| John Salisbury |
Petition Drive Starts
The New Gloucester Citizens for a Town Charter has launched a petition drive to get the question of whether the Town will create a Charter Commission on the November 2020 ballot. Representatives of the pro charter group filed an affidavit with the Town Clerk on Feb. 24, which starts the petition process.
The first attempt in 2019 to secure the vote to create a Charter Commission failed to pass on a vote of 391 no to 387 yes and 5 blanks. The total number of votes was less than 800. John Salisbury, a spokesman for the pro-charter group indicated, “This was a very small turnout when compared to the 2,931 New Gloucester voters who cast ballots at the 2018 gubernatorial election”.
The pro-charter group, Salisbury said, believes a greater number of townspeople should have the opportunity to vote on the important issue of establishing a charter commission. The voter turnout at the November election is anticipated to be much greater and reflect a more representative view of New Gloucester voters. Assuming the pro-charter group petition drive is successful, the group plans to file the petitions after the June 2020 primary. The deadline for filing is June 24.
Instead of requesting an order of the board of selectmen to put the question before the voters, this time around the pro-charter group is taking the petition route to provide a chance to talk one-on-one with more citizens and answer any questions they may have.
The New Gloucester Citizens for a Town Charter group will be kicking off its petition drive by hosting a table at the polls from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, for those who would like to sign the petition.
Press Contact: John Salisbury, 603-731-0638, jsalisbury@comcast.net
