Selectmen Raymond Glover and Lloyd “Skip” Herrick conduct business at the Paris board’s meeting Monday. The other three seats are empty because one selectman was recalled last week, one resigned, and one is on vacation.

PARIS — With the Board of Selectmen diminished by recall and resignation, two remaining members set a date for a special election next month to fill the vacancies.

Raymond Glover and Lloyd “Skip” Herrick, both of whom survived recall elections last week, said two seats will be filled in an election March 9. Voting will be held at the fire station, and absentee ballots will also be made available.

Nomination papers are available at the town office. Residents who choose to run must collect between 25 and 100 signatures by Feb. 19 to qualify for the ballot. Candidates must also specify whether they wish to fill the remainder of Ivey’s term, which expires in June, or Ripley’s term, which continues until 2012.

Chairman David Ivey was recalled in a 651-69 vote on Feb. 1. Vice
Chairman Troy Ripley was also recalled in a 628-102 decision, though he
had submitted his resignation before the vote. Residents declined to
recall Glover and Herrick in 578-155 and 600-116 votes, respectively. 

Selectman Glen Young was not subject to a recall challenge, but is on vacation for much of the month.

Attorney Robert Crawford, in a memorandum sent to the town on Monday, said that although a three-selectmen quorum would not be present for Monday night’s meeting, Glover and Herrick would be permitted under state statute to set a special election if both agreed to it. Crawford said the two selectmen would also be able to sign town warrants for payroll and accounts payable.

Crawford encouraged the town to fill both vacancies on the board, despite suggestions that Ivey’s seat be left vacant due to the short amount of time left before his term expires.

“In light of the town’s recent turmoil and current situation, I would suggest that the selectmen carefully consider whether there are benefits, perceived or real, in restoring public confidence in elected officials by promoting an election to fill the remaining term of former Selectman Ivey’s position and the other position sooner than later,” Crawford wrote.

Glover was initially in favor of leaving Ivey’s seat open, but reversed his position on Monday. He said filling both seats will ensure that there won’t be a shortage of selectmen and that town business can continue.

“To be honest with you, we cannot be 100 percent sure of Glen’s attendance or his cooperation, and just to cover all our bases we wanted to have both openings available,” he said.

Ivey, Ripley and Young had been criticized at meetings following their affirmative votes in a 3-2 decision in June to terminate former Town Manager Sharon Jackson’s contract with the town, with some residents accusing them of failing to accommodate the public by holding secret meetings or cutting off citizens’ comments. The recall effort seeking to recall Glover and Herrick charged them with seeking to stall town business and supporting Jackson in her appeal of her termination in the Oxford County Superior Court.

Glover also criticized Ivey and Young’s joint bid for two open seats in 2007.

“I honestly think Mr. Ivey ran on the coattails of Mr. Young, because he knew that Glen could pull the votes and he didn’t know enough people to get votes by himself,” he said.

Glover said that his own joint campaign with Herrick in 2008 was to some degree “in retaliation and almost in desperation to prevent the takeover of the board.” Both Glover and Herrick encouraged voters to get to know a candidate and their positions before casting their ballot.

When asked by resident George “Buddy” Coffren what Glover and Herrick would do to reassure voters who had favored their recall, both said they would be willing to listen to the concerns of any town resident.

“Hopefully we make the decisions that will serve the majority of the town the best way,” Herrick said. “To me, that’s the goal. If we can come up with ideas, if we can have something that moves forward and is a benefit to the overall town, to me that’s what good government is about.”

To accommodate Young’s return from vacation, the next selectmen’s meeting will be held Feb. 25.

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