Editorial
Reject the recall

Ashby is facing its first recall election in many years, as three library trustees stand to lose their seats for what comes down to building a library some consider ugly and for firing an employee they insisted wasn’t doing her job.

A recall is an extreme step and should be reserved for extreme cases, most specifically such as when an elected official has committed an act of malfeasance while serving in their capacity as an elected official, or even if they break the law as a citizen.

There was no crime of malfeasance committed by the sitting members of the Ashby Board of Library Trustees.

If this recall passes then it sets a bad precedent.

Library Trustee Matthew Alfond had it right in a recent interview.

Alfond said if the recall succeeds then it will discourage other people from stepping forward to volunteer for these boards. A volunteer does not want to have his or her reputation dragged through the mud in a community after working hard to accomplish a task.

The library may not have the perfect exterior. It may not be the Taj Mahal of Ashby, but that is not what residents were asking for, and this building is what the town had the money to fund.

While the citizenry may have conflicting opinions about whether Marja LePoer was performing her duties as library director, those who hired her, oversaw her performance reviews and worked with her in the library — the trustees — are the ones who make that determination.

It is not fair to kick people out of office because you don’t like the look of the building or you disagree with their personnel decisions.

If any of the three incumbents lose their seat on the board, not only does the town lose their service to the library, but to the town as well for the foreseeable future because Ashby bylaws prohibit a recalled official from being elected or appointed to another town position for two years.

Ashby residents should take the opportunity to make their voices heard by turning out at the polls at Ashby Elementary School on Tuesday, Dec. 19, from noon to 7:30 p.m.