The campaign to improve Newtown’s government has been forced into the streets by a resistant Legislative Council. With any luck, this will be the week the streets talk back to the council, saying the voters of Newtown want a choice in the matter.

Nearly a year ago, the Charter Revision Commission began its review of town government, spurred on by a wide ranging charge from the Legislative Council to examine everything from the at-large election of council members to the abolition of the Board of Selectmen and the town meeting. Implicit in many of the instructions from the council was a recognition that gears of government had been grinding in recent years.

With so much at stake for the town in its consideration of the Fairfield Hills issues, for example, the council and first selectman had begun to bump and chafe as they each sought to employ their respective authorities in the best interests of the town. In addition, the authority to initiate special appropriations conferred by the existing charter on the council and even some department heads served to sever the clear lines of authority in financial matters that are essential to an efficient and responsive government.

Charter Revision Commission, with a commendable commitment to consensus, set about configuring a system of local government that cleared up these problems while preserving a transparent architecture of governmental function and form that would allow townspeople to easily follow what was going on, especially in the area of budgeting and finance. At the heart of these changes was a new Board of Finance, charged with the kind of fiscal analysis and number crunching that would be immensely helpful to administrators, including the first selectman and finance director. The board would also free the council to spend more time addressing the policy implications of local financing in a separate level of review by interacting with the public and town departments before giving its final approval to a budget prior to a townwide vote.

Unfortunately, last week the Legislative Council chose to view the heart of the charter changes, the Board of Finance, as a threat to its power rather than an opportunity for the town to grow and adapt. It plucked out that heart, understanding that many of the remaining charter changes were predicated on the existence of the Board of Finance and would now be more likely to founder in the town vote on November 6. Ironically, five of the seven council members who rejected the Board of Finance proposal won’t be running for reelection this year. Most of the council members interested in continuing their service to the town on the council actually favored the Board of Finance plan.

It is unfortunate that when the council was so divided on this issue the matter couldn’t have been passed directly to the townspeople for a decision in November. The council chose, instead, to block that opportunity to choose. Thankfully, the members of the now-disbanded Charter Revision Commission have taken to the streets with petitions, hoping to get their proposal back on the ballot in its entirety. They have one more week to get the requisite 1,450 signatures from Newtown voters. If you see them on the sidewalk at the supermarket, do your part to keep all the options open for Newtown voters on November 6. Sign the petition.