Voters oust Raymond Select Board chair in recall vote

By Ed Pierce

Unofficial results from Tuesday's special recall election in Raymond have been released by Raymond Town Clerk Melanie Fernald.

Question A asked voters if Raymond Select Board Vice Chair Kaela Gonzalez should be removed from office. Unofficial results show 276 voters cast ballots saying no, while 265 voter ballots were marked as yes.

Question B asked voters if Raymond Select Board Chair Denis Morse should be removed from office. Unofficial results show 282 voters cast ballots marked as yes, while 260 ballots were cast as no votes.   

Barring a recount and the results being made official by the Raymond Town Clerk's office, Gonzalez, who was elected in 2024, will retain her seat on the Raymond Select Board.

However, if a recount is held and the vote stands as currently tabulated, Morse, who was elected to the Raymond Select Board in 2023, will be removed from his seat on the Select Board.

To fill the Select Board vacancy created by the recall of Morse, a special election would have to be held to elect a candidate to that position.

The recall vote was initiated by former Raymond Select Board member Teresa Sadak in December. 

In her petition, Sadak listed four reasons for a recall of Morse and Gonzalez including failing to put Raymond’s interests first, creating division, micromanaging, and denigrating employees during public meetings.

During a public hearing in December, Sadak detailed actions she said supported her claims, many tied to the board’s treatment of former Town Manager Joseph Crocker. He had resigned last fall, and had served as director of Parks and Recreation before becoming interim town manager in March and chosen as the permanent town manager in May. 

Confirmed official results will be posted by Fernald later today.<