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Peter Duval recall, Underhill, Vermont (2021)
| Underhill Selectboard recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| October 19, 2021 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Vermont Vermont recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
A recall election for Underhill Selectboard member Peter Duval was scheduled for October 19, 2021, in Underhill, Vermont. Voters chose to recall Duval by a margin of 96% to 4%.[1]
Organizers alleged that Duval had acted disrespectfully towards town staff and violated the board's conflict of interest policy.[2]
Recall vote
Voters were asked the following question: "Shall Underhill Selectboard member, Peter Duval, be removed from office?"[3]
Peter Duval recall, 2021
Peter Duval lost the Underhill Selectboard recall election on October 19, 2021.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
96.1
|
570 | ||
No |
3.9
|
23 | |||
Total Votes |
593 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
Recall organizers alleged that Duval had violated the town's conflict of interest policy. Former Town Administrator James Beebe-Woodard said that Duval had requested information about all of the litigation the town was involved in during fiscal year 2020, when Duval personally had been engaged in litigation with the town during that time period over a zoning decision.[2]
Organizers also alleged that Duval had acted disrespectfully towards town staff. Several town officials, including Beebe-Woodard, Town Clerk Sherri Morin, former Planning Director and Zoning Administrator Andrew Strniste, and Finance Officer Jennifer Silpe-Katz, signed a letter expressing this concern. An excerpt appears below: [2]
| “ |
Peter Duval continues to create a deeply unpleasant work environment for Town Hall staff. ... Mr. Duval routinely makes derogatory and belittling remarks towards staff and the Town’s counsel in a manner that is neither appropriate for a productive and collegial work environment, nor for the role of an elected official whose role is to serve the town.[4] |
” |
Recall opponents
Underhill declined to comment to VTDigger about the recall election.[2]
The town selectboard held a hearing on Beebe-Woodard's conflict of interest complaint in September and October of 2020. The board, with Duval recused, found that Duval had not violated the conflict of interest policy.[5] The full text of the selectboard's decision can be found here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Vermont
In August 2020, organizers led a successful campaign to amend the town charter to make it possible to recall elected town officers. The recall election was scheduled for October 19, 2021, after organizers submitted 415 signatures from registered voters.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WCAX3, "Underhill says ‘yes’ to recalling selectboard member," October 20, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 VTDigger, "Underhill residents to vote on removing selectboard member," October 5, 2021
- ↑ Underhill, VT, "Official Ballot Town of Underhill Special Town Meeting October 19, 2021," accessed October 11, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Underhill, VT, "Town of Underhill Selectboard Decision re: Conflict of Interest Complaint re: Peter Duval," accessed October 11, 2021
