THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 14 comb, who serves on the Saugus Housing Authority. As of Wednesday (Sept. 6), twice as many potential candidates (26) had pulled out nomination papers for the Charter Commission’s nine seats as the Board of Selectmen (seven) and the School Committee (six) combined. As a rule of thumb, a local election isn’t much of an election unless you have at least two candidates running for one seat. In the signature race, Michelle Raponi pulled out papers for a potential candidacy for the Board of Selectmen. Meanwhile, Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member William Leuci has pulled out papers for a potential run for the five-member School Committee. Nothing is official yet. Each of these candidates may run or decide not to. They have 11 days – up until 5 p.m. on 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, the 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. THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 8, 2023 ASKS | FROM PAGE 6 Q: What do you consider the top issue facing residents in Precinct 9? A: I think it’s finally getting Mixed interest in Town Meeting races Forty-one of the 50 incumbent Town Meeting Members have taken out nomination papers, indicating an interest in running for another two-year term. Incumbent Town Meeting members have until Tuesday (Sept. 12) to return their forms. As of Wednesday (Sept. 6), here was the expression of interest in each of the 10 precincts. In four of the precincts (1, 4, 6 and 10), all five Town Meeting members seemed ready to run for re-election. PCT 1: Susan Dunn, Anthony Arone, Mark Bell, Assunta Palomba, Christopher Jones. PCT 2: Christine Moreschi, Robert Camuso Sr., Peter RosTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 16 a West Side Fire Station. But that’s really a West Side issue. And you have Precincts 9, 4 and 7 on the west side of Route 1. In 1965, Ed Collins, who was the town manager, was so convinced that the west side of Saugus needed a fire station. There was $500,000 – on a motion made by Mike Serino – that was set aside for a West Side Fire Station. When Town Meeting approved a $20 million capital improvement plan, it was part of a bond issue. We had a site and money for the fire station. But the manpower wasn’t approved. Today, I believe we do have the manpower to staff a third fire station. But we need to focus on a site. This project has been talked about so often. It only gets done if the people want it to get done. The population wants it to get done. But somehow, the people in office don’t want it to get done. Meanwhile, we’re continuing to see the Page 15 cost of the fire station increase. But I’m told that we have the manpower to staff it. Q: Okay, the Oaklandvale School is one of several vacant school houses that the School Committee voted to turn over to the town for future use. Do you have any preference for the future use of that building and property? A: Since we no longer have a neighborhood school – the Oaklandvale School – I’d have to say I like the idea of a neighborhood school. And we do have a playground there. I want to see it under the control of the town if it’s possible for reusing the building. I know some people would like to see it torn down and housing put up there. Well, tearing it down is going to be very expensive. I’d rather see it used if it’s possible. There’s a lot of classroom space there. It could be used for different things. It would be nice if you could lease to a business. I don’t want to see the building just deteriorate. And I don’t want to see it sold. Precinct 9 is primarily a residential neighborhood. The only business is in the strip mall [where the Iron Town Diner is located at 325 Main St.]. Q: Do you have any other concerns that you would like to share? A: To me, a pressing issue in the future is how to develop and what will happen to Square One Properties. It’s not in Precinct 9. The mall is in Precinct 4, but it will affect Precinct 9. And it’s something we should be thinking about. Q: Do you think we will have a good turnout at the library on Sept. 11, with a lot of residents from Precinct 9 interested in meeting their Town Meeting members and talking to them? A: I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I hope so. I know – like in most precincts – people want to keep it intact as functioning neighborhoods so they can enjoy the streets they live on and houses they live in, and maintain good services on the roads and sidewalks. People came to live in Saugus because they work in other places and we’re still affordable and we have a good quality of life.
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