Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 Arizona medical examiner rules Saugus native’s death accidental S By Mark E. Vogler augus native Angela Tramonte’s death while hiking on a Phoenix mountain trail in late July was accidental, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled this week. The medical examiner determined that Tramonte, 31, a recent Winthrop resident, died from “environmental heat exposure.” Tramonte took a trip to Phoenix, Arizona, to meet a man she had talked to online for two months. They set out to hike Camelback Mountain on July 30. But about halfway up the mountain, she was exhausted and couldn’t continue. She walked back down alone while her friend kept climbing. Her companion, off-duty Police Officer Dario Dizdar, has drawn heavy criticism on social media for not returning with Tramonte. Offi cials said the two hiked Echo Canyon Trail on Camelback Mountain on a hot day without carrying any water. Phoenix Fire Department offi - CANDIDATES | FROM PAGE 1 Cullough. Montano is a Saugus police offi cer who ran for selectman two years ago. McCullough is the animal control offi cer, an appointment he received from selectmen. Pulling nomination papers is just the preliminary stage of the town election process which culminates in the Nov. 2 town elections. Sept. 14 is the fi nal day for candidates to submit their nomination papers to the Board of Registrars. Ugly Saugus politics bothers Fisher Fisher hinted last month that he may not be running for a second term. He put a post on his School Committee page admonishing people for the way they were treating elected volunteers. In an interview this week, he said he believes the kind of unpleasant treatment he has reAngela Tramonte (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) cials said the woman became overheated about halfway up the trail. According to reports, Tramonte asked her companceived as a School Committee member probably discourages other potential candidates from getting involved in the School Committee race. “I think it's certainly a factor,” Fisher told The Saugus Advocate. “School committee members across the country are being threatened by politicians and angry parents, and they are volunteers who wanted to help their community,” he said. “You can express disagreement or criticism calmly. This has been a tough two years, and few decisions have been easy.” Fisher noted that being a School Committee member is a diffi cult and demanding volunteer position – but an important one for those who care about the public education in their hometown. “I jumped into town politics when my daughter just turned two. She’ll be eight by the end of the next term. School committee is far and away the most time intensive commitment in town. Every phone call, email and meeting is a sacrifi ce, so absolutely, it’s diffi cult when others don’t respect what we give up,” Fisher said. “I have a challenging job, and other commitments on the burner, so it’s overall a question of devoting so much time. I don’t defi ne myself by the service. I’m happy to help, and I’m also happy to step aside,” he said. “I do feel we’ve had too many people who see elected service as a way to advance their own agendas and power and stature at the expense of the kids and progress. Look how far we’ve come. We have the right superintendent at the right time, the right team, the right facilities and reion to continue to the top of the mountain to take pictures so that she could share them with her friends on social media before heading back to the parking lot. But fi re crews later found her unconscious near a home along the side of the mountain. Tramonte was pronounced dead at the scene and Phoenix police said they didn’t suspect foul play. A GoFundMe page (https:// www.gofundme.com/f/6fh8sw-justice-for-angela) for the family organized by Melissa Buttaro, a close friend of Tramonte, has raised more than $68,000. sources, and it may be between fi nishing the job or letting all our progress be washed away.” Whittredge cites personal challenges School Committee Chair Whittredge said he understands the dark side of Saugus politics and how it can drive away caring citizens from seeking to serve in volunteer elected jobs, particularly the School Committee. “I guess I’m not really surprised by the low interest shown [in the School Committee seats] so far,” Whittredge said. “In the days of social media, people just don’t want to get ripped apart online. Being on the School Committee is one of the toughest positions in town. Being the chair of the School Committee is the toughest,” he said. But as unpleasant as people can be in their social media criticism, emails, letters and phone calls, Whittredge said that kind of abuse is not the reason why he may not seek a second term. “It’s a big commitment. And right now, the future is very uncertain for me,” Whittredge said, referring to his wife Theresa’s ongoing battle with breast cancer. “I got to make sure I’m in it with two feet. Believe me, my wife is pushing me toward it,” he said. By next Wednesday or Thursday, Whittredge said, he will make a decision on whether to pull nomination papers. “If I decide to do it, getting the signatures is no problem,” he said. But I’m going to give it a couple of months to really decide,” he said. “I want to see how optimistic we are with the new chemo,” he said. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK ADVOCATE NEWSPAPER FACEBOOK.COM/ADVOCATE.NEWS.MA
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