A proposal that would make it easier to remove Rockland’s mayor from the post will get a public hearing next month, city councilors decided on Monday night. Depending on that outcome, it could eventually go to a referendum vote.
The proposed amendment to the city charter would give the council the option to remove mayors from their post mid-term, for any reason, and appoint another councilor to replace them. The public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8.
In Rockland, the mayor is a mostly ceremonial role held by a city councilor who runs meetings and makes appearances during events such as ribbon cuttings, but has few additional powers. The process outlined in the amendment wouldn’t remove the mayor from council, but just strip them of that ceremonial role.
The council voted 5-0 to advance the measure to a public hearing.
If it goes to voters after the January hearing, and the voters pass the amendment in a November 2024 vote, it would take effect immediately.
The charter amendment was first proposed in October, partially in response to questions about former Rockland mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf’s “performance and temperament,” former city councilor Sarah Austin has previously said. MacLellan-Ruf has not responded to a request for comment on the proposal.
The current charter allows for the removal of the mayor for extreme circumstances like ethics violations, but this new amendment would allow the council to vote to remove the mayor at any point, for any reason.
In addition to pushing the charter amendment forward on Monday night, the council voted 5-0 to accept an over $34,000 donation from the Knox County Homeless Coalition for the city’s new emergency warming center.
The council also passed regulations for the warming center, allowing it to be run by vetted but untrained staff until Dec. 31, then by staff working under a trained shift leader until April 1. After that date, all warming center staff must be trained for CPR and working at the center.
The ordinance also clarifies setup, intake and takedown procedures, guidance on staffing shifts and clarifies the rights of warming center guests.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the process for Rockland to change its charter rules for removing mayors.
