Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark E. Vogler H ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus. A food drive tomorrow Board of Selectmen Vice-Chair Corinne Riley wants to remind Saugus residents of an important, upcoming food drive “The Town of Saugus, organized by the Board of Selectmen, has scheduled a much needed drop-off food and necessities drive to benefit the Saugus Senior Center and the Saugus Food Pantry, on Saturday, February 27th from 10 a.m. to noon at the Saugus Senior Center, 466 Central St. If inclement weather, it will be held the following Saturday, March 6th, same time. “All items are appreciated, but items that are most needed are small individual boxes of cereal as well as full size boxes of cereal, oatmeal, canned fruit, bread, canned tuna fish, soup, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, toilet paper, sanitizer, shelf stable milk, snacks/crackers, peanut butter, jelly, canned vegetables, canned spaghetti sauce, pasta and macaroni and cheese. “This food drive will be missing Wendy Reed, who was the Director of the Saugus United Parish Food Pantry. There are many great people who volunteer their time for those in need, and although Wendy will be sorely missed, this work will continue to help those in our community who have fallen on hard times.” If you feel like doing something to honor Wendy’s memory, this is that type of event. (Wendy died of an apparent heart attack on Feb. 5 at the age of 57.) Riley told fellow selectmen at Tuesday night’s (Feb. 23) meeting that the food bank “is very depleted.” “Building a Better Saugus” Saugus selectmen were happy to reappoint Ken Scourtas to a second term on the Saugus Cultural Council. How could they not be after receiving his inspiring letter: “My vision of building a better Saugus has always centered around the creation of a dynamic community with an inclusive feel. ‘Townies’ will have a place to be proud of, and ‘outsiders’ would want to join this place. A balance, a vision. “It all starts with ‘what we do’, and continues to ‘how we do it’ until we reach the goal. Much has changed over the last year, and … we can change with it!” This commission is out of commission It sure looks like the town’s Commission on Disability could use some help. “As of today’s date, we have not had a meeting for some time or the following reasons,” Marion Dawicki began in a recent letter to the Board of Selectmen. “First of all, our chairman Kathy Forbes passed away and she has not been replaced,” wrote Dawicki, who is the commission’s secretary. “Second, due to the Coronavirus. Members of this Commission: myself, Marion Dawicki, Kevin [Currie] and Steve Rich. We could certainly use help in recruiting new members as well as a new chairman,” Dawicki wrote. Kathy Forbes died on Dec. 6, 2018. But her name and telephone number remain on the commission’s page posted on the town website. The website also notes that the commission should have no less than five members. So, essentially the Commission on Disability has been out of commission for more than two years. If there are any residents out there who like to help make the commission viable again, contact the Board of Selectmen or the Town Manager’s Office. The Commission on Disability plays an important role in Saugus, promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. Commission members have the responsibility for advising and assisting town officials with compliance to federGUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED! 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 between now and Tuesday at noon correctly identifies the Saugonian being sketched qualifies to have their name put in a hat with a chance to be selected as the winner of a $10 gift certificate, compliments of Dunkin’ at the 1204 Broadway Saugus location on Route 1 North. 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”) al and state disability laws. They also assist local disability advocates with technical assistance, advocacy and disability-related matters They are supposed to monitor the town’s compliance with requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Surely, this commission needs to be back in commission, sooner rather than later. February’s “frequent flyers” I can still remember about 17 years ago this month, driving around the city of Lawrence with another reporter under miserable, wintry conditions to conduct what we expected would be adversarial interviews with city residents who made a lot of money off of car accidents. While involved in a year-long investigation into auto insurance fraud, I had gotten my hands on an insurance industry document which listed the names and addresses of Lawrence people who had been identified as “frequent flyers” – those with five or more auto insurance claims in 10 years. More than 50 Lawrence residents fit that profile. And at least 17 of them recorded 10 or more claims over the span of a decade. The checklist of “frequent flyers” that I and a fellow reporter for The Eagle-Tribune used came from the Detailed Claims Database – a computerized inventory of every claim filed in the state since 1994. The amazing thing about the two weeks I spent with co-worker Shawn Boburg, who is now an investigative reporter at The Washington Post, is how productive we were driving around for two weeks and actually getting comments from people who had suspicious insurance claims history. They gave personal insight on how easy it was to profit off what had become a cottage industry in Lawrence known as auto insurance fraud. Sure, some of the “frequent flyers” we approached were hostile towards us. But there were a few who invited us into their living rooms and were quite willing to tell us how they made thousands of dollars off claims that the insurance industry might consider suspicious. The stories these people told added another dimension to our series titled “At Fault: Inside the Culture of Auto Insurance Fraud.” The series sparked a grand jury investigation, which led to the indictment of several lawyers and chiropractors. And then-Gov. Mitt Romney credited the stories with helping to pass legislation that made it illegal for lawyers and chiropractors to pay “runners” to solicit customers involved in fraudulent auto claims. We’ve altered the rules for “Sketch” contest The person who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist” recommends that the winner of our weekly “Guess Who Got Sketched” contest have their name drawn from a hat instead of being selected for being the first one to call or email with the correct answer. The artist also has noticed that some of our readers may not get the paper until Sunday or Monday, so they figure that there’s no point in entering because a winner has already been selected. It’s also possible for folks who have access to a computer to phone or email the correct answer before the paper hit the streets on Friday – by checking out our online digital version of the paper, which is often available for viewing late Thursday night or early Friday. So, to improve the fairness of the contest and open it up to as many readers as possible, we have decided to make a change. If you don’t see the paper until Tuesday morning, you still have a chance to win. Anyone who submits the correct answer by noon on Tuesdays still has a chance to win. The winning entry will be selected from a hat. We have a winner! We have a winner in last week’s “Guess Who Got Sketched” contest. Congratulations to Gloria Johnson. Thanks to other readers who responded by email or phone message. Try again this week. Here’s last week’s answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “The answer to Our Saugus Sweetheart sketch is a very loving and warm Cheryl Doucette! “Cheryl was born and raised in East Saugus (part of four generations) and is married to her “homeboy” Paul. She met Paul when she was 16 yrs old, but didn't date him till she was 25. They are still celebrating their love after 33 + years of marriage and going strong! THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | SEE PAGE 11
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