BYRON — Voters will decide Wednesday whether or not to recall one of their selectman.

Voting will take place from noon to 7 p.m. May 8 at the Town Office.

Selectman Anne Simmons-Edmunds is the subject of the recall petition, which was submitted to the town on March 21, and drafted by resident Robert P. Bourassa.

The recall petition came nearly two weeks after residents overwhelmingly voted against a mandatory firearms possession article at the annual town meeting.

In the petition, Bourassa presented five reasons why Simmons-Edmunds should be recalled and removed from office, including:

* Violating her oath of office to uphold the constitution and laws of the state of Maine.

* Originating and causing the firearm ordinance article to be included on the Byron town meeting warrant without regard to state law that provides clarification on how a municipality announces an ordinance.

* Failing to inform voters at town meeting of state law that would have voided the firearm ordinance, if passed.

* Misleading voters at the town meeting, intentionally or otherwise, regarding a newspaper story about her by telling them she was misquoted.

* Subjecting residents of the town to ridicule, embarrassment and disrepute, intentionally or otherwise, by her actions and statements to the news media regarding the firearm ordinance article in the warrant.

The town will also hold a vote on May 14 to replace former Selectman Patrick Knapp-Veilleux, who resigned from his position on March 29, citing personal reasons and the discord over the town vote against mandatory firearms possession that resulted in the recall petition.

Before resigning, Knapp-Veilleux said he didn’t understand why Edmunds was being singled out in the petition when he and Selectman David Noyes voted to put the firearms ordinance on the warrant as well.

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