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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUly 26, 2024 Page 13 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus I miss the good old days when the League of Women Voters would sponsor and moderate candidate debates, from local to national politics. In several communities where I covered county and municipal government, the League worked hand in hand with local media on various candidate forums. I ran into League representatives in places like Leesburg, Fla.; Amherst, Mass., Saugus, Mass., and a few other places. The ladies went to great lengths to organize the nonpartisan forums and did what they could to accommodate the reporters who would be covering them. The leagues I was acquainted with were a true force of good in the communities they served. The forums I covered definitely heightened voter education and interest in a wide range of local issues that were relevant to the voters. When the discourse between candidates degenerated to insults and hot rhetoric, League officials would go out of their way to keep things civil and professional, most of the time. And the rhetoric of the candidates seemed to be a lot more tame and civil. For the most part, sparring candidates would focus on important issues within their campaigns instead of making disparaging, hateful remarks about their opponents. And yes, I always recalled the opponents shaking hands at the end of the night. In recent years, it seems that political campaigns on levels – local to national – have become a blood sport. And recently, it bothered me greatly when I heard several national politicians making comments like “it’s going to be a bloodbath” or there will be “a Civil War” if a certain candidate doesn’t get elected. To me, such rhetoric goes against the grain of Democracy and is very un-American. At the end of the day, we’re all Americans, and citizens on the local, state and national level should be uniting after an election. As a cub reporter back in 1973 and 1974, I remember well how Republicans and Democrats crossed the aisle and worked together to get through a constitutional crisis when President Nixon resigned in disgrace. Of course, there were some communities where I worked where a few people took their politics too seriously. Like in Lawrence, Mass., in the late Prevention Coalition, please email saugusyouthcoalition@ gmail.com.” I guess I might check out that meeting on Aug. 12. Stay tuned. Issues of concern at Anna Parker Playground It sounds like a great project that Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and his staff are pursuing down at the Anna Parker Playground, located next door to the Essex Street Fire Station. I thought it was an interesting meeting on July 15, when the town manager and an architect presiding over the Anna Parker Playground project unveiled plans for a park renovation that includes building a state-of-the-art street hockey rink and six pickleball courts. But a few citizens who spoke at the informational session held in the Town Hall auditorium early last week raised some legitimate concerns about water irrigation, flooding and safety. The town manager tried to assure the speakers that their concerns would be addressed. I decided to take a drive EYE ON THE PLAYGROUND: Paul Furey, who takes care of the soccer fields at Anna Parker Playground with his company 3D’s Landscaping, embraces the town’s recent plans to construct a street hockey rink and six pickleball courts. But he has also expressed concerns over parking, lighting, safety and water-related issues at the playground. He is also vice president of the Saugus Youth Soccer Association. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) 1990s when a foul-mouthed cop’s wife, who was defeated in her City Council race, grabbed me by the lapel inside City Council Chambers before a meeting and F-bombed me about 15 times as she blamed me for losing her election race. But for the most part, civility prevailed in local, state and federal elections. After an election, the winners and losers who were civic-minded worked together on projects that led to the betterment of the communities they served. Things seem a lot different today compared to when I began my career 50 years ago. A Coalition to help kids There’s a small group of Saugus Citizens planning to meet Aug. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center at the Square One Mall. “We started in May, so we are still in the beginning stages of planning, but wanted to get the word out about what we are doing,” Amy Chiaravalloti told me in a phone conversation this week. Curious about this group, I went on the Internet to check out Amy’s background. As it turned out, Amy is a Saugus resident who works in the healthcare field and has been involved in organizing similar groups in Wakefield. Amy pretty much stuck to the script of the following press release, which we decided to reprint in its entirety in case there are people who are out there in the community who are concerned about the youth of Saugus. Here we go: “Recently, a group of community stakeholders in Saugus joined together to create a prevention coalition in Saugus. In response to the rising concerns surrounding underage substance use and behavioral health challenges, we came together to try and provide the youth of Saugus with resources and support to prevent substance misuse and assist with behavioral health challenges. The goal of this group is to improve and assist the quality of life for youth in the community through positive youth experiences in a safe adult supported environment. Coalition members include parents, members of town government, representatives from local youth serving organizations, police and fire officials. We look forward to incorporating the youth voice into the coalition during the 20242025 school year. We are working on activities and initiatives that will help parents gain the tools necessary to talk to their kids about challenging subjects like underage drinking, vaping, bullying, healthy relationships and mental health challenges. Be sure to look for our table with helpful resources at local events like the community health fair on 6/25 and Founder’s Day in September. For more information about the Saugus down to Anna Parker Playground on Tuesday afternoon and try to get a fix on some of those concerns as they relate to the project. About six acres of town recreational land will undergo a major upgrade, beginning next week. Work crews installed temporary fencing at Anna Parker Playground, most of it encircling the old basketball and tennis court areas, which will be replaced with a street hockey rink and six pickleball courts. Getting familiar with the lay of the land is definitely crucial to understanding citizen concerns about the property in question. During my field trip on Tuesday afternoon, I ran into Paul Furey, who was getting ready to cut some grass at the soccer fields. I doubt there are many folks in town who are as familiar with the lay of the land down at Anna Parker as Paul, a 71-yearold Saugus native (Saugus High Class of 1972) who has been taking care of the Saugus Youth Soccer Association (SYSA) fields for 18 years with his company, 3D’s Landscaping. He’s also vice president of the SYSA. Paul spoke at the meeting about his concerns about the water irrigation lines buried underground. He amplified those concerns when I ran into him on Tuesday afternoon. He’s also concerned about the water. Drainage and flooding have been longstanding issues on THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 14

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