Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 5, 2024 World Series Park welcomes Flogolf as a sponsor W (Editor’s Note: World Series Park issued the following press release this week.) orld Series Park in Saugus depends on the support of Saugus businesses. Many Saugus businesses purchase advertising signs each season. People who come to the park are encouraged to support these businesses, since without the support of these sponsors the park wouldn’t be possible. World Series Park hosts over 250 games each season. Flogolf Lounge recently purchased a dugout sign and a fence sign for the 2024 season and became a World Series Park sponsor. Flogolf Lounge, a fresh addition to Saugus, is soon to unveil its indoor golf simulators with a full kitchen, lounge and bar. It’s located on Broadway North next to Dave’s Hot Chicken. Flogolf says: “If you’re seeking an experience beyond the ordinary, join us on this incredible journey at Flogolf Lounge, where the love of golf fuels every swing. “Welcome to our golfing haven, where the spirit of the game comes alive and dreams are realized, one swing at a time. And yes, we’ve escaped the grip of New England weather, now enabling year-round birdies!” The owners of Flogolf Lounge believe in supporting the community by not only providing reliable, professional service for people’s golf and entertainment needs but also supporting causes that make Saugus a better place to live, like World Series Park that provides a great facility for the youth of Saugus to play baseball. World Series Park superintendent Bob Davis said, “We very much appreciate Flogolf Lounge’s support and encourage people to visit SPONSORING LOCAL BASEBALL: Bob Davis, superintendent of World Series Park (shown second from the left) joins FloGolf Lounge managing partners Thanh Nguyen, Nicholas DelGreco and Cuong Mai in holding a new sponsor sign that is displayed at the park. (Photo courtesy of Jim Harrington) their new facility. We hope that other new and already established Saugus businesses will help us by purchasing advertising signs and becoming one of our sponsors.” World Series Park signs are made by Sachem Signworks. Volunteer consultant accepts the blame Moving Saugus Forward Committee cited for violating the state campaign finance law By Mark E. Vogler I n last year’s campaign for a Charter Commission, the Moving Saugus Forward Committee ran political ads that endorsed 13 candidates it wanted on the commission while opposing 11 candidates who were also on the ballot. Nevertheless, Saugus voters rejected Question 2 – whether to elect a commission to revise the charter – by a vote of 468 to 2,276 in last November’s election. And voters only picked two candidates endorsed by the committee to fill the nine Charter Commission seats had question 2 passed. The state Office of Campaign & Political Finance recently cited the committee for violating Massachusetts campaign finance law. “Not only did the Committee improperly use committee funds to influence the election of candidates, but the action also resulted in corporate funds being used for the same purpose,” OCPF Director William C. Campbell wrote in a March 20 letter posted on the agency’s website. In brief, ballot question committees are limited to spending money to influence questions on the ballot – not to influence the election or opposition to political candidates. “OCPF also noted that the signs in support of both the ballot question and candidates appeared around Saugus. However, the committee of both the ballot question and candidates appeared around Saugus,” Campbell continued. “However, the Committee only paid for its portion of the signs with a third party providing an inkind contribution to the candidate for their portion of the signs. Thus, there was no inkind contribution from the Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee Committee to the candidates for the signs.” After its investigation of a complaint about the Moving Saugus Forward Committee, the OCPF determined the committee expenditures supporting and opposing candidates violated the law. To resolve the violations, Jason Cincotti, a political consultant who lives in Brighton, wrote a personal check to the Commonwealth on behalf of the 13 candidates who benefited from the expenditures as an in-kind contribution to their campaigns. “This was based on the total cost of the advertisements and the percentages of each advertisement or mailing that supported or opposed candidates,” Campbell explained in his two-page letter addressed to Anthony Speziale, treasurer of the Moving Forward Committee. He was responsible for filing the campaign finance reports. “Those expenditures resulted in unauthorized in-kind contributions by the Committee to the 13 candidates in the amount of $85.85 per candidate,” Campbell concluded. Cincotti, who paid the $1,116 to resolve the OCPF case, accepted the blame for the committee being cited. “I felt responsible for the cost that was incurred by the committee due to the advice I had given them,” Cincotti told The Saugus Advocate. “The committee was cited based on some bad advice I had given them.” Cincotti, who described himself as “a local political consultant who has been volunteering his time to the committee,” said he received no payment for the time he spent working on the Charter Commission project. How did he get involved with Moving Saugus Forward? Cincotti said he has known Selectman Anthony Cogliano for several years. It was Cogliano who spearheaded the unsuccessful campaign for a Charter Commission last year with an initial objective of changing Saugus from a town to a city. He said he met Cogliano while working on consulting projects for WIN Waste Innovations. He said his volunteer work for Moving Saugus Forward has no connection with his ongoing consulting work for WIN. The candidates supported by the improper committee-funded ads were Cogliano, Speziale, Robert Camuso, Donald Cicolini, Eugene Decareau, Frank Federico, Lori Gallivan, Lawrence MingoCONSULTANT | SEE PAGE 9
9 Publizr Home