Recall date set, trustees ready for the election
By Karen Maann

"The petition is dragging our names through the mud." - LISA GORDON,

A recall election will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 19 for three library trustee positions.

Paul McGrail, Lisa Gordon and Matthew Alfond each received a petition letter from residents demanding that they resign.

After selectmen signed and sent out the letters, each trustee had five days to submit a letter of resignation. Town Clerk Lorraine Pease said she did not receive any letters, so a recall election will be held.

McGrail said he would not resign because it would send the wrong message.

"It would say to the people who started the petition, 'You have won.' To me, that is just not an option," he said.

Gordon also said she would not resign and would let the election happen.

Alfond was out of the country and could not be reached for comment.

McGrail said he will focus on getting the truth out to the public before the recall election.

He said after talking to residents who signed the recall petition, he believes they were lied to or only given halftruths.

He said that trustees consulted with town counsel before making any decisions about firing former Library Director Marja LePoer. He also said the library renovation project went through all the proper channels. It was brought before the necessary boards and commissions in town, and discussed in public meetings.

"All we can do is get the truth out there." - PAUL MCGRAIL,

McGrail thinks the recall petition was not portrayed to the public properly. He said he is not trying to make people change their minds about signing the petition, but rather telling them his side of the story before the recall election.

"All we can do is get the truth out there," said McGrail.

He hopes to do so at some of the library trustees meetings, which are open to the public.

Gordon is taking a different approach. She said she is not going to focus on campaigning before the recall election.

"The petition is dragging our names through the mud," said Gordon. "I'm not going to do the same thing to them."

She hopes that once the new library building is open, people will see all the work the trustees have done.

"If people are pleased with it, and like what they see, they should go out and vote for the trustees being recalled," said Gordon.

Residents can either vote for each trustee to keep his/her seat, or vote someone new into the position.

Anyone interested in running for one of the trustee positions can pick up nomination papers at the town clerk's office. To take out nomination papers, one must appear in person. The papers will be available until Monday, Oct. 30 and must be returned by Wednesday, Nov. 1. The nomination papers must have the signatures and street addresses of 25 registered voters. More information can be found at the town's Web site http://www.ci.ashby.ma.us/.