On the morning of Memorial Day, people began to gather around Sullivan's Corner by the cemetery, waiting for the annual parade to head down Main Street.

Across from the cemetery, some residents stopped by the Seekonk Street residence of Jason and Cathy Brown. On the driveway stood a table with a petition asking residents to support adopting a home-rule charter form of town government.

For Cathy Brown and Anita Mecklenburg - opponents for the Select Board turned proponents for the petition -- a charter would give residents more control over local bylaws.

"Everyone is working hard and doing good work, but the town needs to sever its relationship with the state when it comes to local decisions," said Mecklenburg, who defeated Brown to win another term.

Under the current bylaw form of government, the town has to send certain changes to the state, according to Town Administrator Rob Garrity.

"Once you have a charter, you can make changes in your form of government without further approval from the state legislature," he said. "Under a charter, Norfolk can decide, for instance, that it would like to appoint Planning Board members instead of electing them. Or go back to electing the Town Treasurer instead of it being an appointed (and professional) position."

Garrity added that under a charter, any proposed changes to the town's bylaws would go through Town Meeting, and a vote by the general public. "You wouldn't need to get a special act filed, passed by the legislature, and signed by the governor," he said.

"We have bylaws that are outdated," said Cathy Brown. "Every department does its own thing. Under a charter, bylaw changes would be decided at Town Meeting. We'd have more organization, and it'd be ours."

John Bowman-Colin, a member of the Board of Health, said the proposed change would help address the needs of a growing community.

"Our town has grown," he said. "A charter is a more modern way of government. It's a better way to engage citizens."

Kevin Kalkut, a member of the Advisory Board, agreed that the time has come for the change.

"Norfolk has grown meaningfully over the last two decades -- the most recent Census estimate puts us at just under 12,000 residents, up from roughly 10,500 at the start of the century -- and our governance structure hasn't kept pace with that growth. This is a good moment for the community to take a clear-eyed look at how we're organized and how we make decisions," he said.

"The bylaws would be ours. It gives us more autonomy," said Mecklenburg.

About the petition

Brown began circulating the petition about two months ago. It asks to approve a charter form of government, and to appoint a nine-member charter commission.

While supporting the move toward a home-rule charter, Kalkut said a charter commission appointed by the Select Board - rather than an elected commission -would be a better fit for the town. "Both are legitimate routes to the same destination, but I do think the appointed commission is the better fit for a community of our size and structure," he said.

Kalkut also pointed out what he called "two practical realities:

"Timeline flexibility - Under MGL Chapter 43B, the formal charter commission process carries a statutory maximum of 18 months to prepare a proposed charter and if the commission follows that full schedule, voters wouldn't see the proposal until the municipal election two years after the commission's election. An appointed commission has no such constraint. It can move at whatever pace the work actually requires, which is a real advantage when you're trying to sustain community engagement over the life of a complex process."

"Volunteer capacity - A formal charter commission requires nine elected members serving for an 18-to-24-month commitment (from organization to proposal). That's a significant ask in a town our size. An appointed commission can be structured with an open number of participants and a more manageable timeframe which, in my experience serving on boards and committees here over the last decade, makes a difference in your ability to recruit and retain the volunteers who are committed to the charge."

Jay Talerman, an attorney who has worked as town counsel for more than 40 communities, also said a "full-blown elected" charter commission is not needed for a community the size of Norfolk.

"While I believe a charter, if desired, should be the product of extensive study and collaboration, the formal statutory process is overly cumbersome," said Talerman, who is also the Town Meeting moderator. "Most towns utilize a more expedited process whereby, following study, they seek approval by town meeting and special legislation. It is a much more efficient system.

"Also, I think that a charter is only valuable if we use it to establish a more efficient system of day-to-day management whereby the Town Administrator has more executive function, while still leaving policy decisions to the Select Board," he added.

Brown and Mecklenburg are seeking 1,500 signatures in order to get on the ballot. They are aiming for this November, even though there may be up to a dozen other petitions on the ballot.

In support of the petition, they have printed up informational brochures. One extols the benefits of having a home-rule charter; the other shows the difference between a community incorporated by the state, and a community having a home-rule charter.

"This is an issue we can all get around," said Mecklenburg. She added that if someone wished to sign the petition, they may email [email protected] to make arrangements.

Brown said she will promote the petition on her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cathy.cummiskeybrown

"I want the town to decide," said Brown.

"At the end of the day, it's up to the voters. I believe in the wisdom of the crowd," said Garrity.