City of Pawtucket, RI CHAPTER 3 RECALL

[Added Ref. of 11-3-1992]

Sec. 6-300 Officials subject to recall.

The Mayor, members of the City Council, and members of the School Committee may be removed from office by recall, provided that no recall petition may be initiated during the first three months or the last six months of an incumbent's term, in the manner provided for in the following sections.

Sec. 6-301 Initiation of recall.

The initiation of the recall process shall be considered to be the day on which a declaration of intent to circulate a recall petition is filed with the city clerk and with the board of canvassers, accompanied by the text of the petition. Each such petition shall bear the name of no more than one official whose recall is to be sought. No petition shall be circulated for signature unless such filings shall have been made.

Sec. 6-302 Collection of signatures.

Following the filing of the declaration of intent, those initiating the recall shall have 60 days to secure a total number of valid signatures of registered electors of the city equal to at least 10% of the total number of registered electors as of the date of filing of the declaration. The signatures on any recall petition may be on separate papers, but the purpose of the petition shall be clearly set forth at the top of each such paper, and each shall bear at the bottom the signed certificate of the circulator thereof that each signature thereon was affixed in the presence of the circulator.

Sec. 6-303 Verification of signature.

The City Clerk shall refer any such completed petition forthwith to the Board of Canvassers, which shall have 14 days from receipt thereof to verify that the signatures thereon are those of registered electors of the City of Pawtucket. If any petition for recall of the Mayor or of a City Councilor elected At Large, or of an At Large School Committee member, shall be found to contain valid signatures of 10% of the registered electors as provided in Sec. 6-302, or if for the recall of a City Councilor elected from a ward, or a ward School Committee member, shall be found to contain the valid signatures of 10% of the number of registered electors resident in that ward, the City Clerk shall schedule a recall election to be held no less than 30 nor more than 45 days following the date on which the Board of Canvassers certified the signatures to be sufficient.

Sec. 6-304 Conduct of election.

The ballot prepared for any recall election shall include the name of each public official for whom a petition with sufficient signatures has been filed, and shall contain the question: "Shall (name of person) be removed from the office of (name of office)?" for each such official. For each such question on the ballot the electors voting thereon shall have the option of voting "yes" or "no." In any such recall election, if a majority of the votes cast on a question of removal is affirmative, the person whose removal is sought by that question shall be deemed to have been removed from office as of certification of the results by the Board of Canvassers.

Sec. 6-305 Further regulations.

The City Council may, by ordinance, make such other further regulations for carrying out the provisions of this chapter as are not inconsistent herewith.