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The petition approved by Town Meeting in May has been formally filed in the Massachusetts Legislature, where it now awaits committee review.
The recall election proposal that Sudbury voters approved this spring has cleared its first hurdle at the State House. The measure was filed last week as House Bill 5521 in the 194th General Court and immediately referred to the Joint Committee on Election Laws.
The bill, titled “An Act providing for recall elections in the town of Sudbury,” was introduced on June 22 by Rep. Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury) and Sen. James Eldridge (D-Marlborough). Its legislative record already carries the notation “Local Approval Received,” confirming that the town’s vote has been documented as part of the filing.
If it becomes law, the measure would amend Sudbury’s Town Charter to create a process allowing voters to remove elected officials before their terms expire.
How we got here
The recall proposal reached the State House by way of Article 3 at Sudbury’s Special Town Meeting on May 20, held in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School gymnasium. With over 900 registered voters participating at it’s peak, the article passed 474 to 394.
Because a recall provision requires a change to the Town Charter, approval at Town Meeting did not put the measure into effect. Instead, it authorized a home rule petition: a formal request asking the Legislature to grant the town the specific authority it seeks. That petition is what has now surfaced as H.5521.
Article 3 was one of four items voters took up that night. They also approved a non-binding resolution supporting a statewide “Bottle Bill” expansion, 677 to 261; a non-binding article backing an audit of the Massachusetts Legislature by a show of hands; and a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Sudbury Public Schools School Committee, 452 to 295.
A debated proposal
The recall measure was not without opposition. Ahead of Town Meeting, the League of Women Voters of Sudbury came out against Article 3, arguing that the town should not alter its charter without first convening a charter review committee to take public comment and weigh the options. The League also raised concerns that the proposed signature threshold for triggering a recall was set too low, and that the article did not spell out the specific grounds required to launch one.
The threshold question drew particular attention. Under the proposal, a recall effort could be initiated with signatures from 10 percent of registered voters. Critics noted that several neighboring communities that already have recall provisions use higher thresholds or attach additional safeguards. Supporters countered that a recall provision is a standard tool of local accountability and serves as a deterrent against serious misconduct even when it is never actually used. An amendment was offered at the Special Town Meeting to raise the signature threshold to 20 percent, but narrowly failed by a vote of 424-487.
What happens next
Filing the bill is the beginning of the legislative process, not the end of it. H.5521 now sits with the Joint Committee on Election Laws, which will decide whether to advance it.
As of this writing, no committee hearing has been scheduled. Residents who want to follow the bill’s progress, read its full text, or submit testimony can do so through the Legislature’s website here. The full text is also embedded below.
