Push begins to recall 2 Winchendon selectmen, oust town manager

Push begins to recall 2 Winchendon selectmen, oust town manager

By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
george.barnes@telegram.com

WINCHENDON — A former selectman has taken initial steps in an effort to recall two selectmen who voted against firing Town Manager James M. Kreidler Jr.

Former Selectman Larry Sordoni said he met Tuesday with Town Clerk Judy A. LaJoie to talk about the possibility of holding a recall election to remove Selectmen Keith R. Barrows and Robert O'Keefe from office.

Mr. Sordoni also sought information on what is needed to petition for a special town meeting at which he would ask voters to direct the Board of Selectmen to remove Mr. Kreidler from office.

The reason for the recall effort, he said, was that he said he feels Mr. Barrows and Mr. O'Keefe are blindly following the town manager, even without having reviewed an audit report of town finances.

If the selectmen are recalled, they would be removed from office and someone else elected in their place.

"Obviously the town manager has been mismanaging town finances," Mr. Sordoni said.

On Sept. 22, selectmen voted 3-2 to fire Mr. Kreidler, one vote short of what is needed to remove a town manager. Mr. Barrows and Mr. O'Keefe voted against firing Mr. Kreidler.

Mr. Sordoni said he voted to hire Mr. Kreidler and was happy with his work early on, but has been unhappy with him over many issues since, including the latest issue of town finances. Mr. Barrows and Mr. O'Keefe has been supportive of the town manager and reiterated that support at a press conference Mr. Kreidler held Monday afternoon.

To get a recall on the ballot, Mr. Sordoni said he needs to draw up an affidavit explaining what the recall is for.

Ms. LaJoie said Mr. Sordoni will need to collect 314 signatures, or 5 percent of the town's registered voters, to get the affidavit accepted. Once it is accepted, he will need to collect 940 signatures, or 15 percent of the town's voters for each selectman who is subject of the recall. If those signatures are approved, a recall election would be held. At least 1,254 voters must then vote in that election to make it legal.

Mr. Sordoni will have a very tight timeline to get the recall election held. Selectmen may only be recalled between six months after they are elected and six months before they are up for re-election. Both Mr. Barrows and Mr. O'Keefe are up for re-election in May. He would have less than two months to get the election held. The annual town election is the first Monday in May.

Contact George Barnes at george.barnes@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgebarnesTG