League of Women Voters Urges High Turnout for School Committee Recall Election-August 30, 1978

In a published statement, league officers emphasized the high stakes of the ballot, noting that “the results will influence the structure of the school committee for the next three years.”

The historic vote stems from recall petitions charging three incumbent school committee members with fiscal irresponsibility for refusing to implement a $618,000 budget reduction approved during the June town meeting.

Contest Details and Election Rules

The ballot features head-to-head matchups for all three targeted seats:

• John H. Chisholm (term expiring 1979) is challenged by William Pudsey and Paul Poznick.
• Henry W. Diggs (term expiring 1980) faces challenger Thomas DiFrancia.
• Richard W. Kief (term expiring 1981) is opposed by Charles Saraca.

Winners will be decided by a simple majority vote of participating residents. Under town election guidelines, if an incumbent is defeated, they are immediately unseated, and the victor assumes responsibilities for the remainder of the unexpired term. Furthermore, any defeated official is barred from receiving appointment to a town office for a period of two years.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger