town Meeting For Action

The recommendations that the Town of Norwood be divided into eight districts, with one town meeting member for every 72 voters and no more than 30 town meeting members in one district was made by Ambrose J. Kelly, representing the temporary committee on limited town government, at the meeting of the Board of Selectmen last week.

Mr. Kelly and Albert W Thompson, the town engineer, attended the meeting to make the recommendations. Mr. Kelly said that several important factors were considered In deciding on the eight districts. The division of the town into four precincts would violate the charter authoring this form of government- which allows no more than 30 members to a district. Likewise, the division of the town into districts would make for an uneven distribution of voting strength and would also give more than 30 members to some districts. In deciding on eight districts, Mr. Kelly said, the committee followed the natural boundary lines of the town. The committee had previously decided on 120 town meeting members, and the eight districts will provide 115-117 voting members.

The districts suggested by the committee, which completed the preliminary work last week, follows:

District 1, popularly referred to as Dublin and bounded by the railroad tracks, Nahatan Street, Clapboardtree Street, and the Westwood line has 858 registered voters. This area will have 12 town meeting members, and has less voters than any of the eight districts.

District 2. with 1253 registered voters, is bounded by Nahatan Street, Nichols Street, Winter Street, and the Westwood line.

District 3. the area bounded by Nahatan Street, the railroad tracks. Winter and Nichols Streets, has 830 registered voters.

District 4, with 1403 voters, is bounded by the tracks. Winter street. Walpole street. Chapel Stree, and is generally the Junior High School area. This is the largest of the eight districts.

District 5 has 872 voters. This is the Senior High School area and is bounded by the track. Walpole and Westwood town lines. Winter and Walpole streets.

District 6. with 1275 registered voters, is the South Norwood area which is bounded naturally by Jhc two railroad, tracks which form the triangular section.

District 7, with 929 voters, has as boundaries the tracks. Lenox street. Nahatan Street to Neponset and the Canton town line. This area is the most probable district for expansion and building. There is a great deal of vacant land in this section.

District 8. with 959 voters, is popularly referred to as Cork City. This is bounded by the tracks, Nahatan Street, and the Canton and Westwood lines.

Members of the temporary committee were Mr. Kelly, John J. Coakley, Edmund F. Murphy, Arthur P Allen, Judge Frank B. Coughlin, and Harold Shaw. Their recommendations complete the preliminary work and the next step in establishing the limited government nil! be submitting the recommendations to special town meeting for action. Another six man committee will then be appointed to carry out the details of the work and the final step will be elections in the districts for the town meeting members.

In accepting the recommendations, Sture Nelson praised the work of the committee, stating that It was quickly and efficiently accomplished.

(All articles were originally published in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)