Effort To Recall Three Stoughton Selectmen Underway

STOUGHTON, MA — It was a little more than a month ago that the selectmen left the meeting where they appointed Town Accountant William Rowe the interim town manager to a chant of "recall, recall." Now, it appears that the prospect of a recall election is more than talk.

Monday, resident Deborah Sovinee presented an affidavit to the town clerk petitioning for the recall of selectmen David Sousa, Robert Cohn, and Peter Brown. All three documents say the men failed to uphold the town charter and laws of the Commonwealth, failed to properly evaluate the town manager, refused to allow public comment and treated the public and other board members with disrespect, and exposed the Town to liability.

A recall election requires signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in Town.

If the there are enough signatures on the petition, the election will take place on a Tuesday within 25 days of certification by the town clerk. The election may be postponed if there is another town election within 60 days.

The recall effort is a response to the ousting of now former Town Manager Michael Hartman, who was told in December that his contract would not be renewed after it expired on June 30. A Norfolk Superior Court judge recently ruled that the six-months notice was sufficient and the additional step of discharging Hartman with four votes by the selectmen was not necessary, despite being required by the town charter.

During Tuesday night's selectmen meeting, Brown said he was extremely disappointed by the petition, calling it a political mechanism. He did say he would support a recall of all five members rather than the three.

"This is a scheme brought up by people in this town because they are not happy. I will say it is made up of former elected officials. Some who are not getting their agenda forward, some who were voted out of office, and some who left for personal reasons," Brown said.

Brown added that he attempted to remedy the situation between Hartman and the selectmen in the weeks leading up to the end of his contract, but were unable to come to terms on a deal.

Sousa, who won reelection earlier this year, said if he was removed from office, he would respect the wishes of the voters and leave with his head held high, noting the financial sacrifice he has taken as a truck driver to be on the board.

"I want what’s right for Stoughton. I am for one Stoughton and one Stoughton only," Sousa said. "I have lost $40,000 being here, I’ve taken time from my family to serve for these people."

Selectmen Robert O'Reagan and Michael Sullivan, who have opposed the recent positions taken by Sousa, Brown, and Cohn during the town manager situation, said little about the recall, with Sullivan asking everyone to not have communications with Hartman during his lawsuit against the town and O'Reagan thanking the board's secretary Jamie Velazquez for her work.

Earlier in the meeting, Brown asked O'Reagan and Sullivan if they have assisted Hartman with his lawsuit, with both declining comments. In a call back to a statement made by Brown at the June 29 meeting, Sullivan said he was not in a court of law and did not have to answer the question.

At that same meeting, Sullivan said removing Hartman without a discharge vote would be grounds for recall and he would support such an effort.

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