A resident and former Inland Wetlands chair, who recently attempted to volunteer for an alternate seat on the Board of Ethics, has collaborated with First Selectman Pat Llodra to create a brief "how to" memo directing qualified residents interested in being appointed to serve on local boards and commissions.The Newtown Bee that the memo, titled A Guide to Becoming a Member of an Appointed Board or Commission, was inspired by her daughter who is working internationally on political engagement.The Bee soliciting residents for current and sometimes long-term vacancies on local boards or commissions.

Anne Peters, who is a partner at the Waterbury firm of Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey, recently saw the fruits of her work published on the town website. She told

She also had recently hoped to become an alternate member of the local Board of Ethics, but learned after going through much of the process that she did not qualify based on the proximity of that pending appointment to her separation from volunteering on the Inland Wetlands panel.

"I noticed from my own experience that the process of becoming a member of a commission was a little difficult to understand," she said. "It was not intuitive or obvious."

The memo is aimed at residents who may have a particular passion or skill they might want to apply in helping better the community, or for anyone who sees the regular postings in

Currently, the first selectman's office is working to fill openings on the Fairfield Hills Authority, Zoning Board of Appeals, Commission on Aging, Employee Medical Benefits Board, Lake Lillinonah Authority, the local Design Advisory Board, even the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers.

Those few openings offer opportunities to tap diverse skills and talents possessed by residents who may have no idea how to go about matching themselves to an opening - or what the process involves, Ms Peters said.

"As I was talking with my daughter about good governance, she was talking about what makes a strong democracy," Ms Peters said. "And this may sound really sappy, but she was talking about the challenges she experienced trying to get people involved in their local government because it plays such an important role in making representative government strong and stable."

Then she realized that Newtown also has a representative form of government.

"But it's just not obvious - if you really care about our town - how to get involved," she said. "Every now and then I run into somebody complaining about how something is being run in town. And I wonder if those people know they can actually change that if they just show up."

In addition to our elected officials, Ms Peters points out that more than 125 Newtown residents are needed to hold seats on more than 20 appointed boards or commissions. The process of joining a commission is not difficult, although it may involve a number of steps and, because of the number of steps, take a few months.

The first step is to identify a commission that interests you. The town's website is an easy starting point. On it, residents can find:

*The list of commissions;

*Descriptions of each commission's task and its authority;

*The commission's meeting schedule;

*The list of current members (and vacancies);

*Agendas and minutes;

*Town Charter & Code, setting forth the rules under which each commission operates; and

*Forms and other documents that relate to the commission's work.

Next, Ms Peters advises, determine whether you meet the eligibility requirements for a commission as outlined in section 2-10 of the Town Charter.

"Although you can find these requirements with a little research, asking the First Selectman's administrative assistant, your party's Town Committee, the commission's staff, or a commission member may be easier," the memo states. "As an additional consideration, prospective commission members should not have conflicts of interest that would prevent them from serving effectively."

Once a resident has identified a commission that interests them, Ms Peters encourages them to consider attending a meeting or two.

Individuals who are registered as a member of a political party will see the selectmen's office refer a letter of interest and resume to that party's Town Committee. It is the Town Committee that reviews requests, and may ask to interview an aspiring political appointee before it votes on whether to recommend that appointment.

"If you are an unaffiliated voter, your request and résumé may be referred to a Town Committee for consideration and action," the memo states. "In some other cases, the request and resume of an unaffiliated voter can be acted on directly by the first selectman and a recommendation brought forth to the board without going through the Town Committee process."

Once appointed, there are still two more steps in the process: the town sends a letter confirming the appointment; and the candidate must appear at the town clerk's office to be sworn in.

In closing, Ms Peters advises successful candidates - whether before or after becoming a member of a commission - to attend a Connecticut Freedom of Information training program. They cover laws that govern how commissions are to conduct business, especially with respect to transparency and decisionmaking.

Connecticut's FOI statutes and "general rules are not difficult, but they are also not obvious," Ms Peters writes. "And, following FOI rules avoids procedural errors that may compromise a commission's work."

According to her biography, Ms Peters has 30 years experience advising legal clients in the environmental aspects of commercial, corporate, and real estate transactions. Her educational background is in biology, geology, and chemistry, together with her work in the Geology Department at Brown University before law school.

Ms Peters believes today more than ever, given political developments at the federal and state levels, it is important for individuals to get involved at a level of government where one person can make a difference.

"I've learned so much from my experience of going through these steps to get involved myself, that I thought writing them down for other people wouldn't be a bad thing," she said. "In fact, it could be really helpful."