Bruce Haffner and Elinor Goldberg recall, Hope, Maine (2020-2021)
| Hope Selectman recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Elinor Goldberg |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| June 8, 2021 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Maine Maine recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Select Board Members Bruce Haffner and Elinor Goldberg was defeated in Hope, Maine on June 8, 2021.[1] Voters defeated Goldberg's recall by a margin of 154 to 102 votes. Haffner survived the recall after there was a 128-128 tie vote in favor of recall.[2]
Organizers said that Haffner had threatened town officials, discussed personnel issues in public, and worked to undermine the Select Board's road budget. They also alleged that Haffner and Goldberg had tried to oust the town administrator.[3]
Recall vote
Haffner recall
Bruce Haffner recall, 2021
Bruce Haffner won the Hope Select Board recall election on June 8, 2021.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
50.0
|
128 | |||
| ✔ | No |
50.0
|
128 | ||
Total Votes |
256 | ||||
|
|
Goldberg recall
Elinor Goldberg recall, 2021
Elinor Goldberg won the Hope Select Board recall election on June 8, 2021.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
39.8
|
102 | |||
| ✔ | No |
60.2
|
154 | ||
Total Votes |
256 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
Five Hope residents initiated the recall process by requesting a recall petition on December 11, 2020: Molly Luce, Wayne Luce, Jessica Snyder, Todd Snyder, and Paul Smith.[3]
In the petition to recall Goldberg, organizers wrote, "Ms. Goldberg is working in concert with at least two other town officials to undermine and attempt to oust the Town Administrator. Such behavior undermines confidence in Town Government and is utterly and completely unacceptable in any circumstance. The Town of Hope deserves better."[3]
Meanwhile, the petition to recall Haffner said the following.[3]
| “ |
He took it upon himself to undercut a majority Select Board decision on the roads budget because he disliked the outcome and so passed out misleading and unattributed flyers in a failed effort to have budget (sic) voted down. ... He was caught on audio specifically threatening two elected town officials and a female town employee over whom he holds a supervisory role.[4] |
” |
Recall opponents
Goldberg responded to the effort by saying, "I am not willing to resign but if recalled I would say that if the majority of the voters prefer mismanagement of the precious assets of the town instead of effective and accountable leadership, I accept that decision."[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Maine
Organizers were required to collect 98 signatures for each recall petition, which represented 10% of voters in the previous gubernatorial election. The Hope Select Board voted to call the recall election on December 22, 2020, after organizers submitted more than 98 signatures.[3]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Maine
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Penobscot Bay Pilot, "Hope to elect, possibly recall officials June 8; marijuana ordinance amendment to be voted on," May 16, 2021
- ↑ Knox Courier Gazette, "Hope recall effort fails at the polls," June 9, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Knox Courier Gazette, "Petitions seek to recall Haffner, Goldberg in Hope," December 23, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
