Aug 15, 2008 6:25 pm US/Eastern
Gloucester Residents Petition To Have Mayor Ousted
GLOUCESTER (WBZ) ―
The storm of controversy over an alleged pregnancy pact on the North Shore is escalating as pressure mounts to remove the mayor of Gloucester from office.
A defiant Mayor Carolyn Kirk is rejecting those calls.
Kirk is speaking out for the first time since the high school principal, Joseph Sullivan, resigned earlier this week.
Sullivan is the one who suggested that teenage girls made a deal to get pregnant on purpose, which has since prompted a petition drive to force the mayor from City Hall.
"I feel the mayor's not listening to the needs of the people," said Gloucester resident Annette Dion.
So Dion and a few concerned citizens hit the streets of Gloucester Friday, gathering signatures one by one to try to oust Mayor Kirk.
"Carolyn Kirk falls short of being a good leader," said Dion.
"The recall I think is really a reaction to the lines being drawn, and I was elected on a change mandate," Kirk said. "I have ruffled feathers since I've been in office."
Controversy has swirled in the normally quiet fishing community after a spike in teen pregnancy at Gloucester High School. Sullivan resigned, saying the mayor didn't support him and slandered his reputation after he made comments about the possibility of a pregnancy pack.
"I came to the defense of the families and teens in Gloucester," Kirk said.
The group needs almost 4,000 registered voters to sign to force the recall.
"The sentiment is there. I think we'll get the support we need," Dion said.
"I'm going to remain focused on the challenges of the city of Gloucester, which there are many," Kirk said.
If enough votes are gathered, a new election will be held. When asked if she would run for re-election should she get ousted, Mayor Kirk said she would cross that bridge if and when she ever gets there.
Kirk took office this past January. The city clerk said in his 16 years there have been two attempts to recall a mayor in Gloucester, both of which failed.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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