A judge has cleared the way for the first recall in the history of Fall River to go forward. This means Fall River voters will go to the polls next month to decide whether Mayor Will Flanagan should keep his job.
Superior Court Judge Thomas McGuire will allow the Fall River referendum election, ruling against Mayor Flanagan, who had objected to the validity of the recall process and its constitutionality. The judge also ruled that Flanagan can appear on the recall ballot, where, if the recall is successful, voters will chose the next Fall River mayor. More than a dozen candidates have expressed interest.
Preston Halperin, Flanagan’s attorney, said: “Even if he did get recalled, I think it’s entirely possible that he would get more votes than any other candidate.”
And that’s all Flanagan has to do to get re-elected – get more votes than the other candidates for mayor.
Lesley Rich represents people who pushed for the recall and says that’s why they wanted Flanagan off the ballot. “It just is very frustrating to the majority of people who wanted to get rid of him,” said Rich.
The recall is estimated to cost about $60,000 and is scheduled for December 16th.
