HADLEY — The Select Board is considering the creation of several new town committees, including one focused on civility and inclusion and another on climate change.
New Select Board Chairman Christian Stanley, who on Wednesday was named by his colleagues to succeed Joyce Chunglo in leading the five-member board, announced at the meeting his hope of forming new committees that could take on matters of human rights, climate change and economic development.
In an interview Thursday, Stanley said the idea behind these committees is to handle issues of concern to a wide swath of residents, including many younger residents, and to increase participation in town government.
Stanley said a civility and inclusion committee, which might act as a sort of human rights commission, would give Hadley a way to respond to the unfavorable attention. In March, a former Planning Board member made comments about the heritage of a business owner, and in 2018, a police officer posted a racist meme to the police department’s official Facebook page.
“There are those issues I want to be able to give the community the voice to address,” Stanley said.
He added that he would like to see residents and others be able to make anonymous complaints if they encounter hostility and lack of respect for diversity based on race, gender and sexual orientation. He’d also like to have a regular forum for addressing these complaints.
Climate change, Stanley said, is an issue that Hadley also needs to confront, observing that even with the dike, the Connecticut River could cause significant flooding in a wetter and warmer climate. A committee could also unveil strategies and ideas at the local level, and have engagement with the Planning Board on how the master plan can be used to protect farmers and homeowners from the effects of climate change.
The third proposed committee, on economic development, would look at ways Hadley can understand the impacts of an ever-growing online economy.
In addition to those committees, Stanley said he would like to see the Select Board create a subcommittee to review Hadley’s form of government and have any suggested changes brought to the annual Town Meeting in 2020.
The idea of this subcommittee, which would include two members of the Select Board, is to consider revisions to appointed and elected positions, continuing from last year’s vote to make the treasurer and collector appointed positions, and make possible adjustments to the responsibilities of the town administrator.
Stanley said he would like to see his colleagues come to a consensus on adopting a code of conduct by which Select Board members would abide. This was brought up when he first joined the board last year, but was never acted on. It could set a precedent on what is expected and to ensure civil debate and discourse.
Chunglo, who is beginning her 17th year as a selectwoman, earned praise from fellow board member Molly Keegan for guiding it over the past 12 months
For her part, Chunglo said she is looking forward to continuing to run town government.
“We should have a good year,” Chunglo said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
