EDDINGTON, Maine — Selectmen, some saying their hands were tied, on Tuesday approved a petition signed by 116 residents that asks for the recall of longtime Selectwoman Joan Brooks, and then the board scheduled Sept. 29 for the recall vote.
“Your recall notice does apply here,” Town Attorney Charlie Gilbert said at Tuesday’s Selectmen’s meeting. “It appears the petition meets those standards.”
Chairwoman Brooks removed herself from her seat and sat in the front row of the audience while the rest of the board discussed and voted on the matter. The vote was 4 to 0 to accept the petition and then they scheduled the referendum date.
Selectman Mark Carreira said he appreciated getting time to research the recall ordinance after the issue was tabled at the last board meeting. He said he learned the ordinance requires the board to forward the question to residents, essentially tying their hands, and that the rules need to be updated.
“I needed time to look into this,” Carreira said. “Based on what I see now … in our ordinance you can be pretty much be removed for anything. If someone didn’t like the color of my shirt and got the signatures, they could recall me. Right?”
Gilbert answered in the affirmative.
In fact, the local ordinance only requires that a general statement be made as to why the recall is requested, the town attorney said.
“There is no requirement for any criminal activities,” Gilbert said.
He said that making changes to the ordinance, which would be subject to town meeting approval, is “something to consider.”
Town Manager Russell Smith said the local recall rules were put into place in November 2000, and after recently reviewing them he can see “there is a lot of things that need to be modified.”
The petition only makes a vague claim of wrongdoing by Brooks, who has been on the board for 19 years, of which 17 were spent as chairwoman. She also served 18 years on the planning board and was a school board member for a time.
James and Nichole McLeod, who live on Fox Lane and oppose a rock quarry planned by Hampden contractor Hughes Brothers, collected signatures for the petition. They claim Brooks violated local ethics rules and Brooks responds by saying all of the couple’s complaints about her can be easily explained.
The recall ballot will have a yes or no question: Shall Joan Brooks be recalled?
Residents can cast their ballots 8 a.m. -8 p.m. Sept. 29 at the town office.