New Bedford Takes Major Step Closer to City’s First-Ever Recall Law for Politicians

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The City of New Bedford is one step closer to having a recall provision for elected officials, as the proposal has been sent to the Massachusetts Legislature as a Home Rule Petition.

If it passes there, it will require the signature of the Governor of Massachusetts in order to go into effect.

Background on Mayor Mitchell's Original Proposal

Mayor Jon Mitchell submitted the measure to the New Bedford City Council on February 23, 2024. The city currently has no procedure for removing an elected official from office if so warranted. It would pertain to all the elected positions in city government: the mayor, both ward and at-large city councilors, school committee members, and elected members of the Board of Assessors.

Get our free mobile app

In a release, the City pointed out that Mitchell’s proposal was “based on an extensive review by the City Solicitor’s Office of recall provisions in Massachusetts municipalities with city forms of government.”

“Because the recalling of an elected official entails the negating of an election, Mayor Mitchell crafted his proposal to set the bar sufficiently high so it would not be invoked over mere policy disagreements,” the release stated. “For example, Mayor Mitchell’s proposal required 600 signatures to begin the recall process of an official elected citywide, which would be among the highest in the state.”

New Bedford City Council Adjustments and Delays to Recall Provision

The city council’s Ordinance Committee then made several changes to the recall proposal in November 2024, including tripling the signature requirement and extending the time period at the beginning and end of an official’s term where they cannot be recalled. The proposal then sat in committee until June 2026, when the full council finally approved it.

“I do not agree with the council’s changes, they make it more difficult to initiate a recall,” Mitchell said. “Nevertheless, I believe having a workable recall provision is better than having none at all. I am endorsing the measure; it will provide the residents of the city protection against rogue elected officials which previously did not exist.”

Key Details and Signature Requirements of the New Bedford Recall Law

You can view the complete recall proposal on the City of New Bedford website, but key details include:

• 1,800 or more registered voters may initiate a recall petition for an official elected citywide – which includes all the above-mentioned offices except ward councilors – by signing an affidavit and filing it with the Board of Election Commissioners. Of those 1,800 voters, at least 300 must come from each of the city’s six wards. The city council raised these amounts in November 2024 from Mayor Mitchell’s original proposal of 600 overall voters, 100 from each ward.
• 300 or more registered voters may initiate a recall petition for a ward officer (ward councilor) by signing an affidavit and submitting it to the Board of Election Commissioners. The city council raised this amount in November 2024 from Mayor Mitchell’s original proposal of 100.
• A recall petition cannot be filed against an elected official within four months of the beginning of their term. The city council extended this window from Mayor Mitchell’s proposed three months.
• Once the recall petition is certified by the Board of Elections Commissioners, at least 15 percent of the registered voters must sign the petition itself to place it on the ballot.
• In order for the recall election to be effective, at least 15 percent of the registered voters must vote in the recall election. In the case of a ward election, 15 percent of the ward’s registered voters must vote for it to be effective.
• A recall election cannot be held if there is less than eight months remaining in their term. The city council extended this window from Mayor Mitchell’s proposed six months.