SAUGUS The Advocate–A household word in Saugus! AADVOCATEDV CAT Vol. 24, No. 17 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday 781-233-4446 Friday, April 30, 2021 The Final Four Breaking Ground The public questions a quartet of candidates left from 25 who applied for Saugus school superintendent possible vote on their selecBy Mark E. Vogler our candidates remain from the original field of 25 who had aspirations of becoming the next superintendent of Saugus Public Schools. The public got a chance to interview the two men and two women finalists for 75 minutes a piece this week on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. School Committee members will get their opportunity to grill the potential successors to the retiring Dr. David DeRuosi, Jr. next Monday (May 3) and Tuesday (May 4), with a F tion coming later in the week. “I don’t think any of these four candidates are pushovers,” School Committee Vice-Chair Ryan Fisher said when asked about whether he thought the aspiring superintendents had the right temperament to succeed in a community with a reputation for hardball local politics. “I might ask a question in the finals [next week’s interviews] about the rough-and-tumble nature of Saugus,” said Fisher, who chaired the 15-member Superintendent Search ComGetting “Zoomed” again For the second year in a row, concerns about COVID-19 have forced the Annual Town Meeting to be held in an online format By Mark E. Vogler R estaurants and bars across the state are getting back to normal with Governor Charlie Baker relaxing COVID-19 restrictions as more people get vaccinated. But things won’t be near normal for this year’s Annual Town Meeting, which will convene at 7:30 p.m. Monday (May 3) via Zoom videoconferencing – for the second consecutive year. Town Moderator Steve Doherty told selectmen in a letter filed last week that he didn’t feel comfortable having the session in the second floor auditorium at Saugus Town Hall, which still remains closed to the public except for a small crew of town employees who answer the phones and run the day-to-day operation. “BeZOOMED | SEE PAGE 13 CHRISTIE SERINO: A Sachem sports legend, from athlete, to coach to community mentor. Town Meeting is set to vote on an article that would name new Saugus High School sports complex after him. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) Rachael Turco grabs a piece of turf that was torn up from the backyard of the St. John’s Episcopal Church rectory last Saturday (April 24) as she and 24 other volunteers gathered to begin work on a community garden to help alleviate the town’s food insecurity problem. Turco, who is not a church member, says she got involved in the project because she spent many months feeling lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to help others. For story and other photos, please see inside. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Tara Vocino) mittee which reduced the field of applicants to nine preliminary interviews and later the four finalists. “Really four interesting candidates; they all have good qualifications and very interesting backgrounds and experiences that they would bring to the job,” Fisher said. DeRuosi informed the committee last December that he plans to retire on June 30th – the last day of the 2021 fiscal year and also the end of his five years as leader of Saugus FINAL | SEE PAGE 5 ANGELO’S FULL SERVICE Regular Unleaded $2.639 Mid Unleaded $2.739 Super $2.839 Diesel Fuel $2.819 "42 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2020 KERO $4.65 DEF $3.49 9 Diesel $2.349 9 HEATING OIL 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS • OPEN 7 DAYS Prices subject to change Spring is around the Corner! FLEET
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