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At the June 2 meeting of the Sudbury Select Board, the Board voted unanimously to submit the recall special act (a Citizen Petition approved by a Special Town Meeting on May 20) to Sudbury’s legislative delegation for filing.
The unanimous vote also included the addition of the Select Board’s position on the petition as an attachment to the letter that was amended during their discussion. The Select Board opposed the petition at the May 20 Special Town Meeting.
The Board also voted to release an opinion from Town Counsel, KP Law, on several questions associated with the petition. Specifically, Town Counsel informed the Board that it did not have an obligation to take any action with regard to the petition.
“In our opinion, there is nothing in the General Laws, case law, or the Home Rule Amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution that requires the Select Board, as the chief executive officer of the Town, to take or not take any particular action with respect to the Petition. Typically, when a Home Rule Petition is passed at a Town Meeting, the Town Clerk or Select Board would forward a certified copy of the Town Meeting vote to the Town’s State Representative and State Senator for filing with the General Court.”
Counsel also informed the Board that they may, should they choose to do so, appoint a committee to study policy issues related to a recall provision, which may lead to future Town Meeting warrant articles even if the current petition is filed with the legislature.
The Select Board position on the recall article is below.
The draft letter, which was lightly edited during the meeting, is on page 31 of the meeting packet below.