Rene Ouellet recall, Freedom, Maine (2025)
| Rene Ouellet recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| December 2, 2025 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Maine Maine recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Select Board Member Rene Ouellet is scheduled for December 2, 2025, in Freedom, Maine. The effort centers on allegations that Ouellet misused his office and violated public trust by his involvement in a real estate deal. The recall petition was officially certified on October 6, 2025, after organizers submitted it with 49 signatures.[1]
Recall vote
Rene Ouellet recall, 2025
Rene Ouellet is facing a recall election in the Freedom Select Board recall on December 2, 2025.
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Recall supporters
According to the Midcoast Villager, the recall petition read in part as follows:[1]
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“He [Ouellet] acted to prevent additional traffic on his own street, placing his personal preference and private convenience above the lawful rights of the property owners and the public interest. By misrepresenting the Town’s legal position and interfering in a private transaction, Selectman Ouellet exposed the town to potential legal liability, including possible claims by the prospective buyer or the seller for unlawful interference or misrepresentation. As a result, the buyer abandoned the transaction, causing direct financial harm to the sellers and depriving the Town of significant tax revenue and economic opportunity. This conduct demonstrates a clear conflict of interest, a breach of duty, and a failure to uphold the responsibilities of office. The Select Board operates by collective decision in open meeting, not by unilateral interference behind closed doors.”[2] |
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Recall opponents
In an email to the Midcoast Villager, Freedom Planning Board Chair Tyler Hadyniak wrote, "Rene, as an abutter of the island, tried to dissuade the potential buyers of the island from turning the property on the island into a wedding venue and event center." Hadyniak also wrote, "He stated he was speaking as a neighbor, the potential buyers understood he was speaking as a neighbor, and nowhere in the pipeline of decision-making would Rene, on the Select Board, have a say over if a wedding venue would be approved."
Speaking to the Midcoast Villager, Ouellet said of his role in the real estate transaction: "I took great pains to tell them I was talking to them as a potential neighbor, and not as a town official."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Maine
No specific grounds are required for recall in Maine. The recall of local officials in Maine is governed by local charters. Because of this, recall laws regarding signature requirements and circulation time vary by locality.[3]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Freedom, Maine
- Recall campaigns in Maine
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Midcoast Villager, "Freedom Faces Second Recall of the Year," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Maine Municipal Association, "Local Government in Maine," August 1, 2016
