Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 7, 2026 VACANCY | FROM PAGE 1 lic affairs officer of the Saugus Veterans Council. “I wish her well and I’m sure she will serve the Veterans of Brookline well with her experience. I hope that the position in Saugus is filled in a timely manner, as it is an extremely important position and our Veterans deserve a VSO in place quickly,” Riley said. Saugus Veterans Council Commander Stephen L. Castinetti said he wasn’t surprised about Cheung’s departure. “She had a chance to get closer to home and have a significant increase in pay,” Castinetti noted. The Town of Brookline has a population of 63,766 – more than twice the size of Saugus, which is slightly over 29,000. Crabtree’s appointment of Cheung last fall was a controversial one in the Saugus veterans community. Then-VSO Paul J. Cancelliere learned he had lost his 18-an-houra-week part-time job on June 30, 2025 – the end of the 2025 Fiscal Year. Cancelliere, who had worked in the position for about two years, applied for the full-time VSO position that the town began advertising for in July of last “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Since 1947 MALDEN AUTO BODY Book online: Maldenauto.com 49 Robin St., Everett, MA 617-389-3030 * Maldenab@yahoo.com Over 79 years of exceptional service! Massone Family Owned & Operated A SHORT STINT IN SAUGUS: The town’s first full-time veterans service officer, U.S. Marine Corps veteran SueAnn Cheung, in her office shortly after her appointment late last September. Despite high expectations by Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree for Cheung to improve the town’s Veterans’ Services Office, she left in early July. (Saugus Advocate file photo by Mark E. Vogler) year. But Cancelliere never received an invitation to be interviewed. Meanwhile, the VSO position remained vacant for nearly three months, prompting local veterans to worry about their benefits being jeopardized. Then in mid-September, several leaders and members of the Saugus Veterans Council took a vocal stand at a Board of Selectmen’s meeting, calling for former Veterans Service Officer Cancelliere to be reappointed fulltime to the job he held on a part-time basis for two years. More than three dozen local veterans and members of the Saugus Veterans Council responded in the show of support for Cancelliere – including former Saugus VSO Jay Pinette, who served the town for four years. “I have heard nothing but glowing praise for the job that Paul has done since he’s been here,” Pinette told selectmen. “And it will be a credit to him and to the town and the veterans and their dependents in Saugus if he is fortunate enough to be reappointed.” The elimination of Cancelliere’s part-time position hapPOSSIBLE CANDIDATE: Former Saugus Veterans Service Officer Paul J. Cancelliere worked for two years in the position on a part-time basis before applying for the full-time job last year. Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree picked another candidate – SueAnn Cheung – who resigned in July. Some town veterans leaders are calling for Cancelliere to be hired to fill the vacancy. (Saugus Advocate file photo by Mark E. Vogler) pened because of the collapse of the Regional Veterans Service District, which also included Melrose and Wakefield. Under the previous arrangement, Cancelliere was hired by the City of Melrose to work in Saugus. The City of Wakefield previously pulled out of the district. Castinetti, a former selectman who had been commander of the Saugus Veterans Council for 15 years, told selectmen at their meeting last September that Saugus “had a great VSO until the coalition broke up between Saugus, Melrose and Wakefield” earlier last year. Melrose and Wakefield went on to hire full-time VSOs while Saugus did nothing, Castinetti noted. “We don’t understand why Paul Cancelliere wasn’t reappointed the day they broke up. Paul has been one of the best VSOs,” Castinetti said. But less than two weeks later, Crabtree decided that Cheung was the best candidate for the job among those who had applied. “SueAnn brings an exceptional blend of service, leadership, and compassion to the Veterans’ Services Office,” Crabtree said VACANCY | | SEE PAGE 9
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