Swampscott Resident Files Recall Petition For Selectman

SWAMPSCOTT, MA —A Swampscott resident has taken the first step in removing Selectman Donald Hause by filing a recall petition Tuesday.

Nicolas Scibelli filed the petition with the required 25 voter signatures, according to the Swampscott Reporter, which first reported this story. Hause was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

"Donald Hause, as an elected Selectman for the Town of Swampscott, has repeatedly expressed opinions that devalue and affront the human and civil rights of minorities. His stated opinions are detrimental to the best interests of the town of Swampscott and its citizens," the petition reads. "As a public official, Donald Hause has a duty to support racial justice and equality in our community. His intolerance is caustic and functions to limit the safety and civil liberties of people of color, and all citizens that venerate their dignity. The continued presence of Donald Hause on the Swampscott Select Board is contrary to the values and expressed desires of the constituents he was elected to represent."

The petition was filed on the same day the town scheduled a forum for Wednesday to discuss racial issues in Swampscott. Hause has been under fire since earlier this month, when a bartender accused him in a Facebook post of making disparaging comments about the Black Lives Matter movement, including calling it "liberal bull----."

Hause has repeatedly denied the allegations and said his comments were taken out of context while he had dinner at a local restaurant with his wife and another couple.