Orono residents will vote for a City Council member in May in a special election that could unseat a member whose recent appointment by the former mayor proved controversial.
“I think the interests of the voters are best met by having a special election as soon as possible,” Mayor Bob Tunheim said in a meeting Monday night, when the council voted 4 to 1 to set a May 13 election date.
But, even before calling the election, city officials received a letter from the conservative Upper Midwest Law Center, saying it would consider a lawsuit if the council tried to unseat Council Member Claire Berrett.
Berrett, the only council member to vote against setting a special election date, said during the meeting that she was in a “super awkward place.”
Her appointment came at a time of major political transition for Orono, which has replaced four of its five elected leaders in recent months. After a tense election season that drew thousands of dollars in campaign spending, residents decided in November to select two new council members and replace then-Mayor Dennis Walsh. One week after the election, then-Council Member Matt Johnson resigned.
City officials initially announced plans to hold a special election to fill his seat. But later that month, over the objections of some of his council colleagues, Walsh appointed Berrett to the seat.
“I’ll go with whatever happens here. I’m not gonna make a fuss. That’s not me,” Berrett said during the meeting Monday. “But I think that we owe the public the opportunity to understand the implications of taking this forward. There will be a lawsuit. I’m not bringing it, but there will be one.”
Legal questions remain
At the center of the debate is a question of whether Berrett should remain in place until November of 2026, fulfilling the remainder of the term for the council member she replaced, or whether her seat needs to go before voters.