Hanover Meeting Rejects Recall, Shelves County Study

Town Meeting · Meeting of May 5, 2026

Hanover Town Meeting rejects recall bylaw and advisory committee overhaul, then shelves a Plymouth County study by a single-digit margin. Petitioner Walter Dixon's recall article drew opposition from Town Counsel Daniel Brown and School Committee member Elizabeth Corbo, both of whom argued it would require special legislation, not a bylaw. A separate article from Mark Anderson to shift Advisory Committee appointments from the town moderator to the Select Board also failed after the committee's spokesperson, Emanuel Docter, called it legally conflicted.

The night's closest fight came on Select Board member Rachel Hughes' petition urging the state to study eliminating Plymouth County government: a referral to a study committee failed 53-57 of 110 ballots cast, and members then voted to pass over the article entirely. Hughes noted county commissioners, paid $39,000 part time, gave themselves a "70 percent increase in their salary" this year. Five other warrant articles, including a plastic bag ban and a Hanover Crossing liquor license extension, passed unanimously.

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Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.