When the recall effort in RSU 21 was first announced, I rose at the school board meeting to remind us of a few important things. First, that we are fortunate to have dedicated community members serving on our board. These folks volunteer their time and give of their expertise, and we are incredibly fortunate to have them. The spirit of volunteerism for the common good is strong here.

Second, our school board and administration have taken on hard work during difficult times. They have modernized our human resources, improved our diversity, equity and inclusion policies, kept the district’s finances strong, and made the difficult decisions that the pandemic entailed.

Third, we have a process for changing our school board membership should anyone wish to do so. That process is our regularly-held elections. Anyone can run for a school board position and volunteer their time, should they succeed. Elections are how we express ourselves in a healthy democracy.

The recall process exists not to overturn the results of our elections, but rather to deal with situations of criminal or egregious acts. This recall, with no evidence of any wrongdoing, attempts to recall a duly elected board member who has worked tirelessly for our district. The recall is damaging to our electoral processes, our community, and our strong Maine tradition of democracy. It remains unclear why the recall proponents have taken this path.

I trust our community to resolve differences with respect, to support our democratic processes, and to reject this recall.

State Rep. Traci Gere
Kennebunkport

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