At its Feb. 5 meeting the Town Manager Acts Review Committee reviewed multiple sections of the draft Town Manager Act that assign appointment and supervisory authority to the town manager and voted to approve most of them while deferring a small number for follow-up research.

The committee approved language making the town manager responsible for appointing and supervising a range of boards and officers, including the planning board, board of health, municipal assessors, town clerk, town treasurer, tax collector and town accountant. During discussion members debated whether certain boards should be appointed by the town manager or partly elected; the planning board drew sustained debate about whether appointment by the town manager risks politicizing land-use decisions versus protecting technical competence.

The committee accepted text clarifying that many appointed boards would serve staggered three-year terms and that members must be sworn before taking office. For the planning board the committee noted statutory citations (section 81A of chapter 41) and discussed practical tradeoffs: several members argued appointment lets the town manager select a complementary set of skills; others said elected members more directly reflect voters’ preferences, though committee members also noted low turnout rates for many town elections.

On the municipal electric authority (the local "municipal light board"), members asked staff to clarify the board’s relationship to Danvers Electric and whether renaming the board “electric” would create legal or operational confusion. The committee voted to defer that section and directed staff to gather the historical background and confirm any statutory or charter constraints. The motion to defer passed with a recorded roll-call of committee votes (7 in favor).

The committee also tabled the section establishing the board of commissioners of trust funds and asked staff to locate any existing records that identify current commissioners and how trust funds are administered. Members noted that trust funds and bequests exist but were unsure which trusts remain active or how they are listed on the town website; they asked staff to report back with a list of funds and current commissioners.

Other sections the committee approved included provision clarifying the town manager’s access to town books for investigative purposes, authority to employ special counsel and to keep the select board informed on litigation, and the appointment process for the board of water and sewer commissioners.

Ending: The committee advanced most draft appointment and organization sections to the next phase, but asked staff to return with research on the municipal light board (Danvers Electric), the board of commissioners of trust funds, and historical charter language referenced in a handful of sections.