Earlier this September, a citizens’ petition was filed with the Town of Casco to place a question upon the Nov. 2 ballot. Signed by more than 200 Casco residents, the proposed ballot question asks Casco voters if they want to enact a recall ordinance specific to members of the Casco Board of Selectmen.

During the Sept. 14 Casco Board of Selectmen meeting, the selectmen voted to place this question on the ballot.

This ordinance is very straightforward. If a citizen of Casco desires to have any or all of the selectmen recalled- removed from office- they may circulate petitions to that end. The signature threshold is 10% of the total number of Casco voters from the previous gubernatorial election. Currently, the number of signatures required is 162. Once that number is reached, and the signatures certified by the Town Clerk, an election must be called.

I’m sure it surprises no one that this petition was circulated, given the behavior of certain members of the Casco Board over the past few months. Municipal affairs have become contentious, and Board meetings of late have provided rare theater as some selectmen press forward an agenda of items unknown and unsupported by the of Casco’s residents.

James Gerry, a former Casco Selectman, was the organizer of the recall ordinance petition drive, and had the assistance of several Casco residents in gathering signatures (Disclosure: I was one of them). Mr. Gerry kicked off the petition drive at the Aug. 31 Board meeting, where he collected signatures from almost all in attendance. The members of the Board of Selectmen also signed the petition, with the exception of Mary Fernandes. Mr. Gerry and his team of volunteers quickly and easily gathered considerably more than the required number of signatures, turning them into the Town Clerk on Sept. 11. Public sentiment during the collection of the signatures was overwhelmingly supportive of the measure.

Many may think that a recall ordinance is unnecessary. They argue that you can recall the official at the next election. True enough, and I’m in agreement with this line of thinking, except at the municipal level. Town government doesn’t have effective checks and balances that exist in larger government entities, and severe damage can be done to their small organizational structure in a very short time. We’ve been witness to some of this lately, with the firing of the town’s attorney and the actions involving Casco’s auditor. Waiting up to three years to remove an official not working in the interest of the municipality could be devastating.

This proposed ordinance is an insurance policy. Should public officials misbehave, citizens will have immediate recourse. Recent history in the town of Paris provides some effective insight. The residents of Paris and their municipal government endured a severe, prolonged period of contentious and counterproductive behavior by their Board of Selectmen. A recall ordinance was adopted, the misbehaving officials were removed, and Paris municipal affairs have been on a much steadier course since.

With luck, this ordinance will never be used. It does need to be enacted, for it will serve as an effective deterrent preventing Casco selectmen from acting against the public interest. I am hopeful our Selectmen view the ordinance in this same light.

I plan on voting “yes” to enacting a recall ordinance for members of the Casco Board of Selectmen on Nov. 2.

I hope you do the same.

Ted Ropple, a Casco resident, invites discussion and comment on any of his columns at www.tedropple.com.