Ambrose J. Kelly, President of the Norwood Citizens’ Association, presented a petition bearing 600 signatures and covering 43 pages of manuscript to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night, by which citizens of the town seek to have an article inserted in the warrant for the Special Town meeting which will take place at 7:30 pm., March 27th (one-half hour before the adjourned Annual Town Meeting is called to order), asking the approval by the voters for a change from the present form of open town meeting to a Representative Form of Town Meeting government.
Members of the Board indicated a willingness to agree to the request of the petitioners and Town Counsel Francis C. Foley was directed to draw up the warrant article with the phraseology necessary to present the matter to the voters at the Special Town Meeting.
This article will in substance, call upon the Selectmen to act as the voters direct by presenting the matter to the Legislature If a majority vote is in favor of the change) requesting that a special act be passed which would permit the town to abandon the present open town meeting and adopt the Representative Form of Town Meeting.
The Town would then, if the act is passed, vote to accept it or reject it at the next annual election similar to the way many amendments are now approved or disapproved at each election Representative Charles F Holman it was stated, has agreed to present the act to the Legislature if the voters so decide.
The registrars of voters will meet this week to begin the certification of the names of the registered voters submitted on the petitions.
One hundred signatures certified by the registrars are sufficient for the matter to be acted upon March 27th.
The warrant must be drawn up by Saturday of this week and it was stated that the petitions had been presented with little in the way of any margin of time in order to assure its being acted upon at the Special Meeting.
Ambrose Kelly stated Tuesday night that he had been assured that the proposed change, if approved by the citizens this month could be acted upon by the present session of the legislature.
The acceptance of the act would then be placed before the people at the 1948 annual election, next January.
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)
