YARMOUTH — Voters on June 12 will decide whether to add a provision to the Town Charter to allow the recall of town councilors. 

The council voted 4-2 April 26 to add the question to the ballot, which also includes the annual school budget validation referendum. Amendments to the Town Charter require ratification by voter referendum

Councilors Tim Shannon and April Humphrey opposed the provision. Chairwoman Pat Thompson and Councilors Jim MacLeod, Robert Waeldner and Richard Plourde were in favor. Councilor David Craig was absent. 

Consideration of a recall provision began after a petition signed by 500 residents circulated last fall after a debate around a resolution drafted by Humphrey, Shannon and Craig in reaction to racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

If enacted by voters, the provision, which mirrors one in Falmouth, would require a recall election after certification of supporting petitions with signatures from at least 20 percent of the town’s registered voters. A recalled councilor could still run as a candidate in a special or regular election to fill the remainder of their term.


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