Cole's recall ordinance petition fails to materialize

Former assistant rescue chief and town selectman Jason Cole solicits signatures for several citizen's petitions during a Feb. 28 'Meet and Greet' for newly hired Lebanon Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Meehan at LES. (Lebanon Voice file photo)

LEBANON - With the deadline for submitting citizen petitions passed, it appears a fledgling effort by former selectman and assistant rescue chief Jason Cole to put a selectmen recall ordinance on the June ballot fell short.

Only two citizen's petition were submitted within the allotted time period: one to raise and appropriate $1,500 for the annual fall Lebanon Festival and one to allow town voters to decide whether they want to switch to a Town Manager form of government.

Cole proclaimed on Feb. 28 at a "Meet and Greet" for new Lebanon Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Meehan that he was well on his way to getting a sufficient number of signatures for the recall petition, which needed about 240 certified town residents' signatures to be ruled valid.

At the meeting Cole also sought signatures on three other petitions that would require that the fire and rescue chief to be elected, that town-owned vehicles be required to be garaged in town and to appropriate funds to buy equipment to allow the town's paramedic license to be restored to its ambulance service.

Cole and his wife, former Lebanon rescue chief Samantha Cole, resigned from their positions on Jan. 1 of 2014, the same day Jason Cole also resigned his selectman's seat.

All citizen's petitions were required to be submitted at Town Offices by the end of the day on Tuesday.