On Monday, March 1, a hearing was convened before 1st Judicial District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood on the matter of an Emergency Petition for a Peremptory Writ of Mandamus, or in the Alternative, for an Alternate Writ of Mandamus.
The hearing was initiated by a filing by governing body members Sherry Abraham and Audrey Jaramillo in an effort to get the town and governing body members John Abrams and Linda Holle to comply with State regulations for the transition to the Commission-Manager form of government as overwhelmingly chosen by Edgewood voters in August 2020.
Compliance with State regulations is not optional, and specific deadlines must be met. However, Holle and Abrams have been in opposition to requests by Jaramillo and Abraham for action steps to be initiated and completed in accordance with State law.
A similar situation occurred in early 2020, when then-mayor John Bassett, sought to avoid compliance with State election regulations and ignore a voter-initiated petition for Special Election on the question of form of government. After the court issued a Writ in that case, the town complied and ultimately the Special Election was held in August 2020. That election saw historic voter turnout and an outcome showing 70% of Edgewood voters favored the change to Commission-Manager government.
