THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 25, 2023 Page 11 Safety first: Saugus state delegation FY2024 budget wins for Saugus Police and Fire T he Saugus state delegation visited with Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli and Fire Chief Michael Newbury to see the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), budget line items in action and discuss the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) wins. The Legislature enacted a $56.2 billion budget for FY24 earlier this month, reconciling differences between the versions of the budget passed by the House of Representatives and Senate earlier this year. The FY24 Conference Committee report provides for historic levels of investment in education, housing, regional transportation, health care, workforce development and more, as part of a broad strategy to grow our state’s economy and make Massachusetts more affordable, inclusive and competitive. Last year, some budget wins included an ATV for Saugus Fire, new radios and new traffic and security cameras. State Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), State Representatives Donald Wong (R-Saugus) and Jessica Ann Giannino (D-Revere) had an opportunity to see the items obtained and hear how critical they have been in situations like the Breakheart Reservation and Lynn Woods wildfires. This year, the delegation obtained the following Town of dren and their families.” ---Gov. Maura Healey upon awarding $15.5 million in grants to 81 organizations across the state that provide child development services and resources to families with young children. “Boston is excited for ranked choice voting. Sixty-two percent of Boston voters supported ranked choice in 2020, and our coalition of supporters keeps growing. Ranked choice voting is easy, equitable and will give voice to all voters.” --- Director Ed Shoemaker, director of Ranked Choice Boston, announcing the new coalition supporting a law creating a new voting system under which candidates on the ballot are ranked by voters in order of their preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate that received the least Saugus earmarks in the FY24 budget: ● $50,000 for CPR devices for Saugus Fire ● $50,000 for an emergency generator for Saugus Town Hall ● $50,000 for a boat for the Harbormaster ● $75,000 for 20 sets of bunker gear shorts ● $75,000 for an additional public safety radio repeater system for the middle-high school “These investments will enhance our first responders’ capacity to respond effectively to emergencies and contribute to making Saugus a safer place for all,” said Senator Crighton. “I’m grateful for the collaborative work of our delegation and the dedication of Chief Ricciardelli, Chief Newbury, and their teams in ensuring the well-being of our community.” “We are very grateful to the Saugus delegation for obtaining the much-needed funding in the town for public safety,” said Representative Wong. “It is my priority to ensure that first responders have what they need to keep our community and themselves safe. I am thankful for the collaboration and hard work of the Saugus delegation during this year’s state budget process,” said Representative Giannino. “Multinumber of first-choice votes is eliminated. The second choice of the voters who supported the eliminated candidate now becomes their first choice and is added to the totals of the remaining candidates. The same process is repeated, if necessary, until a candidate is the first choice of a majority of voters. “I’m extremely proud of our dedicated, talented and hardworking team whose commitment to excellence has been instrumental in our continued success. We’re immensely grateful for our students, faculty and staff and entire Umass administration for their support and invaluable feedback which has contributed to shaping and enriching the quality-of-life experience. Without them we would not have been able to achieve this remarkable feat. Shown at the Saugus Fire Station are State Representatives Donald Wong and Jessica Ann Giannino and State Senator Brendan Crighton. ple earmarks have been secured for the 2024 Fiscal Year which includes critical funding for first responders and investments in public safety in the Town of Saugus. I want to thank my colleagues, Representative Wong and Senator Crighton for their continued teamwork, support and dedication to our comTheir dedication and enthusiasm inspire us to continuously raise the bar and deliver exceptional dining experiences, one meal at a time.” --- Ken Toong, executive director of Umass Dining commenting on the university’s seventh consecutive time being named Best Campus Food in annual rankings published by The Princeton Review. HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are importmunity.” “We are very fortunate to have such a good relationship with our state representatives and state senator. Senator Crighton, Representatives Giannino and Wong have always been very attentive to the needs of our community. Year after year they continue to come through ant to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of August 14-18, the House met for a total of 32 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 37 minutes. Mon. August 14 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:01 a.m. to 11:09 a.m. Tues. August 15 No House session with some much-needed public safety earmarks for the Town of Saugus,” said Chief Ricciardelli. Having passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, the FY24 budget moved to the Governor’s desk for her consideration and was signed into law on Wednesday, August 9. No Senate session Wed. August 16 No House session No Senate session Thurs. August 17 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:24 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 11:39 a.m. Fri. August 18 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.
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