Selectmen Recall Supporters Turn In Over 1,340 Signatures

STOUGHTON, MA — Supporters of a recall election for three members of the Stoughton Board of Selectmen have turned in more than enough signatures to trigger an early trip to the polls.

The Stoughton First Facebook group announced Monday morning that they have delivered over 1,340 signatures per candidate to the town clerk's office. A recall requires signatures from 5 percent of registered voters, or about 900 certified signatures.

If there are enough certified signatures for a recall, the selectmen will be given notice of certification and if the board members sought to be removed do not resign within five days, an election shall be held on a Tuesday no less than 64 days after certification, according to state law. If a vacancy occurs, the election will go on as planned.

The recall effort in aimed at selectmen David Sousa, Peter Brown, and Robert Cohn, who voted in December to not renew then-Town Manager Michael Hartman's contract when it expired on June 30. 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.

Clarification: An earlier version indicated that a recall election must be scheduled no less than 25 days after certification or with a previously scheduled election within 60 days. While that is the process laid out in the town charter, the town must follow the state law which says the election date must be no less than 64 days after certification, according to Town Clerk Amy Summers.

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