Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Brief History

Recent history of trying to obtain a town charter:

Last year after the Town Meeting a small group of Mashpee residents (Dr. Elizabeth Petti, Dean Arden, Edward Larkin, Gail and Jerry Blumengarten) gathered at meetings to work on getting enough residents to sign a petition to form a charter commission.

Fall 2001

A group of Mashpee residents has been meeting to consider the possibility of electing a Charter Commission for the Town of Mashpee. In order to place candidates for a commission on the ballot for a town election, it is necessary to get signatures from 15% of the voters at the last preceding election. At present the number of signatures required is less than 1200, but as practical matter it is necessary to get about 1500 because of the possibility of duplication or the inadvertent solicitation of some signatures of persons who are not registered voters in the town.

The group will build upon the efforts of Dr. Elizabeth Petti, who has, without help, already collected over 900 signatures. Elizabeth Petty and Dean Arden got most of the signatures required.

On May 11, 2002 the voters of Mashpee approved the formation of a Charter Commission


The town of Mashpee has grown from a population of 9543 in 1990, to 13,485 in 2000, an increase of 3942, a 42% change in ten years. It is time for Mashpee residents to review the form, structure, and organization of our local government by electing a charter commission, which would review the current town government and perhaps adopt a town charter.