It’s a good thing that members will be appointed soon to fill the vacancies on the Finance Committee. The ongoing study of whether its members should be appointed or elected, and whether they should be limited in length of term, should not delay the current appointments, thereby hamstringing the committee’s urgent work as the town approaches the October town meeting and override vote.

The study committee may indeed determine and recommend that Finance Committee members should be elected rather than appointed, or that their terms should be limited, or both, but while that study continues, the committee needs a full contingent of members to continue its sometimes thankless labor.