Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021 VOTE | FROM PAGE 1 During the Board’s June 25 Executive Session – which was confirmed in public later – Riley proposed a substitute motion for an 18-month extension. That motion failed 4-1. The board then approved Cicolini’s motion for the three years, which passed 4-1. “Regarding the length of the contract, I advocated for a shorter duration, specifically 18 months,” Riley said, reading from a statement at Wednesday night’s selectmen’s meeting. “While I recognize the benefits of stability in the Town Manager position, I also did not want a contract to go beyond two years so as to take the extension decision out of the next board’s hands,” she said. “The Board has voted to extend the Town Manager’s contract; I accept that, and I want to congratulate the Town Manager, and I look forward to working with the Board and the Manager on all the challenges and opportunities in front of us.” New contract features public evaluation During the nine-plus years of Crabtree’s time as town manager, several officials have called for more transparency and accountability in the process of evaluating and rewarding the town manager for his job performance. Under the terms of the contract extension approved by selectmen, Crabtree will receive a performance appraisal in open session every January. The town manager and selectmen will also discuss goals and objectives publicly. Crabtree has agreed to meet with selectmen within the next 45 days “to discuss mutually agreeable goals and objectives,” according to Cicolini, who shared the highlights of the contract extension at Wednesday night’s meeting. The town manager and four of the five selectmen must agree to the language and criteria for the performance review, Cicolini noted. He said the first public evaluation will take place within 30 days of an agreement on the new evaluation process. Here are other contract provisions Cicolini mentioned: • Crabtree’s base salary will be $183,824 when his new extension becomes effective on Aug. 25, 2022. GETTING SHOWERED WITH PRAISE: Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree (right) listened at Wednesday’s meeting as selectmen took turns explaining why they think he deserves a contract extension. At left is Janice Jarosz, interim clerk to the Board of Selectmen. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) • He will receive a 1.5 percent cost of living increase each year – half of what he currently receives. • Selectmen have the right to award Crabtree a merit increase of up to 5 percent annually, based on his public evaluation and meeting performance goals and objectives. • Crabtree has agreed to give up the 5 percent longevity allowance that he is entitled to as a town employee with 20 years of service to the town. He served previously as a town police officer for more than 10 years. • His seven percent education stipend will be capped at $12,868. • Crabtree’s conference and course work will be capped at $3,000 a year. His longevity stipend will be capped at $1,000 per year. No need for a pay raise right now Selectman Michael Serino said he recalled that when he voted to hire Crabtree for the town manager’s job back in 2012, “We gave him what the previous town manager was getting … like $120,000. ...It was low.” Since last fall, when Cicolini lobbied to begin contract negotiations with Crabtree, selectmen have conducted some research on what town managers are earning in other communities. Serino said he was “shocked” to learn that Crabtree’s salary was comparable to what other communities were paying. A look at 13 other communities revealed that Crabtree’s base salary of $183,824 was right in line with an average of $180,000 a year. “We decided not to give another increase right now,” Serino said. In addition, the board decided to cut the annual cost of living increase in half, to 1.5 percent. “I appreciate everybody’s support,” Crabtree told the board. “Obviously, I’d be lying to say this isn’t a tough job,” he said, referring to the past history of Saugus being a difficult place for town managers to succeed – a community where many town managers have served just a short duration, causing one Boston newspaper to refer to the town manager’s job as “a revolving door.” “It’s pretty difficult to maintain friendships and support and allies because everybody has different interests,” Crabtree said. Crabtree became town manager on April 1, 2012. His days at Town Hall nearly ended in October of 2014 when the Board of Selectmen at the time voted 4-1 to fire him. Selectman Panetta was the lone board member supporting Crabtree. But Panetta and enough citizens in the community rallied behind Crabtree, engineering a successful recall in March 2015 of the four selectmen who fired the town manager. Panetta and the four “recall advocates” who joined her on the board – Cicolini, Mark Mitchell, Jennifer D’Eon and Scott A. Brazis – rehired Crabtree as one of their first actions as a new board. After serving about eight months together, the board won overwhelming support from voters in the November 2015 town election. They were reelected in 2017. But two years later, the political landscape changed again. Crabtree seemed to lose support on the board when Mitchell decided not to run for another term after being indicted for allegedly stealing from the nonprofit Boston Center for Adult Education. D’Eon and Brazis lost their seats in the 2019 town elections. Cicolini announced months ago that he doesn’t plan on seeking another term on the board. Meanwhile, Crabtree has VOTE | SEE PAGE 7
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