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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 11, 2023 Page 11 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus! It’s going to be a most interesting fall for this year’s Town Election, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 7. Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano and the people behind his petition drive for a Charter Commission certainly elevated the interest in this year’s races by succeeding in getting enough certified signatures of registered voters to put a question on the ballot which essentially will ask voters whether they want another study of Saugus governance. This fall’s election ballot will also feature nine seats for a Charter Commission that would study Saugus government. Cogliano plans to run for one of those seats. Initially, Town Counsel John Vasapolli advised that candidates for the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee and the Housing Authority can’t run and can’t serve if elected to the commission. But Cogliano disagreed and sought an opinion from the Secretary of State’s Office. Soon after, Vasapolli issued a revised opinion, noting it was the opinion of an attorney in the Secretary of State’s Office that it’s perfectly proper for selectmen, School Committee members and Housing Authority members to serve as Charter Commission members, too. What is going to be interesting is to see how many office holders seeking reelection will be running for the Charter Commission, too. There is already some disagreement among incumbent selectmen as to whether a change in Saugus governance would be good for the town (Please see stories in this week’s Saugus Advocate). I can tell you right now that questions about whether Saugus should change its current form of governance and how to proceed will be dominating any candidate forums in the fall campaign. If a majority of Saugus voters says it’s time for more changes in the Saugus Town Charter – the most contentious one being a switch from a town to a city, a proposal advocated by Cogliano – the results of the Board of Selectmen race could mirror the people’s sentiments. It could be a real hot-button issue in this year’s town elections. And certainly any candidate who decides to run for political office should be prepared to answer the simple question: Does Saugus need to change its Town Charter and what do you recommend be changed? Stay tuned. Town Election Watch At this point, we know that at least four of the current Board of Selectmen plan to run for reelection to a third two-year term. But it seems likely that all five members will run again. “I’m still thinking about it, but right now I’m more focused on doing the job rather than getting the job for next term,” Selectman Corinne Riley told us this week. Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano, Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra Panetta and Selectmen Mike Serino and Jeff Cicolini each told us they have decided to run again. Another week has passed in Saugus’ preliminary election campaign – the pulling of nomination papers from Town Clerk Ellen Schena’s office. As of yesterday (Thursday, August 11), a couple of more potential candidates came forward to pull papers, according to Town Clerk Ellen Schena. Housing Authority Member James Tozza has pulled nomination papers for a second four-year term. He has also pulled papers for a Precinct 10 Town Meeting seat. Alan Labella has pulled nomination papers for a seat on the Housing Authority. Nothing is official yet. Each of these candidates may run or decide not to. They have about five weeks – up until 5 p.m. Sept. 19 – to submit nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s Office for certification of signatures. Fifty certified signatures of registered voters are required for the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Housing Authority and the nine-member Charter Commission. Only 10 certified signatures of registered voters are required for Town Meeting, but each of the signatures must be from registered voters in the candidate’s precinct. Sept. 15 is the final day to obtain nomination papers – just four days before the filing deadline. Stay tuned. Time to step up, Saugus citizens! Every two years, the town has its local elections. There SAUGUS FIRE DEPARTMENT AT FENWAY: Members of the Saugus Firefighters honor guard appeared at Fenway Park this week to present the colors before the National Anthem for a Boston Red Sox game. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate) are seats to fill on the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee, the Housing Authority and the Annual Town Meeting. Too often, aspiring local politicians just set their sights on the most glamorous of the positions – the Board of Selectmen. And if they don’t win, they move on without trying to serve the town in another capacity, which is just as important. There are 50 seats up for grabs in the election for Town Meeting – five members for each of the 10 town precincts. Under the Town Charter, it’s a very important position. The 50 members vote on the budget each year, approve zoning changes and vote on a number of warrant articles of town-wide importance. Unfortunately, there was no competition two years ago in five of the town’s 10 precincts. Everyone who made the ballot got elected. With all the important issues in town, it’s time for civic-minded citizens who care about their community to run for Town Meeting. What a noble cause if you want to do something that’s good for your community. Be one of 50 members who approve the town budget. All you have to do is get 10 signatures from people in your precinct and then go knocking on doors in your neighborhood and ask residents what they would like to see the town do to improve itself. A Sorry Saga for Saugus Schools The first day of classes for Saugus Public Schools is Tuesday, Aug. 29 – in less than three weeks. What a sorry mess it is that at this late date a cloud of uncertainty continues to surround Superintendent Erin McMahon, who has been out on paid administrative leave since January, pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged misconduct. The Town of Saugus has been paying her $200,000-a-year salary for more than six months now – while also paying veteran educator Michael Hashem to be the acting superintendent. The School Committee was scheduled to meet in Executive Session last night for a review of the executive session minutes from the Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 meetings. It’s not clear who is right or wrong in this case, as the School Committee has remained mum on the issue, while McMahon’s attorney has alleged an Open Meeting Law violation and that she hasn’t been treated properly during the investigation. McMahon, through her attorney, has maintained she has done nothing wrong and has been kept in the dark regarding the investigation, which, apparently, is related “to her administration of grant funds, conflict of interest, billing issues with outside consultants and the time of days in the district and out of district.” My take on the situation is that the Open Meeting Law was indeed violated, and the minutes of the various meetings, once they are released, should reveal some transgressions by the committee in the process. I am familiar with the state Open Meeting Law, having filed a complaint against a different School Committee in Saugus several years ago over an illegal Executive Session. The state Attorney General validated my complaint. So, based on my study of the meeting agenda for Jan. 19 and what transpired that night, I believe the School Committee violated the Open Meeting Law in its Executive Session proceedings. It doesn’t help matters that the investigation has dragged on for so long and into the new school year. And the Town of Saugus – the taxpayers – will wind up paying for two superintendents during the time McMahon has been on leave. But, to me, the most unfortunate part is that McMahon would be heading into her third year of a five-year plan to move the school district from the bottom 10 percent of academic performing schools to the top 10 percent, based on the district’s ranking against the state in performance on Math and Reading scores in the MCAS Exam. For all practical purposes, Year Two of the suTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 13

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