Committee hears Pembroke and Bridgewater home-rule petitions on recall and term limits

Representatives and local officials brought several home-rule and local bills to the Joint Committee on Election Laws, including changes to recall procedures in Pembroke and home-rule petitions from Bridgewater to add recall procedures and impose term limits for town council members.

Representative Suites spoke briefly about H 8 72, a local Pembroke bill passed at town meeting that seeks to amend the town's recall law by lowering the signature threshold from 20% of registered voters to 10%, describing the change as aligning Pembroke with neighboring communities. "They were trying to lower down now to 10%. So in no way are they trying to weaponize any sort of new recall law," Suites said.

Representative Gallagher presented two Bridgewater home-rule petitions that originated in a charter review. Gallagher said the council had voted to forward the proposals, including a recall procedure and a provision setting term limits; he described council votes supporting the petitions (an 8–0 vote to send one item and a 9–0 recommendation for another) and noted that any change would also require voter ratification in Bridgewater.

Gallagher explained that Bridgewater's charter review recommended a recall procedure because the town previously lacked one; the term-limits petition would set a limit of 12 years (described as the cumulative limit in the presented language). He said the charter review, town attorney vetting and council approval preceded the petitions and any final adoption would be subject to voter approval.

No committee votes were taken on the local petitions during the hearing.