Rockland City Council is putting forward a referendum to amend the city’s charter to allow for the removal of a mayor at any time.
Voters in Rockland don’t cast ballots for mayor directly. They elect councilors at large, and the council elects the mayor from its members each year after the newly-elected members are sworn in. With this charter change, the mayor wouldn’t be removed from the council — the amendment would allow the council to require the mayor to step down, and elect another councilor to act as mayor.
Councilor Sarah Austin, the sponsor of the referendum, said the role of mayor in Rockland is mostly ceremonial. The mayor runs the council meetings and is the face of the city during events like ribbon cuttings, but has few additional powers.
The Rockland charter currently allows for the removal of a mayor, but Austin said it is only for extreme conditions, like a criminal or ethics violation. Austin said she thought it was important that there is an option for the council to do something in less extreme circumstances.
“There have been some concerns with the performance and the temperament of the mayor this term,” Austin said. “But nothing rising to the extreme event that would precipitate a recall petition or something like that.”
When asked, Austin declined to elaborate on the concerns leading to the referendum effort.
Rockland Mayor Louise Maclellan-Ruf could not be reached for comment and did not return messages left for her.
Councilor Penelope York said this referendum is a charter change to keep up with the times and to allow the council to review the decision to elect the mayor. York supports the referendum.
“It’s allowing the council to revisit this vote as they would be able to any other vote that we pass during a council meeting,” York said.
Councilor Nicole Kalloch told the Courier-Gazette that she would vote for the referendum. Councilor Adam Lachman did not respond to a request for comment.
Austin said she hopes there are options for constructive changes in future councils with this charter amendment.
The process to amend the charter is lengthy. First, at the council’s next meeting on Oct. 11, members will vote on whether to have a public hearing for the charter change. If they decide to hold a hearing, it will be in November. After the hearing, the council would vote on whether to add the change to the spring ballot, where voters in Rockland would decide whether to approve the charter amendment. If it were to pass all of these steps, the amendment would not go into effect until mid 2024.
“I think we’re wise to allow ourselves sensible options and the least disruptive options,” Austin said.
