Fall River City Clerk Blocks Coogan Recall Petition — But 2014 and 2018 Petitions Lacked Sworn Statement Too

UPDATE: We have received the full affidavits for the Will Flanagan and Jasiel Correia II recall efforts from the City Clerk. You can compare them to the Mayor Coogan one that was deemed invalid by the City Clerks office for not having a sworn statement of facts.

Last week, the leadership hoping to recall Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan dropped off a petition with the clerks office. The effort was invalidated by the City Clerk’s office due to the lack of “a sworn statement of facts” but a review of the previous two recall efforts against former mayors Will Flanagan and Jasiel Correia II do not have sworn statement of facts either.

On Monday, the Recall Coogan effort held a press conference shortly after dropping off their affidavit.

Shortly after, Corporation Counsel Alan Rumsey said he was asked by the city clerk to give an opinion on whether an affidavit with the required minimum of 10 registered city voters was legal. At issue, according to Rumsey, was the paperwork delivered to the City Clerks office Monday morning did not contain a sworn statement of facts preventing the recall effort moving forward to the elections office. Days later, Nelson Vasquez, chairperson of the Committee to Recall Mayor Paul Coogan, stepped down from that role.

Did the previous two mayoral recall efforts have a sworn statement of facts?

Fall River Reporter requested and received the 2014 and 2018 recall petitions from Ryan Lyons, the Chairman & Director of the Fall River Election Commission and neither contained a sworn statement of facts.

Here is the former Mayor Will Flanagan recall petition that we received from the Fall River Elections Office:

Here is the former Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II recall petition we received from the Fall River Elections Office:

WSAR received and posted the Coogan recall affidavit on Facebook last Tuesday.

Based on what the Elections Office provided Fall River Reporter, a “sworn statement of facts” is not located on either the Flanagan or Correia II recall petitions, but the Coogan recall petition was certified by a notary of public. Neither of the Flanagan or Correia recall petitions were notarized.

Last Friday, to compare what the City Clerk affidavits to what the Elections Office has, Fall River Reporter requested copies of the Flanagan or Correia II recall petition from the City Clerk, but we have yet to receive it at the time this article was published.