Marshfield Registrars Vote 2-1 to Invalidate Eric Kelly Recall Petition

MARSHFIELD -- May 29, 2026, Marshfield registrars voted 2-1 to void the recall petition against Select Board member Eric Kelly over a missing official seal. Acting Chair Walter Sterling and Registrar Dave Kolar ruled Thursday that the April 2026 recall petition failed to satisfy the requirements of Chapter C, Article 8.1.2 of the Marshfield Town Charter, which requires petition blanks to bear a date and official seal. Registrar Dave O'Reilly dissented, arguing the board should not nullify nearly 3,877 certified signatures because of errors originating in the clerk's office. Town Clerk Kathleen Norris told the board she had deliberately omitted the seal because no distinct "town clerk's seal" exists and affixing the town seal would have implied municipal endorsement of the recall. Sterling, citing more than 40 years in code enforcement, said the omission was not a clerical error but a conscious departure from charter requirements: "I will not place myself in what I consider to be an unethical position of picking and choosing provisions that can or do not need to be applied." The board declined to proceed to line-by-line signature review, and the petition died on the 2-1 form ruling.