So You Want to Be a Westport RTM Member?

Petitions for Westport residents interested in becoming a member of the Representative Town Meeting, (RTM), the town’s 36-member legislative body, will be available for distribution beginning Tuesday, July 23, Town Clerk Patricia Strauss announced Tuesday. 

Petitioners must gather 25 signatures from their district to qualify to be on the Nov. 5 ballot. 

Residents interested in running for the RTM can pick up a petition at the Town Clerk’s Office located in room 105 of Town Hall. After gathering the 25 signatures, candidates need to return the petition to the town clerk by Tuesday, Sept. 10. 

“My staff will gladly review the instructions with the petitioner,” Strauss said. “A district map and a list of district voters will be supplied to aid each petitioner in gathering the required signatures.” 

Representation on the RTM, a non-partisan legislative body, is based on population from nine districts, with four members representing each district. Members are elected for two-year terms. 

RTM members:

• Vote on every town request for appropriations in excess of $20,000;
• Approve town ordinances;
• Vote on final approval of the town budget;
• Serve on two or more committees that review and make recommendations regarding appropriations and ordinances;
• Review certain decisions of town boards and commissions.

For further information about this and other election matters, contact the Town Clerk, Patricia Strauss, at 203-341-1105 orpstrauss@westportct.gov.