Portsmouth Herald
OGUNQUIT, Maine — Bob Whitelaw thought he'd be about a month into his first term on the town's Select Board by now, having been declared the winner of the March 30 special election and sworn in.
After taking part in just two meetings as a member, however, Whitelaw was booted from the board last week. A group of townspeople had pointed out that too few votes were cast in the special election to meet the town charter's definition of a quorum, and Town Clerk Chris Murphy agreed.
"While I was aware of the quorum provision, it was my understanding that it applied to referendum questions and not candidate elections," Murphy said, explaining why she mistakenly declared Whitelaw the winner. "After consulting with the Town Attorney, out of an abundance of caution, I have invalidated the results of the election."