Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 10, 2020 Facebook.com/ advocate.news.ma Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. * Corporate Litigation Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lein * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 Lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net Special Town Meeting Monday night Four financial articles fail to receive a favorable recommendation from Finance Committee By Mark E. Vogler T he Finance Committee isn’t supporting any of the four articles with financial implications that are on the warrant for the Special Town Meeting set for Monday (July 13). Committee members at a meeting held via Zoom videoconferencing on Wednesday voted to recommend that a proposal (Article 15) seeking up to $40,000 to hire a consultant for a classification and compensation study for all Town of Saugus employees be referred to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. The measure authored by Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Christopher Riley seeks to determine the fair and equitable total compensation for all town employees based on market conditions. It would include analysis and recommendations for salaries and employee benefits – and amplifies similar proposals in recent years calling for the town to pay its employees’ salaries and benefits that are competitive with surroundMISSION | from page 1 We Now Offer For Your Eating Pleasure “UBER EATS” Convenient Delivery Service Bianchi’s Pizza and Renzo’s Full Menu To Go Open for Takeout for Bianchi’s Pizza and Renzo’s Food 381 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere 781-284-5600 $1.55 GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 ly three years on the job to return to Salem, where he had worked for 12 years previously before coming to Saugus. Heffernan introduced Fralick during a “Zoom” videoconferencing meeting. “The town manager and I have been vetting candidates. We have identified one that is in the process of being hired,” Heffernan said. “In my opinion, he’s an extremely strong candidate. I think we’re getting a great new hire as health director.” Heffernan stressed that Crabtree made the final decision to hire Fralick, who has also worked as a consultant for the Town of Reading for nearly four years. Fralick’s experience also includes more than two years as an inspector with the City of Beverly Board of Health. Fralick received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health at Bridgewater State University (2008). In addition, Fralick completed advanced biology coursework at UMass Lowell. He’s been registered as an environmental health specialist/sanitarian since May 2014. During his undergraduate days at Bridgewater State, Fralick competed on the university’s wrestling team (20032007). He was the wrestling team’s captain during 2005-07. Fralick has been an assistant coach in the Woburn Youth Wrestling Program since December 2011. Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Corinne Riley wanted to make sure that the Town of Saugus would not be sharing Fralick with the Town of Stoneham. “I’m going to be working with the Town of Saugus fulltime,” Fralick said in response to Riley’s questions. “I have elected to stay on part-time over there [in Stoneham],”’ he said, adding that he planned to keep work for Stoneham during the transition to a new health agent. He noted that the Town of Stoneham currently has a part-time health nurse and ing communities. But Finance Committee members questioned whether it was proper to endorse a proposal which came under the jurisdiction of the town manager without consulting with him. “We’re paying the guy a good amount of money to manage the town,” Committee Member Ronald “Rocky” Jepson said. “He’s available to anybody at any time, day and night. I don’t understand why we’re TOWN MEETING | SEE PAGE 4 two par t-time assistants. “We’re trying to navigate this pandemic as best we can,” Fralick said. He stressed that his approach while in Stoneham has been on education. “Educating the general public has been more valuable than punishing the general public,” he said. Fralick said that’s been his philosophy during his last 12 years as a public health professional. Heffernan said he hopes to organize a 45- to 60-minute conferencing call between Fralick and Saugus Board of Health members within the next week. “If you get to know him a little better, I think you will all be pleased,” Heffernan said. Filling the void left by Greenbaum’s departure hasn’t been easy for Saugus town officials. Initially, Crabtree recruited Saugus’s former Director of Public Health, Frank Giacalone, who left town three years earlier to accept a similar position with the Health Department in the City of Newburyport. He worked about 13 years for the Health Department. Late last year, Crabtree hired North Reading Health Agent/Director of Public Health Robert F. Bracey to be Saugus’s interim health director. Earlier this year, Crabtree hired former Saugus Director of Public Health Joe Tabbi to assist the Saugus Board of Health and Health Department. Appearing at Monday’s meeting through “Zoom” teleconferencing, Tabbi said he would no longer attend Saugus Board of Health meetings. Heffernan and other members of the Board of Health thanked Tabbi for agreeing to assist the town during a challenging period.
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