SAUGUS D Vol. 27, No.40 Your Local News, Sports & Information Online! Scan & Subscribe Here! OCAT CAT THE PUMPKIN PATCH IS BACK! I FEELING THE ORANGE GLOW: Four-year-old Emmie Bluestein of Veterans Early Learning Center cradled her pumpkin excitedly last Saturday as the 23rd Annual Pumpkin Patch came to life at Saugus Center. Please see inside for more photos and stories. (Courtesy photo of Joanie Allbee) TE E -FREE- www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday 781-233-4446 Friday, October 3, 2025 “A great advocate” Town Manager offers high praise for SueAnn Cheung, the woman Marine Corps veteran he hired to become Saugus’ fi rst full-time Veterans’ Service Offi cer By Mark E. Vogler t’s been nearly a decade since the town had a woman veterans’ service officer (VSO). Alicia Marie Reddin worked part-time while splitting duty as the VSO for the Towns of Saugus and Wakefi eld back in 2015-16. U.S. Marine Corps veteran SueAnn Cheung made history last Friday night when Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree announced he had hired her to become the town’s fi rst fulltime VSO. Unlike Reddin, she’ll be working exclusively for Saugus veterans. “I think she’s going to make a great advocate and continue the things that we think are important [for veterans services],” Crabtree told selectmen at Tuesday (Sept. 30) night’s meeting. “I think she’s very promising. I think she brings a lot of experience from working at the Veterans Services Offi ce in Boston and for the state. We’re happy to have her on board,” he said. Cheung – who Crabtree said “brings more than two decades of military, human services, and veterans’ advocacy experience” to Saugus – replaces former Saugus VSO Paul J. Cancelliere, who had worked two years on a parttime basis, tending to the needs of more than 1,000 Saugus veterans and their families. Cancelliere’s position ended on June 30 – the end of the 2025 Fiscal Year – because of the termination of the Regional Veterans Service District, which also included Melrose and Wakefi eld. He said he applied for full-time VSO in Saugus when the town began advertising the position. Two weeks ago, a group of about three dozen veterans attended the Board of Selectmen’s meeting to show their support for Cancelliere while calling for his appointment to the VSO position full-time. But Crabtree decided that Cheung was the best candidate for the job among those who had applied. “SueAnn brings an exceptional blend of service, leadership, and compassion to the Veterans’ SerA GREAT ADVOCATE | SEE PAGE 2 Mid-grade Regular 2.87 3.37 3.44 $3.57 Over 47 Years of Excellence! 1978 - 2025 ULS Full Service $2.99 Order online at angelosoil.com FLEET CARD Check Out Our LOW PRICES!
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