THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021 ~ The Advocate Asks ~ Page 3 TOWN ELECTION 2021: Saugus Board of Selectmen and School Committee candidates discuss managing town government and the School Dept. and what they would do to improve services Editor’s Note: Thirty-two days from today, Saugus voters will go to the polls for the town’s biennial election. The five seats on both the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee will be the featured townwide races on the Nov. 2 ballot, which will also include a seat on the Housing Authority and 50 Town Meeting seats – five members to be selected in each of the 10 precincts. Continuing in this week’s issue and the four remaining editions of The Saugus Advocate published before the town election, we will dedicate this space to questions to the 10 candidates running for the Board of Selectmen and the seven candidates competing for the five School Committee positions. With the lack of candidate forums between now and Town Election Day, we decided to reach out to the candidates aspiring to two-year terms on the town’s two most prominent elected bodies and give them an opportunity to define the essence of their campaigns and what sets them apart from their political opponents. For the Board of Selectmen Q: In 100 words or less, how would you grade the way the Town of Saugus is being managed? Please pick one of the following: Excellent. Good. Fair. Poor. As an elected official, what would you do to help improve the level of service to town residents? The incumbents: Selectmen Jeffrey V. Cicolini A: When I look at things such as this from 20,000 feet I typically break it down into different components. I would say from a fiscal management and oversight including operations, budgeting and financial planning the town is in excellent shape. As I mentioned at a recent board meeting, I do feel we can improve our communication to the residents as it is sporadic (fair). We are preparing to conduct Town Manager update meetings every 6-8 weeks and Town Manager’s corner updates on sctv and Vimeo as ways to promote better communication and transparency throughout our community. SAUGUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: All five School Committee members are running for another two-year term in the Nov. 2 Town Election. But two other candidates are running for a spot on the committee. (Saugus Advocate file photo by Mark E. Vogler) Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony W. Cogliano Sr. A: I think the Town is being managed well … because we can always get better and we are far from excellent. The manager just received a unanimous vote of confidence from the Board for a term of years ....one member preferred a shorter term but all were in agreement … The Town is moving in the right direction. This term has been far different for me from what I’ve experienced in the past, but we’ve risen to the occasion for our residents during these trying times dealing with Covid 19. Selectman Debra C. Panetta A: I would grade the way Saugus is being managed as Very Good. • Saugus is a full-service community. We have a beautiful Senior Center, Library, and Youth and Recreation Center. We have ‘free’ trash pick-up where residents don’t need to go to the dump. We fully fund our Police and Fire Departments. We have rebuilt parks, playground, and recreational facilities. With over 70% of voter approval, we built an impressive, state-ofthe-art Middle/High school and revamped our Belmonte and Veteran’s Schools. Our ASKS | SEE PAGE 16 SAUGUS TOWN HALL: Five challengers will be running against the five incumbent members of the Board of Selectmen in the Nov. 2 Town Election, making it the most competitive race on the ballot. (Saugus Advocate file photo by Mark E. Vogler)
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