MECHANIC FALLS — A petition to recall four town councilors was presented with notarized signatures Wednesday morning to interim Town Clerk Julie Ward.

Mark Elliott, the main organizer of the recall effort, and his committee were stymied because the signatures of the petition gatherers had not been notarized, as required, according to town attorney Jack Conway of Linnell Choate & Webber.

Chairman Cathy Fifield, Vice Chairman Wayne Hackett and Councilors Nicholas Konstantoulakis and John Emery have been named on the recall petition because they voted June 17 to dismiss Town Manager Zakk Maher.

Councilor Keith Bennett, who voted against removing Maher, is not included in the recall effort. Maher was in the 10th month of his four-year contract when he was relieved of the job. Maher wants to return to his position.

The five residents whose signatures are notarized are Elliott’s and those of Aaron Ouellette, Randal Madore, Thomas Webster and William Dyer.

Councilors have said only that Maher’s termination “is due to lack of communication, follow-through and fit with the town.”

At a session June 25, councilors corrected themselves and said Maher was on administrative leave.

The petition drive was not only motivated by the town’s refusal to offer more details of Maher’s dismissal, but also that the council may have neglected state law and similar rules laid out in the town charter on the proper procedure for dismissing a town manager.

In a lawsuit filed July 11 against the town, Maher has asked the town to hand over information explaining the rationale behind what he says was an illegal attempt to terminate him.

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