Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 20, 2023 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good Morning, Saugus! Last night was one of those nights when a news reporter covering the Town of Saugus had to make a tough decision. Do you go cover the public hearing for the School Department budget for the 2024 fiscal year that begins July 1? Or, do you go to the Board of Selectmen’s meeting in which the annual evaluation of Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree was the main order of business? It was indeed a tough call for Charlie McKenna, the staff reporter at The Daily Item of Lynn, who covers Saugus. Whatever meeting he decided to cover, he would have to watch the video from Saugus TV of the meeting he didn’t. With Thursdays being a production day for The Saugus Advocate, both meetings happen hours after our editorial deadline and the time the paper is actually teased on The Advocate News Facebook page. I expect I will be watching video of both meetings some time over the weekend or early next week. Disturbing school administration reports. Early Wednesday afternoon, this shocking email came to my attention: Have you heard that the Saugus Superintendent has been placed on administrative leave? Of course, it is the type of email that needs to be checked out. And I usually like to go through the front door and ask the main people involved whether there is any truth to such a report? If Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Erin McMahon is on administrative leave, when did this happen and why did it happen. If the reports are accurate, the public deserves to know the answers. Because we were unable to verify the accuracy, what we’ve heard doesn’t justify a story. But given the lack of response – not even a denial from school officials – it is worth mentioning in this column, particularly since several selectmen we talked to said they heard the same reports about the superintendent being on administrative leave. And they mentioned some reasons. But at this time, it would be unfair to report them in this column. I exercise due diligence by reaching out to four School Committee members, the superintendent’s public affairs person and the town manager. I received no response. One of the School Committee members deferred to School Committee Chair Vincent Serino. I emailed my questions to him, also texted him and left a message on his phone. Nobody responded by deadline yesterday (Thursday, Jan. 19). Nobody will talk about it. If there weren’t some truth to the reports, somebody would get back to me with a categorical denial – especially from the School Committee chair and the superintendent’s public affairs person. End of story. Instead, there are rampant rumors about what has actually transpired. And the longer it takes for the School Department to dismiss or confirm the reports, the more folks speculate. Stay tuned. Ten Days until “Saugus Over Coffee” We are 10 days away from the first of 10 public forums titled “Saugus Over Coffee,” a series of meetings co-sponsored by The Saugus Advocate and the Saugus Public Library, which will be held in the library’s Community Room, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30. The purpose of the sessions is to give residents in each precinct a chance to talk about issues that concern them in their respective precincts. Residents in Precinct 1 will get crack at it on Jan. 30. At the outset of the forum, each of the five Town Meeting members will be invited to introduce themselves, talk about their background and share their concerns about top issues in their neighborhood. Then, anyone who is thinking about running will be allowed to speak. Then, members of the public will be able to talk about their concerns. We will try to keep a running tally of all of the concerns mentioned during the forum. There is a possibility of the forums being aired on Saugus TV. So everything will be public. People who don’t want to be quoted or photographed can submit their concerns in writing at the forum or via email. I will ask one of the Town Meeting members to give an overview of the precinct, landmarks, historical sites, long established businesses, etc... Hopefully, we can get photos or drawings on the walls of the community room of the landmarks or familiar sites. And one of the main benefits for the people who attend the forum, they will be able to enjoy coffee, tea or water and some other refreshment will get a chance to meet the Town Meeting members in their precinct. And the Town Meeting members will get some invaluable feedback from residents. It’s been my observation in the past town election years that folks don’t get to learn much about all of the candidates running for the 50 seats on the Annual Town Meeting – Saugus’ very own Legislature. Now, they will. And all of those concerns up, the candidates running for selectmen of School Committee will get to hear the top neighborhood concerns of Saugus residents. The first forum, focusing on issues in Precinct 1, will be held on Monday, Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room of The Saugus Public Library, 295 Central St., Saugus. Coffee and tea will be served. Precinct 2 residents will have a chance to express their views at a forum scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13. Stay tuned. Here is the complete schedule for upcoming Saugus Over Coffee forums. Precinct 1 – Jan. 30 Precinct 2 – Feb. 13 Precinct 3 – March 13. Precinct 4 – April 17 Precinct 5 – May 8 Precinct 6 – June 12 Precinct 7 – July 10 Precinct 8 – August 14 Precinct 9 – Sept. 11 Precinct 10 – Oct. 23 Please check with The Saugus Advocate or library for any changes in dates. We have a winner Congratulations to Shirley Bogdan for making the right identification in last week’s “Guess Who Got Sketched?” Contest. Shirley was one of several readers answering correctly. But, she was the only one to have her name picked in a drawing from the green Boston Red Sox cap. Here’s the correct answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “The answer to last week’s sketch is of a multifaceted genius and humanitarian. The man with streets and Holiday GUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED? If you know the right answer, you might win the contest. In this week’s edition, we continue our weekly feature where a local artist sketches people, places and things in Saugus. Got an idea who’s being sketched this week? If you do, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a phone message at 978 683-7773. Anyone who identifies the Saugonian sketched in this week’s paper between now and Tuesday at Noon qualifies to have their name put in a green Boston Red Sox hat with a chance to be selected as the winner of a $10 gift certificate, compliments of Hammersmith Family Restaurant, 330 Central Street in Saugus. But you have to enter to win! Look for the winner and identification in next week’s “The Sounds of Saugus.” Please leave your mailing address in case you are a winner. (Courtesy illustration to The Saugus Advocate by a Saugonian who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist”) named after him; He is a man of great honor; American Baptist Minister, activist, Peaceful Civil Rights Leader Mr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! There have been many books written about this man of great deeds, the books I found most astounding were his Biographies that revealed intricacies of Martin growing up. Martin’s ideas formed as a young boy “trained up in the way he should go” and he obviously did “not part from it”. As a child he showed wisdom and compassion beyond his years. Martin’s brilliance was apparent growing up; he skipped 9th & 11th grade and entered Morehouse college in Atlanta at 15 years old in 1944. Martin was born January 15th, 1929 Atlanta Georgia and his life was taken abruptly from him April 4th, 1968 in Memphis TN.... a pause for a moment with tearful respect. He is at rest in Martin Luther King JR. National Historic Park. After graduating from Morehouse College, he went on to Crozer Theoretical Seminary (BDiv) then attended Boston University (Systematic Theology) earning a PHD. While in Boston King met Coretta, a student at New England Conservatory of Music. Martin and Coretta married in 1953, They had four children Martin lll, Yolanda, Dexter and Bernice. Martin Luther King’s candle of light lit billions of great lights within the hearts and minds of Nations. A segregated world conquered through peace, Justice and truth. Martin’s legacy lives on through shattered paradigms of ignorance and ignited freedoms of lights burning brightly in THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 13 —Cont est— CONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK
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