BENTON — A Benton selectwoman who was arrested outside the Blaine House during an Occupy Augusta protest Nov. 27 may face a recall election.

Kimberley Cormier, one of nine protesters who were charged with trespassing and failure to disperse during a protest on the grounds of the governor’s residence, should be recalled on moral grounds, said Gerald Thompson, a self-described social conservative.

Thompson said that because Cormier knowingly broke the law she didn’t set a proper example for young people and wasn’t a good representative of the town.

Thompson said that he, Tyler LeClair and several other residents will circulate petitions over the next few days to recall Cormier. Once they start, they will have 14 days to collect the required signatures, he said. They have to gather about 125 signatures of registered Benton voters, 10 percent of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election.

A recall allows residents to remove and replace a public official before the end of a term of office. Cormier’s term expires in 2013.

Cormier said Tuesday that it is within the rights of residents to gather signatures for a recall, just as it was within her rights to protest at the Blaine House.

“If they don’t want me, they’ll tell me,” she said. “I grew up here and live on land my grandfather owned. I did not do this on a lark. I thought about it. I consider what I did grass-roots politics.”

About 100 Occupy Augusta members and supporters marched to the Blaine House on Nov. 27 to protest the state order for the encampment in state-owned Capitol Park to get a permit. Nine were arrested.

“Civil disobedience is important,” Cormier said. “I hope the movement continues, and I hope it is a peaceful movement.”

Cormier said it cost her about $60 to post bail. One condition of her release is that she stay off Blaine House property.

Cormier, who said she has not been a regular participant in Occupy Augusta events and has not stayed overnight at the park, said she plans to fight the charges in court.

At the time of her arrest, Cormier said she did not believe the charges against her would have a negative effect on her role as a town official. “I’ve gotten nothing but support from my fellow selectmen,” she said.

Tuesday afternoon, Cormier said she had not heard from any residents who are dissatisfied with her act of civil disobedience.

But, she said, “I expected this (recall). … It’s not a surprise. I kind of wonder about their motivation.”

Morning Sentinel Staff Writer Beth Staples can be contacted at 861-9252 or at bstaples@centralmaine.com