Reading, MA — Select Board member Vanessa Alvarado, who is the subject of a September 1 recall election, has posted a video on her website, answering the claims of the recall petition. The petition alleges that Alvarado used her position as chair of the board to delay the appointment of the police chief. Town Clerk Laura Gemme certified 2,239 signatures on the petition on March 18. Only 2,000 were needed for the recall to go forward.
Attorney Dennis Newman submitted a letter of objection on Alvarado’s behalf on March 20 outlining several objections to the petition, but the Board of Registrars determined the letter lacked specificity and requested, in a letter to Newman on March 25, a more specific response within 48 hours.
The Board of Registrars subsequently accepted a letter of objection to the petition from Newman on Wednesday, April 8. The letter, which was received by the board on April 6, challenged the genuineness of over 500 of the signatures for various reasons including voter status, lack of in-person signing, and the contention that some signatures are illegible.
The Board of Registrars is scheduled to hold public hearings all this week to assess the validity of the objections.
