WATERFORD – A large yellow banner in the town green formed a backdrop to the Fourth of July parade this year. Its message, “Get Involved,” cast a political statement on this typically light-hearted day.
A group of residents trying to recall a selectman set up the banner to complement their table where they were collecting signatures on a petition.
According to Kelly Wels, who is part of the movement Take Back Our Waterford, about 100 signatures were collected by the end of the day, which is shy of the 127 she said are needed. She said members will solicit more signatures during the next few days.
“People are coming up and signing it,” Wels said as she oversaw the table. “We have had three people who are not supportive.”
Some townspeople expressed disappointment that the group had organized their protest during a day when many townspeople gather to celebrate and enjoy themselves.
“Political stuff should not be brought into it,” Becky Tripp said. “It’s a time to spend with your family.”
Standing next to her was Samantha Murch, who said the Board of Selectmen run the town without much pay and often without thanks.
“They’re tackling tough issues, and if you tackle tough issues, you’re not popular,” Murch said.
Neither woman said she would sign the recall petition.
Whizzer Wheeler, the selectman who is the target of the recall effort, declined comment after the day’s festivities. He has been vocal about his disapproval of the way the story of the recall movement has been reported by the Sun Journal.
The recall group’s grievances and complaints, including taxation policy enacted during Wheeler’s term, are listed on its Web site, takebackourwaterford.com.
“We didn’t know it was gone,” said John Howe regarding the name as he stood by the roadside after the parade. “Who took it?”
Howe and his wife, Debbie, said they support Wheeler. “He’s a man who knows business and business well. I trust his judgment,” Debbie Howe said.
John Howe said he wished the conflict had not overshadowed the day. “There is so much division in the world. We need things that bring us together. We have common challenges on issues facing us that are unpolitical,” Howe said, who is author of a book on what he foresees as an impending energy crisis.
Rickie Hall, a member of the recall group, said Tuesday that the group was protesting Wheeler’s behavior more than any of the policies he has enforced during the past two years of his term.
Paul Hersey, another member, has in the past called Wheeler “explosive.” And David Sanderson, who has attended one of the group’s organizational meetings, said recently that Wheeler interprets challenge or argument as a “head-to-head confrontation.”
One man who signed the recall petition was George Kosiavelon, who owns Kosi’s Convenience Store in Waterford. He said he was signing the petition because his taxes on his store and other property jumped dramatically this year.
“If everyone was being treated the same way, I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” he said.
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