Five candidates have submitted nomination papers to oppose selectmen James Barry, Kenneth Elstein and George Archible.
Belchertown selectmen George Archible, James Barry and Kenneth Elstein will face a recall election during the annual town election on May 16.BELCHERTOWN – A total of five candidates have submitted nomination papers to run in the May 16 town election against the three selectmen targeted in a recall drive, but all other elective positions on the ballot will feature uncontested races.
There will also be a ballot question aimed at eliminating the excise tax on animals and machinery at working farms.
Recall petitions were submitted in February with the aim of ousting Selectmen James A. Barry, Kenneth E. Elstein and George D. Archible.
Barry’s term ends May 16, but he has submitted nomination papers to run for a new three-year term. Brenda Q. Aldrich, Richard J. Fritsch and Curtis B. Carroll have filed nomination papers to run against him for that three-year term.
Carroll and Matthew Jackson have filed papers to run against Elstein for the one year remaining in his term.
Carroll, Fritsch and William J. Huber have filed papers to run against Archible for the two years remaining in his term.
Organizers of the recall drive said they were prompted to circulate and submit their petitions because Barry, Archible and Elstein voted Feb. 3 against offering a new contract for Police Chief Francis R. Fox Jr., and because of their refusal the following week to state specific reasons during a meeting attended by more than 100 people supporting Fox.
Although Archible and Elstein reversed positions the following week when the selectmen voted 4-1 to offer Fox a new contract, recall organizers proceeded with petitions for all three.
Huber said refusing to talk about the reasons for not wanting Fox to stay on as chief represented arrogance on the part of Barry, Elstein and Archible.
The three recall questions will be voted on individually.
A simple majority will determine if Barry, Elstein or Archible are to be removed from office, and there will be contests elsewhere on the ballot to determine who will finish the remainder of the terms in cases where the recall votes result in removing a selectman from office.
Barry, Elstein and Archible will be eligible to run in these contests even if the recall votes themselves go against them, and all three have submitted nomination papers to do so.
Barry’s three-year term will end on May 16, so the remainder of his term would amount to no more than a few hours, but Carroll has submitted nomination papers to challenge him for that.
Fritsch said Tuesday that even though he has submitted nomination papers for both the Barry and Archible contests, he has decided to remove his name from the ballot in the Barry contest and run against Archible.
Town Clerk William J. Barnett said he expects the interest generated by the recall will result in a higher voter turnout than Belchertown typically has for town elections.
Because Carroll is running for three of the five seats on the Board of Selectmen and could only hold one at a time, Barnett has asked state election officials for clarification on what would happen if Carroll were to win more than one.
Tuesday was the deadline for submitting nomination papers, which must now be checked for valid signatures in order for candidates to qualify for places on the ballot.