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Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, September 27, 2019 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS By Mark Vogler H ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus. A Special Tribute for Gordon Shepard When it comes to taking pride in the veterans’ graves at Riverside Cemetery, there isn’t a more selfless Saugonian that Gordon Shepard, whose volunteer work is legendary. This is short notice. But if you really want to show some appreciation for Gordy, then plan on showing up tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 28) at 11 a.m. at Riverside Cemetery for a special tribute for his most recent project, which involved several years of work overseeing the restoration of the Civil War burial plot at the front of the cemetery facing Winter Street. It would be difficult for anyone entering or passing by the cemetery to not notice the great work that’s gone on with the installation of legible marble grave markers which have replaced the old, worn out ones. Visitors can now identify all of the Civil War veterans buried in this section. And there’s been replacement of granite cannon balls that once stood on platforms near the two granite cannons that flank the steps leading into the Civil War burial plot. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War invite the public to a “Program of Rededication” for the General Edward Winslow Hincks Post No. 95 Grand Army of the Republic Burial Plot. Gordy will receive the National Organization of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War’s Founders Award “for his work in restoring Veterans plots at Riverside Cemetery.” The presentation will be followed by a Grand Army of the Republic Ceremony of Rededication performed by the S.U.V.C.W. uniformed branch Sons of Veterans Reserve. And there will be a collation at Saugus Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2346, 90 Main St. If you are a dedicated veteran, a proud Saugonian, civic-minded person or a history buff – particularly on the Civil War – this might be a great way to spend part of your Saturday morning. And it will be your opportunity to personally thank the man most responsible for sprucing up veterans’ gravesites at Riverside Cemetery. A “Shout Out” for Saugus School Alumni Association Saugus School Committee Chair Jeannie Meredith emailed this public recognition for recent efforts of the Saugus School Alumni Association: “I would like to give a special shout out to the Saugus School Alumni Association. They did a phenomenal job on Saturday, bringing the community together for ‘One Last Look’ at Saugus High School. “I would like to thank them for all the time and hard work that went into organizing this heartfelt event for so many people as well as all the scholarships they give out to graduating Saugus High Students each year. It was truly heartwarming to see so many people reminiscing about the ‘old days.’ It was like having 63 years of reunions under one roof. And thank you to all the students, past and present that provided entertainment in the auditorium and SHS staff.” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with the mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph. Anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or photo. The school buildings of Saugus event tomorrow Here’s another great event to check out. Take a walk down memory lane with the Saugus Historical Commission and discover the fascinating story of the Saugus Public Schools. Beginning with one-room schools even before Saugus became a separate town, the presentation progresses through the proud history of each and every school in the town. A PowerPoint Presentation containing narration and pictures of school buildings and class pictures over the years will be featured as a part of this year’s Essex National Heritage Commission’s Trails and Sails Activities. It will be held tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 28) at 10:00 a.m. in the Town Hall Annex on 25R Main St. Parking will be available around back on Taylor Street and in the Roby School lot. Lots of choices for Saugus voters The Saugus 2019 Town Elections campaign has begun in earnest. There has been speculation for weeks as to who would run and for what office. The mere pulling of nomination papers can make somebody a candidate. But they still have to gather enough required signatures and have them certified in order to become an official candidate. Town Clerk Ellen Schena made it official last Friday (Sept. 20) with the release of the names of those candidates who will be on the Nov. 5 election ballot and for what office they will be seeking. The actual placement of the names on the ballot will be decided next Thursday (Oct. 3) when the clerk’s office holds a drawing of ballot positions at 4:30 p.m. in the second floor auditorium at Town Hall. As a rule of thumb, it’s always great to have twice the number of candidates running for office than the number of spots up for grabs. So, there is good competition in this year’s field of candidates, as far as the Board of Selectmen and School Committee and Housing Authority races are concerned. There are a dozen candidates running for the five positions on the Board of Selectmen. They include four incumbents and three former selectmen. There are 10 candidates for the five School Committee spots. They include three incumbents and two former committee members. Two Housing Authority members face opposition from two challengers. That’s a competitive race, too. The races for the 50 Town Meeting positions are less contested. Voters in Precincts 2 and 4 have the biggest choice. There are eight candidates vying for the five spots in each precinct. There are seven candidates running in Precinct 1. In Precincts 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, six candidates are running for the five seats. In Precinct 10, normally a very politically and civically active part of town, there is essentially no race as all five candidates will get elected unless somebody mounts a colossal write-in campaign between now and Nov. 5. Another reporting challenge I have covered numerous elections in my 47-plus years as a newspaper journalist. As far as I’m concerned, coverage of local elections is one of the most important responsibilities a local newspaper has, whether it’s in Washington, D.C., or Saugus, Mass. There’s no question that newspaper coverage can have a significant impact on the outcome of elections. Over the years, I have been both blamed and credited for stories or editorials that may have influenced the outcome of an election. Back in the mid-90s when I was editor of The Nantucket Beacon, one of two island weekly newspapers, we ran stories and editorials about the chair of the Board of Selectmen who was having romantic relations with the town’s finance director. It was an open relationship that everyone on the island knew about. They were living together and planned to get married. We pointed it out as a glaring conflict of interest for the selectwoman to continue serving the town as long as she was involved with the finance director, a town employee who reported to selectmen on a regular basis. Some sticky situations developed because of the relationship, which became a campaign issue. The other island weekly ignored the issue. The chair lost in her reelection bid. She blamed the paper. Back in 1980, when I was a reporter at The Leesburg Commercial in Central Florida, I wrote a series of investigative articles about credit card abuse by sheriff’s deputies at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and a host of other problems, which reflected on a poorly managed, if not corrupt, department. Those articles were published in the midst of a campaign. The stories no doubt contributed to the defeat of the incumbent sheriff. The sheriff and his supporters blamed my newspaper for the loss. The backers of the new regime cited the stories as significant in the ousting of a once-popular sheriff whose father had served as sheriff of Lake County, Fla., for close to three decades. Normally, it’s the visibility of candidates and their success in articulating issues that resonate with voters which determine the outcome of elections. At least I would like to think so. We are just five weeks away from the final campaign weekend of this year’s town elections. In my view, the candidates who campaign the hardest and get out there and knock on doors in neighborhoods throughout Saugus – letting voters know what distinguishes themselves from the field – are the ones who voters will remember when they go to the polls. At The Saugus Advocate, we don’t endorse political candidates. But we do strive to be fair and comprehensive in our coverage of the local races so the town’s registered voters will have information that will help them make informed choices when they go to the polls. As a public service, we have been running campaign announcements with photos so every candidate who is interested can get their message out to our readers. We will, of course, cover any campaign forum or debate that happens between now and the week before the election, providing there are no conflicts with our Thursday production day. And, of course, in the races for the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee and the Housing Authority, we will be sending questionnaires to each of the candidates – another opportunity for candidates to get their message out to voters. Finally, we won’t be covering campaign or kickoff rallies for candidates. It would be impossible to attend every one. And it would be unfair to cover one candidate’s function and not another’s. So, in fairness to each of the candidates, we won’t be publicizing candidate times. We are, however, interested in your views on what you see as the issues, so please respond to our questionnaires. For the betterment of Saugus Hats off to the candidates who decided to run for public office with the hopes of getting elected and working for the next two years at making Saugus a better place to live. Win or lose on Nov. 5, all of the candidates can take great pride in knowing they participated in the Democratic process in their community. They volunteered to step up and serve the citizens of their precincts and town – if elected. And that’s always a good thing. There are a number of important issues that really hit home with the voters – like public safety, improvements in the town’s education system and quality of life matters – which those who are elected will have the responsibility for considering as the town moves forward. It’s always exciting for me as a journalist to watch the local political campaigns play out. Who has some good ideas and articulates them the best? Who has a unique or interesting background that could make themselves an asset to the community? Who has the experience of overcoming past political setbacks to make themselves a more viable candidate? That’s up for the voters to decide. I believe that every candidate, when he or she gets involved in local politics for the first time, has the best intentions of serving their community and the public interest. But, too often, I have witnessed over the years so many people who began with high ideals lose sight at what they set out to do. Politics can get polarizing. The public interest can take a back seat to personal interest. Whether it’s Town Hall, Beacon Hill or Capitol Hill, it’s always disappointing when that hapSOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17

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