Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2022 By Mark E. Vogler A fter having a vacancy for about a year, the Board of Health will be operating at full strength with fi ve members once again — soon. Selectmen at Tuesday (May 3) night’s meeting voted 4-0 to approve Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree’s appointment of Anthony J. Bakopolus, DMD to fi ll the seat relinquished by former Committee Vice Chair Shawn Ayube when he moved away from Saugus last year. Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 We Sell Sell Cigars Cigars & AccessoriesAccessories R.YR.Y.O..O. TOBACCOBACCO -------------------TUBESTUBES CIGARCIGAR SMOKERSSMOKERS DELIGHT!DELIGHT! 15 Handmade15 Handmade Churchill Size Churchill Size Cigars including Cigars including a Cohiba - Long a Cohiba - Long wrappedwrapped $43.95 $43.95 Celebrating our 50th Year! 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Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano abstained from the vote, visibly irked that he didn’t get a chance to interview Bakopolus. “If I knew who it was Thursday (April 28), I would have called him,” Cogliano said. “We got this handed to us tonight … It’s almost like it’s hidden from me,” he said. Cogliano requested that the vote be delayed so that he and other board members could get a chance to interview Dr. Bakopolus, a Saugus native and retired dentist. But the other four members didn’t share Cogliano’s view of the matter. “I think this is one example of why people are afraid to put in for positions in this town,” Selectman Michael Serino said. Crabtree read from a sheet of paper all of the qualifi cations that he thought selectmen needed to know before voting to confi rm his appointment. “He is a lifelong resident of Saugus born at Saugus General Hospital,” Crabtree said. “He is retired after practicing dentistry in Saugus for over 30 years. He attended Saugus Public Schools and graduated from Saugus High School in 1973. He graduated from UMass Amherst majoring in Microbiology. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Following graduation he served in the U.S. Public Health Service as a member of the National Health Service Corps.” Crabtree said he also sought the opinions from Board of Health Chair William Heff ernan and Public Health Director John R. Fralick III — both interviewed Dr. Bakopolus and approved of the town manager’s nomination. “I don’t know the gentleCigar Cigar BundlesBundles starting starting at $49.95 at $49.95 -------------------GIFT CARDSGIFT CARDS AVAILABLEAILABLE BuyBuy Cigars by theCigars by the Box & SA Box & SAVE!VE! CompetitiveCompetitive prices on all prices on all Brands, Great Brands, Great Selection Selection man,” Crabtree told selectmen. “He’s really qualified. He seems like somebody who would be a defi nite asset to the community,” he said. With a medical background, Dr. Bakopolus is qualified as anyone to serve on the Board of Health, according to Crabtree. “I trust in the chairman of the Board of Health. I trust in Mr. Fralick. I trust in the town manager,” Selectman Jeff Cicolini said. “I trust in the town manager’s position. I’m comfortable,” Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra Panetta said. Cicolini said he didn’t mind if Cogliano wanted to talk with Dr. Bakopolus, but later he sided with his other three colleagues who insisted on having the vote Tuesday night. Cogliano said he knows the dentist, but just wanted to MOTHER’S DAY | FROM PAGE 2 Mike Dorato and Jim Nova. Throughout high school, he was a part of the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra, Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and the River City Youth Brass Band. Currently, he is a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Noah Nichilo is an NEC student who studies under BSO Principal Trombone Toby Oft. Coming from suburban Philadelphia, he has played section leader with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and partaken in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s All-State Orchestra and the National Association for Music Education’s Honors Orchestra. have the benefi t of talking to him ahead of time. “I’d like to hear from this candidate on whether he has an open mind. I would like to speak with him before I vote,” he said. Normally selectmen vote to confi rm town manager appointments without any direct contact with the candidates nominated for the position. Cicolini noted that the process is diff erent for candidates who are appointed by the Board of Selectmen. Interviewing is part of the process in those situations. Crabtree has said he’s felt uncomfortable over the past year in trying to fi nd Ayube’s replacement. Earlier this year, he said he felt pressured by some selectmen to nominate candidates for the vacancy. Meanwhile, he said he’s worked hard to find a candidate who is open-minded on the issue of WIN Waste Innovation’s trash-to-energy plant, which has been a subject of controversy in Saugus for years. Crabtree said he was desperate to fi nd a candidate with no bias on the issue. “He tells me and others he doesn’t have an agenda,” Crabtree said of Dr. Bakopolus. Selectman Corinne Riley noted that Crabtree earlier this year was looking for some guidance from selectmen in making the appointment. “You were almost ready to have us look at them,” she said. Other selectmen stressed that they hope the new Board of Health member remains objective once he assumes his position. “I’m hoping this person is open-minded and is middle of the road,” Cicolini said. “It’s a position that we need somebody who is independent,” Cogliano said. Changwon Park is a Master student at NEC, where he also fi nished a bachelor’s degree under BSO bass trombone James Markey. In his music career, Park has played with numerous professional orchestras in the world. Play List Quartet No. 1 — Steven Verhelst Contrapuntus IX — J.S. Bach Andante Cantabile — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky First Trombone Quartet — Saski Apon Transonance — Marshall Gilkes Editor’s Note: This concert is funded by a generous grant from the Saugus Cultural Council, a local arm of the Mass Cultural Council.
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