New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“NEW BEDFORD – Mayor Jon Mitchell is submitting a proposal to the City Council which would establish a mechanism to recall City elected officers, fulfilling a promise he made last year.
In the Friday, Feb. 23, filing to the City Council, Mayor Mitchell writes “While I believe that the recall of an elected officer should be an extraordinary remedy, I also believe that it is prudent to have a recall process so that voters can protect themselves against egregious breaches of public trust.”
The proposal establishes a high standard the public would have to meet in order to recall an elected officer.
The proposed guidelines for ward and at-large elected officers are:
Ward Officer: 100 voters of the ward initiate the recall petition by filing an affidavit with the Board of Election Commissioners, which will then issue recall petition blanks. The blanks must be returned within 45 days and contain signatures from at least 15% of the ward’s registered voters. Also, at least 15% of registered voters in the ward must vote in the recall election.
At-Large Officer: 600 voters initiate a recall petition by filing an affidavit with the Board of Election Commissioners that includes 100 signatures from each ward. The Board will then issue recall petition blanks, which must be returned within 45 days and contain signatures from at least 15% of registered voters across the City with 10% of such signatures coming from each ward. Finally, at least 15% of registered voters must vote in the recall election.
“I believe that these provisions strike the proper balance between providing voters with a necessary recall mechanism and ensuring that a recall of an elected officer cannot occur without significant deliberation and broad public support,” Mayor Mitchell writes.
Additionally, Mayor Mitchell’s proposal includes the stipulation that if an elected officer is recalled, they will be ineligible to fill the vacancy caused by their recall, either in a subsequent election or by appointment. If an elected officer is recalled, the vacancy will be filled in accordance with the City charter.
In a related housekeeping matter, Mayor Mitchell is also filing a proposal to clarify the process in how a vacancy in the office of Mayor is filled. The existing provision addresses how a vacancy is to be filled in the first and second year of a Mayor’s term, but it has not updated in light of the City’s adoption of a four-year mayoral term in 2017. The new provision makes clear how the process would work at any point in the four-year term.”
Very Noble of the Mayor! Something like this hasn’t existed in the past because Humanity and Honor were expected and seemed to exist in elected officials! But with the present weaknesses in political officials apparent, there needs to be a way to quickly eviscerate politicians that think they are larger than the electorate that gave them the job!