On 8-24-09, 6:30p.m. Fire Station:
Public Hearing concerning
An "Ordinance for a Recall Election in the Town of Paris, Maine"
Please attend, ask questions and speak out about what you believe is best for the whole town.
Incorrect and even misleading information is being circulated about what such an ordinance can/will do.
It has been alleged that a minority can overturn a majority. And that means...? That the petition signers, rather than the total voters at the election, can turn someone out of office? That the rest of the voters in the town cannot vote? This allegation is a diversion. The only part the word majority plays in this discussion is that in a fair vote, the majority of votes wins. Always.
Review the proposed/petitioned ordinance. Some questions might be:
*When, in the end, it is the majority of voters who decide whether an elected official gets recalled, how important is the number of voters who sign the petition requesting the recall election?
*Should there be specific language within the ordinance stating that an elected official can only be recalled for certain things? Could that become a trap? Should/could the wording of an ordinance limit the will of the voters? Reminder: in the end, by statute, voters elect; voters un-elect.
A recall ordinance is simply a tool. Once the ordinance is in place, voters who have lost confidence in an elected official will have the means to petition for, and vote in, a recall election. And, voters who support the official and do not want him or her recalled, can vote against it.
