ONE OF the first issues I wrote about in this column concerned process: how sometimes the Board of Mayor and Aldermen stick to it and how sometimes they don’t.

If an issue comes before the board that has not previously been discussed, the process is to send it to the appropriate committee. The committee then listens to testimony, asks questions and eventually makes a recommendation to the full board on how to proceed.

If you’ve been watching the full board meetings as closely as I have, you know this doesn’t always happen. Depending on who brings the item forward and what the issue is about, sometimes it goes to committee and sometimes it’s discussed for a half-hour or more and voted on that night.

This type of situation isn’t new. Alderman Bill Shea said during a meeting in June 2010 that the board was straying too far from the committee process, as did Alderman Betsi DeVries during an interview that same week.

“I think that we are moving through many of our proposals too quickly. Things should spend a lot of time in committee or (be) tabled before the full board,” DeVries said. “It just seems everything is rush, rush and hurry up.”

These aren’t little issues, either. The $43 million municipal complex was presented, discussed and voted on in one night. Often the reason for the rush is that there are deadlines and the board can’t wait a month for the appropriate committee, but other issues, such as the recent refugee moratorium, could be addressed over a longer period of time.

This fast-tracking of certain issues is part of the reason Aldermen Garth Corriveau and Patrick Arnold have proposed changes of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen rules.

The board has 26 rules that dictate how business is conducted. One of the proposals is to Rule 8 Order of Business, which would require all new items be sent to the appropriate committee unless two-thirds of the board wanted to discuss it immediately.

“At times, it appeared particular issues were brought about and discussed and voted on all in one night,” said Corriveau. That’s fine for time-sensitive issues, but for others, “we both felt some reforms were needed so aldermen could really have the oversight to really delve into issues in committee.”

Arnold said he’s heard this complaint from seasoned aldermen past and present and that this rule change “is to create continuity, codify what we assert as our policy and to ensure the proper vetting period.”

- - - - - - - - -

CORRIVEAU AND ARNOLD have also proposed getting rid of the rule that allows the mayor or three aldermen to pull any tabled item out of committee for discussion during a regular meeting. The provision is supposed to provide insurance that ideas don’t languish in committee, but Arnold argues the practice is inefficient. Recent items that have been pulled from committee, such as a discussion on a vehicle locator system, ended up returning to the committee from which they came, he said.

They’ve proposed requiring a resume of each person nominated to a board or committee be sent to the aldermen before they confirm — a result of Paul Lessard getting kicked off of and then reinstated to the Water Commission — as well as including the chairman of the board as one of the officials allowed to set meeting agendas. Right now, it’s just the city clerk and the mayor who set the agendas. Another rule change would prohibit items that have already been defeated from being discussed again that year.

- - - - - - - - -

IT’S NO SECRET there are hard feelings between the mayor and these two aldermen, which lends to the suspicion that these proposals are not intended only to improve efficiencies and allow the aldermen more oversight. Mayor Ted Gatsas said the proposed changes are an attempt to “usurp the power of the mayor.”

Both denied there was any partisanship or targeting at play, and Corriveau snuffed at the idea.

“Our mayor’s power of personality alone would make it hard to weaken the role of the mayor,” he said.

- - - - - - - - -

CHANGING BOARD RULES, assigning committees and electing a chairman will all take place beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday after the inaugural ceremonies at the Palace Theater. The West High School Band has been invited to play the national anthem, and students from all high school National Honor Societies will serve as ushers. The Rev. Fr. Andrew H. Mahalares of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the Rev. Fr. Thomas P. Steinmetz of Our Lady of the Cedars will give the invocation and benediction, respectively. City Clerk Matt Normand will swear in the aldermen and school board members, and U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte will swear in Gatsas.

- - - - - - - - -

IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD, the aldermen will hold their organizational meeting and decide whether Jim Roy or Dan O’Neil will be the next chairman.

The board is close to evenly split at this point, but neither man has indicated he will step aside yet.

“I’m still having conversations with my colleagues,” said O’Neil. “I spoke with several today, and some people haven’t made a decision yet. I’m optimistic I can get enough votes next Tuesday.”

“It still hasn’t been decided,” said Roy. “It’s pretty split, but we’ll figure it out.”

Hearing the race was close, Gatsas pulled aside O’Neil and Roy to discuss a truce.

“I talked to both at the end of last meeting and asked if they could both come to a common agreement and have an understanding of who is the chairman before we got in that chamber,” said Gatsas. “I don’t want to see a 6-6 vote with two abstentions going for 50 rounds.”

- - - - - - - - -

TUESDAY IS GOING to be a very long day for the aldermen, who at 7 p.m. will have a special meeting to attend. Gatsas called the meeting to discuss a study of the city’s vehicle fleet. The aldermen will look at possible efficiencies the city could achieve when departments move into the new municipal complex.

- - - - - - - - -

WHETHER YOU AGREED with their politics, the departure of Alderman At-Large Mike Lopez and Alderman DeVries will leave a void in the aldermanic chamber this session. As a state senator, DeVries kept the board apprised of important legislation, and she always fought for city staff, local unions and her firefighter brothers.

During his 12 years on the board, Lopez earned a reputation as a consensus builder and someone who is respectful of his fellow aldermen. He was a constant advocate for veterans, helping to bring a World War II memorial to the city. During the final aldermen’s meeting of the year, Lopez was presented with gifts, including the flag that once was displayed outside City Hall.

The two aldermen who are stepping in to these positions have some big shoes to fill. I wish them luck.

Read Beth LaMontange Hall’s coverage of Manchester City Hall in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Email her at bhall@unionleader.com.