Absence of ward officers. 1821, c. 110, SECT. 10. In case of the absence of any ward officer at any ward meeting, such officer may be chosen pro tempore, by hand vote, and shall have 1845, c. 217, all the powers, and be subject to all the duties of the regular officer at such meeting. § 3. § 3. Power and duty of war den. Duties of ward clerk. § 3. SECT. 11. It shall be the duty of the warden to preside at all ward meetings, with the powers of moderators of town meetings. In case of his absence, the clerk, and, in case of the absence of the clerk, any inspector, shall preside, according to seniority, until a warden shall be chosen, as provided in the preceding section. SECT. 12. It shall be the duty of the clerk to 1821, c. 110, make a fair and true record, and to keep an exact journal of all the acts and votes of citizens at the ward meetings, and to deliver over such records and journals, together with other documents and papers held by him in his said capacity, to his successor in office. Duties of warden and SECT. 13. It shall be the duty of the warden inspectors. and inspectors of each ward to receive, sort, and 1821, c. 110, count, and of the warden to declare, all votes at any election within such ward. § 3. Duties of ward offi cers at all elections. 1845, c. 217, § 3. SECT. 14. It shall be the duty of all ward officers, authorized to preside and act at elections of city officers, to attend and perform their respective duties at the times and places appointed for elections of any officers, whether of the United States, state, city, or wards, and to make and sign the regular returns of the same. Election of mayor. § 5. c. 7, § 14. SECT. 15. The qualified voters of said city shall, at the annual meeting, be called upon to give 1821, c. 110, in their votes for one able and discreet person, being an inhabitant of the city, to be mayor of See G. S. said city for the term of one year. All the ballots so given in, in each ward, being sorted, counted, and declared, shall be recorded at large by the clerk in open ward meeting; and, in making such declaration and record, the whole number of votes or ballots given in shall be distinctly stated, together with the name of every person voted for and the number of votes given for each person respectively, such numbers to be expressed in words at length; and a transcript of such record, certified and authenticated by the warden, clerk, and a majority of the inspectors of elections for each ward, shall forthwith be transmitted or delivered by such ward clerk to the clerk of the city. It shall be the duty of the city clerk forthwith to enter such returns, or a plain intelligible abstract of them, as they are successively received, upon the journal of the proceedings of the board of aldermen, or some other book to be kept for that purpose. aldermen to turns of SECT. 16. The board of aldermen shall, as Board of soon as conveniently may be, within three days of examine resuch election, meet together and examine all the votes for said returns, and they shall cause the person who mayor. may have been elected mayor to be notified in writing of his election; but, if it shall appear by said returns that no person has been elected, or if § 5. 1821, c. 110. the person elected shall refuse to accept the office, 1830, c.7, § 2. the board shall issue their warrants for a new election, and the same proceedings shall be had as are provided in the preceding section for the choice of a mayor, and repeated from time to time until a mayor shall be chosen. Proceedings in case of no choice of mayor before the ment of the year. 1830, c. 7, § 1. SECT. 17. Whenever, on examination by the board of aldermen of the returns of votes given for mayor at the meetings of the wards, holden commence for the purpose of electing that officer, last premunicipal ceding the first Monday of January in each year, no person shall appear to be chosen, the board of aldermen, by whom such examination is made, shall make a record of that fact, an attested copy of which record it shall be the duty of the city clerk to produce and read, on the first Monday of January, in the presence of the members returned to serve as aldermen and common councilmen; and the oaths prescribed by law may be administered to the members elect. The members of the board of aldermen shall thereupon proceed to elect a chairman, and the common council a president, in their respective chambers; and being respectively organized, they shall proceed to business in the manner hereinafter provided, in case of the absence of the mayor; and the board of aldermen shall forthwith issue their warrants for meetings of the citizens of the respective wards, for the choice of a mayor, at such time and place as they shall judge most convenient; and the same proceedings shall be had in all respects as are hereinbefore directed, and shall be repeated from time to time, until a mayor shall be duly chosen. in case*no chosen, or a not elected. § 1. SECT. 18. Whenever it shall appear, by the Proceedings regular returns of the elections of city officers, mayor is that a mayor has not been chosen, or that a full full board of board of aldermen has not been elected, such of aldermen is the board of aldermen, whether they constitute 1845, c. 217, a quorum or not, as may have been chosen, shall issue their warrant, in the usual form, for the election of a mayor, or such members of the board of aldermen as may be necessary; and the same proceedings shall be had and repeated, until the election of a mayor and aldermen shall be completed, and all vacancies shall be filled in the said board; and, in case neither a mayor nor any alderman shall be elected at the usual time for electing the same, and after the powers of the former mayor and aldermen shall have ceased, it shall be the duty of the president of the common council to issue his warrant, in the same manner as the board of aldermen would have done if elected, and the same proceedings shall be had and repeated, until a mayor or one or more aldermen shall be elected. aldermen. SECT. 19. The qualified voters of said city Election of shall, at the annual meeting, be called upon to give in their votes for twelve persons being inhabitants of said city, to constitute the board of aldermen for the ensuing year, and all the votes so given, being sorted, counted, and declared by the warden and inspectors, shall be recorded at large 1821, c. 110, by the clerk, in open ward meeting; and in mak § 6. See G. S. c. 7, § 14. Election of common ing such declaration and record, the whole number of votes or ballots given in shall be particularly stated, together with the name of every person voted for, and the number of votes given for each person; and a transcript of such record, certified by the warden and clerk and a majority of the inspectors of each ward, shall forthwith be transmitted to the city clerk, whereupon the same proceedings shall be had to ascertain and determine the persons chosen as aldermen, as are hereinbefore directed in regard to the choice of mayor, and for a new election in case of the whole number required not being chosen at the first election. And each alderman so chosen shall be duly notified in writing, of his election, by the mayor or aldermen for the time being. SECT. 20. The qualified voters of each ward councilmen. shall, at the annual election, be called upon to give 1821, c. 110, in their votes for four1 able and discreet men, being § 7. inhabitants of the ward, to be members of the common council for the ensuing year; and all the ballots so given in, in each ward, being sorted, counted and declared, a public declaration of the result shall be made by the warden in open ward meeting; and a record of such proceeding shall be kept by the clerk in his journal, stating particularly the whole number of ballots given in, the number necessary to make a choice, the number Altered to three by chap. 243 of the acts of 1875. |