Harwich Charter Commission Weighs Two Annual Town Meetings in Draft Revision

HARWICH — February 26, 2026 — Harwich Charter Commission debates mandatory fall town meeting and town manager title change. The commission heard from Town Moderator Michael Ford, who cautioned against requiring a second annual town meeting, saying fall meetings in other communities have struggled with quorum unless a major article draws public interest, and recommended raising the idea with the Select Board instead. The commission reached informal consensus on extending the moderator's window to fill Finance Committee vacancies from 30 to 60 days, and on potentially replacing a newspaper-advertising requirement — which Ford said had never once produced an applicant in his tenure — with a website posting. Ford said he would not object to removing Finance Committee term limits, citing the value of institutional knowledge. On renaming the town administrator to town manager, Ford said he did not think residents would push back and that the title "starts with the name" in signaling a more policy-focused Select Board. The commission also noted a $40,000 warrant article to rent electronic voting tabulators for the upcoming annual town meeting — the first year the devices will actually be used.