Volunteers collecting signatures to recall FR Mayor Correia

November 2, 2018 12:21 am

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Volunteers trying to recall Mayor Jasiel Correia hit the streets Thursday night, collecting signatures for their petition. They need to get 2500 signatures to trigger a recall election.

“Mostly positive. A lot of people are coming up to us, coming out of their way//just to sign the petition//We’ve gotten very little negative response,” said volunteer Erik Tolley.

The folks behind the push to recall say given federal allegations that Correia defrauded investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Mayor has simply lost credibility.

“If one of your neighbors was just arrested for stealing, would you say can you keep an eye on my wallet? No you wouldn’t,” said Joe Pereira, who was among the original signers of the affidavit.

Petitioners tell us some businesses have tried to stop them from getting signatures on their property. Some believe that’s due to complaints directed at stores by supporters of the Mayor.

“Some of the other retail locations that we’ve gone to have asked us to leave three today,” said Pereira. “That’s against the law.”

Despite that, they’ve already collected several hundred signatures in just the last two days.

“So the reason why I signed is because personally I don’t trust the mayor,” said Philip Camara, who signed the petition.

But not everyone in town agrees with the idea of a recall.

“The man is innocent until proven guilty. let the process play out. if he gets convicted then you can take steps on the recall,” said Greg Moniz, who opposes a recall.

Organizers of the petition drive think they have a real shot at ousting the Mayor.

“I think we’ll gather our signatures, we’ll perfect the recall, we’ll have the election come up. Then it’ll be a matter of who’s going to run against him,” said Pereira.

Even if a special election is triggered, Correia could win it and stay Mayor. In fact, in a statement, the Mayor says he supports residents’ right to petition, and, if there is a recall, he encourages people to re-elect him.