Second Recall Petition Filed Against Four Norwood School Committee Members-August 28, 1978

A second wave of recall petitions has been filed against a group of four Norwood school committee members, setting the stage for potential further upheaval on the board. The latest recall drive targets committee members Rudith Berkowitz, William E. Egan, Joseph M. Pentowski, and Joan H. Cuff for their refusal to restore school budget cuts.

Once Town Clerk Bartley W. Connolly completes the certification of roughly 300 signatures obtained for each petition, the Board of Selectmen will be required by the town charter to schedule a recall election between 25 and 35 days later. However, Connolly noted that selectmen might be permitted under the charter to delay the vote by up to 60 days if another town election coincides with that window—noting the possibility of a forthcoming special election to fill the selectman vacancy left by the recent passing of Selectman Joe Wall.

Dual Recall Efforts Over Budget Dispute

This second filing follows an earlier recall drive targeting the remaining three members of the school committee—Chairman Henry W. Diggs, Richard W. Kief, and John H. Chisholm—whose recall election is already scheduled for September 5. Both recall efforts were spearheaded by town meeting members citing fiscal irresponsibility after the committee rejected a $618,000 reduction to the school budget during the annual town meeting.

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