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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 12, 2023 Page 19 ASKS | FROM PAGE 15 temporary town manager. It was very nerve-racking. Q: And, at that point, you have to suspend any kind of communication with a town official who is facing criminal charges. A: What happened with that previous town manager – when Andrew Bisignani left, I was given information that there were a number of contracts that weren’t bid that should have been bid. And I was in a position where I had to do something about it. And I had a colleague who reminded me of Sen. Sam Ervin in the Watergate hearings, whose line was “What did you know and when did you know it?” So, I contacted the [state] Department of Revenue and the Inspector General’s Office. The Inspector General came in immediately and investigated, and the Department of Revenue said, “You have to conduct a forensic audit. And that’s what we did. It was a very difficult situation: a difficult situation for me to be in. But it wasn’t anything we were going to cover up. Crimes were committed. This individual went to another town and committed other crimes and eventually got indicted. But when you are violating municipal finance laws, you have a problem. When you are violating bidding laws, that’s a problem. You have to follow the laws. It’s the public’s money. It’s the taxpayer’s money. It’s not your money. That time was difficult for me. Q: That’s a real challenge: when you’ve been working with somebody you trusted. A: Exactly, that’s not something you can cover up, especially when you have employees coming to you, pointing out the irregularities. That’s very difficult. Q: What’s the most rewarding part of the job? A: Representing the town I grew up in. It’s an honor for me to represent the town I grew up in and to advise the town officials – to take pride THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 18 ly, the Wing Family seeks a candidate who demonstrates persistence and teamwork. The student data sheet (resume) and cover letter should be submitted to the Wing Memorial scholarship c/o Ed Nazzaro (enazzaro47@comcast.net) on or before Friday, May 19, 2023. Food Pantry notes The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry is open today (Friin the fact that I live here and I care about the town I grew up in. That’s the most rewarding. I’ve had offers in other towns to represent other towns. But I had no desire to work in any place but Saugus. My practice is here. My family is here. I brought my family up here. It’s extremely rewarding. It’s an honor. Q: So, you must get a big thrill on Town Meeting night. A: Well, you never know what they are going to ask you. I don’t have the questions ahead of time. I wish I did. But I enjoy the challenge and just strive to give them the right answer. And it’s difficult. It’s not always easy. Q: What’s the craziest thing you were ever asked to get a legal opinion on? A: I have to think about that. I’d have to think about that one. That’s an interesting one. I think it’s hard sometimes for people to understand; for example, when selectmen get elected, what their role is; or if somebody gets appointed to a Board of Appeals, what their role is. You have to read the town bylaws. You have to read the zoning. You have to read the Town Charter. It’s all there – all in the statute. And sometimes people think they have more authority than they really have. It’s kind of like putting them in their lane and telling them to stay in their lane and this is what you can do and can’t do. That’s always a conflict between the town manager and selectmen. In our town, it’s a very strong town manager form of government. It’s difficult because he’s hired and fired by the same five people. Now, we changed the charter, so if he’s an incumbent, he only needs a majority vote to extend his contract, not four out of five – which I think is a good thing. And I think the process by which selectmen are elected in this town – all five at the same time – I think is a poor system. Most cities and towns have staggered elections, where two run at a time. When you have five [candiday, May 12) from 9:30-11 a.m. Veterans bricks available The Saugus War Monument Committee, once again, is sponsoring the Buy A Brick Program to honor all those who have served their country. If you would like to purchase one in the name of someone who is presently serving or has served, in the memory of a loved one, or just for someone from your family, school, etc., the general pricing is $100 for a 4″ X 8″ dates] running for selectmen, you just need to come in the top five. You don’t have to be the best out of two. Q: So, you think the town elections should be staggered? A: I absolutely think they should be staggered. I think that’s been a problem over the years. I think the Town Meeting is too small – 50 members. I believe it’s one of the smallest in the state. It’s a representative Town Meeting. There should be more than 50 members. When you need a two-thirds vote, 15 could block something, especially with a town of our size. I think there should be a larger Town Meeting, and I think selectmen should run in staggered elections. Q: How many people would you go with in a Town Meeting? A: Maybe close to 100 – somewhere between 50 and 100. I like representative Town Meeting, so you don’t need a quorum. For example, Lynnfield has trouble getting a quorum. What happens is the people who come out are the people who have a particular interest that night. I like the representative Town Meeting form of government, and I think Town Meeting does a good job and never made a wrong decision in my entire career because Town Meeting is representative. It’s a democratic republic. Q: So, you don’t think an open Town Meeting would work in Saugus? A: I don’t like the idea of an open Town Meeting. The whole basis upon which our country was founded on was a representative form of government. I think you are more careful with your vote if you are representing people other than yourself. You’re not just voting for your own self-interests; so if you have an open Town Meeting, those people are only voting for their own self-interests. Those are the two changes that I’d like to see: staggered elections and a larger Town Meeting. When brick (three lines), or $200 for 8″ X 8″ brick (five lines). Each line is a maximum of 15 characters. The improvement and upkeep of the monument on the corner of Winter and Central Streets rely on the generosity of donors through fundraising. The brick application must be in by Sept. 15 to ensure the bricks will be ready for Veterans Day. Please contact Corinne Riley at 781-231-7995, for more information and applications. you have a town manager like we have now, you wouldn’t be able to keep him. You saw with the recall what happened when voters decided that selectmen weren’t acting properly. They got removed. That’s probably one of the biggest surprises I had in my career – that that recall was successful. Q: It actually worked. A: I never thought it would. To get that many signatures in 25 days, I just thought, was an insurmountable task. And they did, but it only shows you how strongly the people felt about that Board of Selectmen and how they were treating the town manager. And look, he’s still there, 10 years later. What does that tell you? But in my opinion – look at his record; look at the town’s bond rating. The bond rating saves the town a ton of money, when you can borrow money at such a low rate. And for years, we had very little in the stabilization funds. We couldn’t fund operating expenses. He [Crabtree] has found ways to do it, which is great. But being town manager is a seven-day-a-week job. It isn’t anything I ever had any aspirations about – not even for a split second. Q: Looking back at the 42 years you served as town counsel, what’s the biggest thing you’ve seen? A: I just think being part of municipal government and being part of the decision-making process – and giving advice. You’re advising for an entire town, acting in the best interests of the town. That’s a big client. I’ve really had the respect of employees and citizens. They haven’t all agreed with me all of the time. But to be respected, and, I said, my legacy would be that I hope to have a positive impact on whatever I deal with over the years. It’s not easy. A lot of times, it’s a lot of pressure and you’re getting hit from all angles. You could see that at the Town Meeting. I had no idea what they were going to ask me last night. You try to field the quesMedia truck will honor late veterans The Saugus Veterans Council will be doing something new this year in the Memorial Day Parade. There will be a media truck displaying sites that honor our veterans and photos of our deceased military men and women to remember them during the parade. If you want a deceased family member or friend that served in the military to be included, please send a photograph and name to stevecastitions and give them the right answer. I think the hardest thing to deal with was the recall because I had a board that was not taking my advice. It was getting advice from some attorney who doesn’t really get paid by the town. He had cases against the town – Attorney Neil Rossman – and I told the selectmen that they didn’t have the basis to fire this town manager, but they didn’t want to hear that. Here’s a case where I gave them the right advice, but it was ignored. They didn’t have any basis to fire him. They just didn’t like him and they ran to get rid of him. That’s not grounds, because he had a contract. They had to honor his contract. They chose not to do that and the people spoke and the recall succeeded. Had it failed, the manager wouldn’t have been able to stay there, and they’d have all sorts of lawsuits. There would have been a lot of damage to the town. We would have gone backwards instead of moving ahead. And it would have affected all of the taxpayers, between the lawsuits and the financial status of the town. Q: Anything else that you would like to share? A: It’s truly been an honor. If you think about it, this is the town I grew up in, and if I had a choice, I wouldn’t have done anything different. I like practicing law here and I want to continue being Town Counsel as long as my health prevails. Q: Would you serve another 10 years? A: I don’t want to make predictions and I don’t want to jinx myself. I don’t know. But if you love what you’re doing and you care about the town – and the town has changed – you want to keep going. I take my granddaughter down to Bucchiere Park on Bristow Street. It’s a beautiful playground. Beautiful. She’s from Chelmsford and she loves it. We didn’t have that before. Look at the parks. Look at the new high school. netti@comcast.net Legion breakfasts on Friday mornings Saugus American Legion Post 210 hosts its popular breakfasts from 8 - 9 a.m. on Fridays. The Legion requests a donation of $8 from those who are looking for a delicious meal at Legion Hall. The Legion also welcomes veterans who can’t afford the meal to enjoy a free breakfast. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 20

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