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City Councilor Mike Sullivan said, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, that he will be filing an order that would allow Holyoke residents to launch a recall petition that would set up a vote on whether to keep Morse as mayor.
Morse, 31, is facing criticism since news broke earlier this week that he had dated students, 18 years and older, while a professor at UMass Amherst. Morse is running for Congress against longtime incumbent Richard Neal.
Sullivan said the recall filing will be co-sponsored by City Councilors Linda Vacon, David Bartley, and Howard Greaney, Jr.
Morse, who is gay, said political opponents are being opportunistic in their pursual of the recall.
“This is nothing but a sad, ignorant, and homophobic attack by city councilors who have long fought against efforts to make Holyoke a welcoming community for all,” said Morse who called the councilors’ language “slanderous,” according to WesternMass News.
Sullivan said that Morse has been largely absent from the mayor’s job since he started running for Congress and accused Morse of using his political power to take advantage of UMass students.
These acts “simply disqualify him to continues as our mayor,” Sullivan said in a statement. “And with his refusal to resign as mayor, the council will take up an order to authorize his recall.”
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