Recall ordinance petition drive on hold till June vote

LEBANON - A Lebanon resident’s crusade to get a Recall Ordinance on the November ballot has fallen short, but he hopes to get enough signatures in time to have it placed for next June’s town referendum vote.

That means that the town is only expected to have two local ballot questions included in November voting when several state bond questions will be also be decided at the polls.

Robie Marsters, who drafted the recall petition based predominately on one passed recently in Old Orchard Beach, said at last night’s selectmen’s meeting that he only had about 160 of the 192 signatures necessary for a citizens petition to be inserted on the ballot. The deadline to have collected the signatures was last week.

The Recall Ordinance would allow the removal of elected municipal officials when a certain number of townspeople felt an individual in question could no longer carry out their duties due to an ethics or loss-of-confidence issue.

Marsters said it is his intention to collect the other signatures necessary between now and next spring in hopes to have it placed on the June ballot.

Meanwhile, two Board of Selectmen ballot questions that will be voted on read, in part:

1)“(authorizing)  a franchise fee of up to 2 percent on the video portion of the town subscriber’s monthly Metrocast bill for the purpose of funding the recording of Selectmen and other Town related meeting and events.”

2)“(authorizing) an ordinance entitled Town of Lebanon, Maine, Mass Gathering Ordinance November 2013 Amendment.”

Among the mass gathering ordinance stipulations is the application of fees that would increase as per the size of the gathering rather than a modest flat fee charged now.

The full ballot questions and the Mass Gathering Ordinance are available at Town Hall.