TIVERTON, R.I. (AP) – Voters in a Rhode Island town have ousted the town council leadership in a recall election.

Tiverton Town Council President Robert Coulter and Vice President Justin Katz were voted out of office Thursday.

Former council candidate William McLaughlin introduced recall petitions that stated the councilors willfully failed to follow the will of the people, lied and misled voters and violated free speech rights by preventing people from redressing grievances with the town government.

Coulter and Katz in a joint statement described the vote as “a power grab” and blamed “out-of-town special interests” for targeting them.

Town Clerk Nancy Mello said Wednesday that Stephen Clarke and John Edwards IV will replace the candidates as they earned the next highest number of votes last November.