Second Candidate Jumps Into Stoughton Recall Race

STOUGHTON, MA — The Stoughton selectmen recall election has a second challenger.

Finance committee member Christine Howe announced Tuesday night that she is running for a seat on the board of selectmen. She joins Town Meeting member and fellow finance committee member Stephen Cavey as the two challengers that have announced their intent to run.

"As a lifelong resident of Stoughton I know the great things that the residents, volunteers, and employees of the town can accomplish. Our town has made great strides but we still have a lot to do," Howe said in her announcement. "Stoughton needs strong, committed, passionate leaders on its Board of Selectmen. The Board needs individuals that will dedicate their time and energy to the position with the goal of building a budget, policies, and long-term plan that will serve the best interests of all residents of the town."

Talk of a recall vote started with the ousting of Town Manager Michael Hartman. Supports of the recall say the appointment of an interim town manager was done without any public input and Hartman's removal was not done with a discharge vote from four selectmen, as required by the town charter. 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.

Since Hartman's departure, Town Accountant William Rowe was initially the interim town manager, but that title is now held by former Selectman Steve Anastos. In both cases, the interim town managers were appointed with 3-2 votes during highly contentious meetings that saw selectmen Michael Sullivan and Robert O'Reagan vote against the appointments.

The recall election is for the seats held by David Sousa, Robert Cohn, and Peter Brown. The election can take place no earlier than 64 days since certification. No date has been set.

Click here to read the full announcement.

Image via Christine Howe for Board of Selectmen