Fall River mayor charged in federal indictment faces recall vote

FALL RIVER, Mass. — Voters in Fall River are deciding whether to remove their embattled mayor from office.

A recall election is scheduled for Tuesday after Mayor Jasiel Correia declined to step down after being charged last year with defrauding investors in an app he developed. He pleaded not guilty in federal court.

Voters will be given a two-part ballot.

First, they must vote for or against recalling Correia. Next, they're asked to choose between five candidates for mayor, should the recall be approved.

Correia is among the five candidates, meaning he could be recalled and re-elected all at the same time.

Previous: Fall River mayor says he won't quit; recall vote next

Also running are City Councilor Joseph Camara, School Committee Member Paul Coogan, Kyle Riley and Erica Scott-Pacheco.

Information about Tuesday's recall election was not prominently displayed on the city's website or even listed on the calendar of events. A link buried in the Fall River Board of Election Commissioner's section has an image of the recall ballot, but no notice displaying information about the recall election.

Debra O'Malley, a spokesperson for Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, said no there's no "legal requirement in state election law that cities or towns post election information on their website," though it's encouraged, and called municipalities "fairly autonomous," in relation to local elections.

The lack of election information may not be illegal but it's not a good way to ensure citizens are informed, said Pam Wilmot, the executive director of government watchdog group Common Cause Massachusetts. "Municipalities should always provide information about elections, including recalls, on their website. Poll hours, locations, and a sample ballot are all important for citizens to be able to effectively exercise their franchise. It’s disappointing that this information is apparently lacking in Fall River," she said.

Correia was 23-years-old when first elected mayor in 2015.

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Associated Press