On the heels of Lowell’s summer scrum over holding a special election to replace John Leahy on the City Council, a nearby city now has to push back its special election plans because the required time frame doesn’t make it possible to do so.

Methuen Mayor Neil Perry’s passing last Saturday led to the appointment of City Councilor D.J. Beauregard as Interim Mayor, with the city charter calling for a special election to be held in 60-days.  That would mean Methuen voters would head back to the polls November 20th.

As one person who closely followed July’s political drama here in the Mill City told me, is someone going to tell Methuen it’s impossible to hold a special election within 60-days?

Well, the answer is yes.

Someone did tell them that. Then someone else from the Secretary of State’s Office confirmed it for them as well.

As a result, Methuen is now planning to hold the vote replacing Mayor Perry on December 10th, 20-days after the 60-days required by their city charter.

The reason? According to a source close to the decision making process we spoke with, “it can’t be done” within 60-days because that date is too close to the November 5th election and would interfere with  legal timelines and requirements governing the state and federal election process.

Methuen officials reached out to Michelle Tassinari, Director and Legal Counsel for the Secretary of State’s Elections Division, for permission to push the special election beyond the 60-day window.

Tassinari not only granted that permission, she also advised the city that their 60-day requirement is “inconsistent with state law” calling for a minimum 64-day window. (Those paying attention to our local battle will remember that Lowell had to alter its home rule petition from a 60-to-64 day minimum window as the earliest such an election could be held in the Mill City)

Methuen’s City Council still has to formally vote to set the December 10th date. InsideLowell has also learned that there will be no in-person early voting for that election, but there will be mail-in voting.

Now for the editorial: those questioning the competence of now-retired Lowell Director of Elections, Greg Pappas, owe the man an apology.

Regardless of where you stood on whether the Lowell City Council should have found a way to make a special election happen or simply make the appointment, it was wrong to question the knowledge (and continue to do so in some quarters) of someone who has probably forgotten more about election law than any of us so-called experts ever knew. Especially when that person is 100% correct and being proven more so with each and every passing election news story. (Lest you forgot about Pappas also informing you there are serious concerns about the United States Post Office’s ability to handle mail-in ballots before it became popular to report across the country)

I won’t hold my breath on any apologies, just as I won’t hold my breath on the (still) open invitation to host an election laws and procedures debate between Pappas and anyone who thinks they know what goes into running an election in this day and age.

I’ll simply report once again that Methuen’s special election to replace Neil Perry will most likely take place on December 10th, because as we were told here in Lowell on July 23rd, holding it so close to the upcoming federal election “can’t be done.”