Wareham Board of Selectmen recall, Massachusetts 2009
| Wareham Board of Selectman recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Brenda Eckstrom John Cronan Jane Donahue John Donahue |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2009 Recalls in Massachusetts Massachusetts recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall four out of five Wareham board members and the town moderator from their positions Plymouth County, Massachusetts was launched in June 2009. The targeted officials included selectmen Bruce Sauvageau, Brenda Eckstrom, John Cronan and Jane Donahue, as well as town moderator John Donahue. Only one selectman, Walter Cruz, was exempt from the recall campaign.[1]
According to the Wareham Recall 2009 official website, the recall effort gained little ground.[2]
As of December 2015, this recall effort appeared to be abandoned and Ballotpedia discontinued active coverage. Please contact us if new developments occur with this recall effort.
Supporting arguments
Supporters for a recall election created a website to advocate in favor of the recall. Website creators and recall supporters opted to remain anonymous because they claimed, "the Selectmen have unfairly targeted their opponents."[3]
Case for a recall:[4]
- Violation of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law
- "an illegal June 2 executive meeting"
- Violation of the state public records law
- failing to comply with requests
- removing meeting minutes
- Violation of the Wareham Home Rule Charter
- ordering the removal of meeting minutes
- Decisions that have waste taxpayer money
Open meetings law violation
In December 2009 the Plymouth County District Attorney's office found the Wareham Board of Selectman in violation of the state's Open Meeting Law. According to the assistant district attorney, Mary Lee, the board violated the law during executive session on May 26 and June 2, 2009. Lee said the board violated the law by "discussing matters that exceeded the scope of the stated purpose."[5]
Opposition
Bob Brady, a former selectman and organizer of Citizens for a Better Wareham, said he opposed the recall because "the timing is wrong." According to Brady, a recall election couldn't happen any earlier than Fall 2009; six months after the town's elections.[1]
See also
External links
- Wareham Recall 2009 official website
- Wareham Recall 2009 Supporters, "Case for a recall"
- Citizens for a Better Wareham
Additional reading
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 South Coast Today, "Hazy recall effort targets Wareham selectmen," July 16, 2009
- ↑ Wareham Recall 2009, "Homepage," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Wareham Recall 2009, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 27, 2009
- ↑ Wareham Recall 2009, "The case for a recall," accessed July 27, 2009
- ↑ The Wareham Courier, "DA finds Wareham Board of Selectmen in violation of Open Meeting Law," December 7, 2009
