EDDINGTON, Maine — Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday for residents to cast ballots in the recall of longtime Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Joan Brooks, who has been accused of ethics violations.
James and Nichole McLeod, who live on Fox Lane and oppose a rock quarry planned by Hampden contractor Hughes Brothers, collected 116 signatures on a citizens’ petition enabling the recall to go forward.
The couple claim Brooks, who has been on the board for 19 years, violated local ethics rules in dealing with the quarry issue. Brooks scoffed at the accusations, saying last month that the McLeods are wrong and only provide “half of the information.”
The petition alleges “malfeasance.” The McLeods said Brooks held a public meeting where no public access was allowed, during which she asked direct questions of Hughes Brothers representatives; that she attended a meeting hosted by the earth-working company at the town office and handed out fliers on the company’s behalf, and had a private meeting with a Hughes Brothers representative after a regularly scheduled selectmen’s meeting.
Brooks, who also served 18 years on the planning board before earning a seat on the Board of Selectmen, said the McLeods’ complaints about her can be easily explained. She said the “illegal meeting” was a public information meeting hosted by Hughes Brothers that is required as part of the planning process, and the “private meeting” was her catching up with the company’s attorney, who once represented her, while other Hughes Brothers representatives were nearby.
Voters will answer one question in the ballot booths: Shall Joan Brooks be recalled?
“A ‘yes’ vote removes the person and a ‘no’ vote keeps the person in office,” town clerk Denise Knowles, who also serves as town treasurer, said Monday.