PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY. 1007

such incumbent. The procedure to effect the removal of an
incumbent of an elective office shall be as follows: A petition
signed by electors entitled to vote for a successor to the incum-
bent sought to be removed equal in number to at least twenty-
five per cent, of the entire vote for all candidates for the office
of Mayor of the last preceding general town election, demand-
ing an election of a successor of the person sought to be re-
moved shall be filed with the town clerk, which petition shall
contain a general statement of the grounds for which the re-
moval is sought. If the petition shall be found to be sufficient,
the Council shall order and fix a date for holding the said elec-
tion, not less than thirty days nor more than forty days from
the date of the clerk's certificate to the Council that a suffi-
ceint petition is filed. The Council shall make, or cause to be
made, publication of notice and all arrangements for holding
.such election, and the same shall be conducted, returned and
the result thereof declared, in all respects as are other town
elections. The successor of any officer so removed shall hold
office during the unexpired term of his predecessor. Any per-
son sought to be removed may be a candidate to succeed him-
self, and unless he requests otherwise in writing, the clerk
shall place his name on the official ballot without nomination.

SEC. 22. Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the
Council by petition, signed by electors of the town equal in
number to the percentage hereinafter required; if the petition
is signed by electors equal in number to twenty-five per centum
of the votes cast for all candidates for Mayor at the last preced-
ing general election, and contains a request that the ordinance
be submitted to a vote of the people if not passed by the Coun-
cil, such Council shall either (a) pass said ordinance without
alteration within twenty days after attachment of the clerk's
certificate to the petition, or (b) forthwith after the clerk shall
attach to the petition his certificates of sufficiency, the Council
shall call a special election unless a general town election is
fixed within ninety days thereafter, and at such special or gen-
eral election such ordinance shall be submitted without altera-
tion to the vote of the town electors, but if the petition is
signed by not less than ten nor more than twenty-five percen-
tum of the electors as above defined, then the Council shall
within twenty days pass said ordinance without change, or
submit the same at the next general town election occurring
not more than thirty days after the clerk's certificate of suf-
ficiency is attached; if a majority of the qualified electors vot-
ing on the proposed ordinance shall vote in favor thereof, such
ordinance shall thereupon become a valid and binding ordi-
nance proposed by and any ordinance proposed by petition or
which shall be adopted by a vote of the people cannot be re-