Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 6, 2020 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark Vogler H ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus. Special Town Meeting Monday Veteran Saugus Police Offi cer Kevin Nichols doesn’t want to be forced into retirement when he turns 65 this spring. That’s why he requested a Special Town Meeting that would authorize selectmen to fi le special legislation that would allow him to work beyond the mandatory retirement age for law enforcement. The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m., Monday (March 9) in the second fl oor auditorium at Saugus Town Hall. Town Moderator Stephen N. Doherty of Precinct 4 said he expects a fairly quick meeting, with that as the only Article on the Warrant, other than the election of the moderator. Doherty, who has served in that leadership position for six years, said he intends to seek reelection. Selectmen voted unanimously to schedule the meeting for Monday, March 9. It’s the only Article on the agenda for that night. Doherty said he’s heard reports that former Town Moderator Robert J. Long – who was elected to a Town Meeting seat in Precinct 9 last fall – is interested in running. Long confi rmed yesterday “I am strongly considering it,” but will mull it over for a couple of days before making his decision. “I’ve been called on to do it. Several people have asked me. But if you’re going to do it, it requires you to do it right,” Long said in a telephone interview. “You know, last election, there was a clear indication that people weren’t happy with their local government. Voters knocked the School Committee, replaced two selectmen and elected 20 new Town Meeting members. That was the public telling you that they were not happy with the way things were being done,” Long said. “So, I’m giving it some very strong thought because I do think there’s changes that need to be made. I will make up my mind in the next day or so,” he said. Looks like a routine and quick meeting on paper. But it could be a long night if Long decides to re-seek the moderator’s post. It will be a secret ballot with an opportunity for each of the candidates to give a three-minute talk, according to Long. And the victor must win with at least 26 votes – the majority of the 50-members. Giving politics a bad name Over the course of my career, I have always enjoyed spending time outside a local election polling location, sampling the views of voters who proudly exercised one of this country’s greatest freedoms – the right to vote. One of my fi rst stories four years ago when I began working as Editor at The Saugus Advocate was to do a local angle story on the state’s presidential primary. So, I wound up spending a couple of hours interviewing people and taking photographs at the Precinct 9 polling place at Oaklandvale Elementary School. I talked to 25 people during the two hours I was there. I decided to hang out again outside Precinct 9 on Tuesday. Despite much better weather than the chilly, fi nger-numbing day of four years earlier, my reporting wasn’t as productive this time. It took me fi ve hours to grab 30 people this time. And instead of getting a good sample of local voters’ views of the presidential candidates, a lot of folks didn’t want to talk this time unless they spoke anonymously. Several people who represented themselves as Trump backers said they are afraid of possible consequences for publicly praising President Trump. “I don’t get my customers angry,” one voter told me. “Hey, this is a cliquey town and I don’t want to wind up getting abused. You know how it goes in Saugus,” another voter said. What a bunch of hogwash, I thought. People publicly acRIGHT BY YOU RIGHT BY YOU BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT knowledging their allegiance to President Trump and they’re afraid of being persecuted in a town that supported Trump with 54 percent of the vote four years ago? Right. Then I ran into a couple of young liberal voters who gave me some good quotes on why they backed Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. But a couple of hours later, I received a text from one of them requesting that the photo I took and the interview that went with it not be published. Her friend made the same request. Actually, I could have denied their requests and run the interview with the photo, because they knew they were talking to a reporter. But for the sake of a human interest story coming out of a small town, I gave them a pass. But I got wondering about voters who shared their views freely and then sought privacy on their right to vote. That’s certainly a fi rst in my 45-yearplus newspaper career. I do respect the right of JOE BONO owner of THE BERRY TAVERN, AL DENTE, BENEVENTO’S, AND BENCOTTO OVER 20 YEARS OF BANKING WITH EVERETT BANK “I can be myself and they can be themselves. Regular people doing business the right way.” VISIT US TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN DO RIGHT BY YOUR BUSINES S 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 | 61 7 . 38 7 . 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 | 78 1 . 7 7 6 . 4444 Member FDIC Member SIF EVERETTBANK . COM the old-timers who hold near and dear their right to privacy about who they vote for. I know a few folks like that. By the same token, I’ve never been interested in granting anonymity to a voter who wants to publicly promote his or her candidate. And I have less respect for folks who proudly display their support for a candidate, only to ask that their comments be ignored later. Another thing I found troublesome was the hostility displayed by voters who resented that I was even out there asking questions. A few of them apparently called the cops on me, because an offi cer working at the polls came out and asked what I was doing. And that was another career fi rst. Hey folks. This is America. Wake up. One irate voter The fi rst voter I interviewed on Tuesday was not a happy camper. Joe Lamonica couldn’t believe he wasn’t on the voters list when he showed up to the Precinct 9 polls at the Oaklandvale Elementary School. “I’ve been registered for 30 years and they don’t have me listed,” Lamonica complained when I approached him to get his views on whom he voted for. “It’s disconcerting. And this isn’t the first time it’s happened to me, so I’m a little angry. I got to vote but had to go through a lot of aggravation today,” he said. But apparently there were some circumstances that delayed Lamonica’s voting day, somewhat. “Joseph Lamonica was on the voting list but the Inactive list due to not returning his census in 2 years,” Town Clerk Ellen Schena told The Saugus Advocate. “By returning your census each year keeps you on the active list. Mr. Lamonica received a ballot and was able to vote,” Schena said. So, is this a situation that occurs once in a while? “Yes, this happens at every election. Citizens need to return their census,” Schena said. Other than that, Super Tuesday went smoothly, according to the town clerk. She noted there was a problem with a voting machine caused by a paper jam, but that was corrected. A week of early voting accommodated 604 voters, Schena said. But, in the end, the extra week for voters didn’t increase the voter turnout. And neither did the unseasonably warm weather that allowed people to be outside without their jackets. “Yes, the weather was very accommodating. I do not know why the turnout in Saugus was not as high as four years ago,” Schena said. Route 1 refl ections Here’s an upcoming program that was brought to our attention this week by Laura Eisener of the Saugus Historical Society. She calls it “CLASSIC ROUTE 1,” and it should be of great interest to anyone who loves learning about the town’s rich history. As Laura writes: “Share your memories of Route 1 as we travel back in time. For many outside of Saugus, the town is defi ned as a 4 mile stretch of bright lights, restaurants, and shops. The Newburyport Turnpike that was built in 1805 suddenly blossomed in the mid-twentieth century as a destination SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17
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