PARIS — Voters overwhelmingly approved an ordinance Tuesday that sets up a procedure for the removal of elected officials.
The town had to make additional copies of the local ordinance after it ran out of 2,000 printed for the election. A total of 2,135 votes were cast in the referendum, with 1,555 in favor of the measure and 537 against it. Forty-three ballots were blank.
The document was drawn up by the policy and procedures committee after some residents raised concerns that there was no method in place to remove elected officials before their scheduled term had expired. It applies to all elected officials except school board directors and officials who have been in office less than four months or have fewer than 60 days of a multi-year term remaining, and is effective immediately.
Under the procedure for a recall election, voters must gather a number of signatures equal to or greater than 10 percent of the number of ballots cast in the last gubernatorial election. Once the town clerk has certified the petition, it is presented to the Board of Selectmen, who must schedule an election within 14 days of receiving the petition.
The ordinance calls for such an election to take place 30 to 60 days from the time the board receives the petition, but it may also coincide with a regular municipal election if one is occurring within 90 days of receipt. An official subject to recall may request a hearing on the matter to take place not fewer than seven days before the recall election.
A special town meeting will be called to replace a selectman if one is removed, and the Board of Selectmen can appoint a replacement in the event that elected officials on other boards are recalled. If an official is not removed in the recall election, they may not be subject to a recall until at least six months have passed.
Paris election clerks Mary Elder and Rebecca Armstrong sort through more than 2,000 ballots cast Tuesday in a vote on a proposed recall ordinance.
Paris election clerks Mary Elder and Rebecca Armstrong sort through more than 2,000 ballots cast Tuesday in a vote on a proposed recall ordinance.
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