By Terry Karkos,Staff Writer

MEXICO – Marjorie Richard is miffed at Mexico municipal officials. She’s also considering suing the town in which she lives.

Richard claims she was intimidated by Town Manager John Madigan and Town Clerk Penny Duguay while gathering signatures for a secret ballot petition on Nov. 8.

In the public comment session at Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, she demanded an apology from selectmen and Madigan.

One selectman apologized on behalf of the board, but Madigan refused.

Her intimidation insinuation provoked an angry response from the normally composed Madigan, who abruptly stood and yelled at her from across the selectmen’s table in the town office conference room.

“As far as me intimidating you, that’s absurd, and I will not apologize,” he said. “You know I didn’t intimidate you.”

Sitting at the back of the room with her husband, and nearly hidden by a group of supporters, Richard, however, refused to back down.

During the ensuing argument, Madigan accused Richard of not telling the truth about the incident; Richard argued that both Madigan and Duguay, who is the Election Day voting warden, had bullied her.

Mexico resident Gary Coffin also joined the shouting match, reiterating Richard’s claims and goading Madigan to the point where the town manager also began yelling at Coffin.

The verbal sparring began after Richard read a prepared statement about the incident.

She said that soon after she began collecting signatures, Duguay forced her to hand out material listing the pros and cons of secret ballot voting. It was written in 1999 by the Jay town manager.

Richard said Duguay allegedly threatened to make her leave the polling building three times unless she gave the material to each person viewing the petition.

“Intimidated, and feeling I had no other choice but to hand out this sheet if I was going to stay, I started to give out the material,” Richard said.

A few hours later, Richard said Madigan came up to her wanting to see the papers she was doling out.

Madigan, Richard claims, told her, “Marjorie, you know I am against this (secret balloting), and am very much opposed to what you are doing.”

After she read that, Madigan shook his head in disagreement, but didn’t interrupt.

When she finished reading the statement, Madigan said he went to see what Richard was handing out, because he had been erroneously told his name was on it.

He also told Richard that when he said he was against the secret ballot method, it was done in jest and happened in his office while meeting with Richard and Monique Aniel, and not in the polling room.

Richard vehemently disagreed, and the shouting match took off. It continued until Acting Chairman George Byam intervened.

Byam told Richard that Duguay was in the right, though he didn’t cite any policy or law affirming the action.

“The polling area is under the jurisdiction of the town clerk. What she requested is not unreasonable. She doesn’t have to allow anyone in the voting building,” he said.

“So, there will be no apology?” Richard asked.

But her question was ignored and the meeting was adjourned.