Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTOBEr 10, 2025 Town Election 2025 Nine candidates explain why they are best qualified to serve on the next Saugus Board of Selectmen (Editor’s Note: In the first of a Jeffrey Cicolini, incumfour-part series leading into the Nov. 4 Town Election, we asked each of the Board of Selectmen candidates the following question: What part of your background or past experience best qualifies you to be one of the five members on the next Saugus Board of Selectmen? Summarize in 300 words or less the chief assets you possess that set you apart from the other candidates. Here are the responses from the candidates who will be on the ballot seeking a two-year term in one of the five seats. We have listed the candidates alphabetically.) bent Saugus selectman: Being a member of the Board of Selectmen is an awesome responsibility and requires sound business and financial knowledge. As chief policy makers, licensing board and traffic commissioners it is important to have a well-rounded skill set that allows you to fully understand the various matters that present themselves. Being a Certified Public Accountant and Partner at my firm, AAFCPAs, along with my roles as Treasurer Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lien * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net and Chair of Audit and Finance Committee at Salem State University Foundation provide me with unmatched real world business experience. I have been at my firm for 31 years and have been a partner/owner for 20 years. I am also the firm’s Treasurer and member of the executive board. In addition to working with many of the firm’s largest, most complex clients, I am also involved in our financial and strategic planning while overseeing 400 employees. I am able to apply my 10+ years of practical experience make a decision that is in the best interest of the town as a whole. It is common for people to allow their feelings to blur the view of the big picture. I have learned how to avoid such pitfalls over my 30+ years of experience. People who know me are serving on the Board of Selectmen and my strong business acumen in every decision. It is critical to be able to TOWN ELECTION 2025 | FROM PAGE 1 er candidates whose names are placed lower on the ballot also like to cite the placement for logistical reasons so their supporters will know where to look when they vote. “I genuinely don’t think ballot placement has any impact unless it’s a very close election,” Fisher told The Saugus Advocate. “We’ve had candidates on the bottom of the ballot top the ticket and I remember one candidate at the top who finished last. A handful of people might give you a second thought if they see your name up there, but that’s about it. It’s fun though!” The wooden box that spins for the candidates’ names being drawn looks like something that the late Carmine Moschella, the town’s legendary woodworker, may have crafted. Moschella made some significant woodwork for the town over the years, including well aware that every vote I take is in the best interest of Saugus and that will never change. The town is on very solid financial footing but is also facing several significant fiNINE CANDIDATES | SEE PAGE 11 the Board of Selectmen’s table and the lectern in the Town Hall Auditorium. “I have absolutely NO history on the box,” Town Clerk Schena said. “I just inherited it from the past Town Clerk Joanne Rappa. She used to use wooden tongue sticks with names on it. I stopped that after my first year because the lock can be faulting and the sticks would come flying out,” the town clerk said. “I now use old camera film containers with the candidates’ name printed out on paper. Easier to read.” Former Selectman D’Eon wins top place There are nine people running in this year’s race for Board of Selectmen – four of them incumbents. Former Selectman Jennifer Elaine D’Eon has been off the board for nearly six years (three terms). So, she may get a boost for having her name atop the field of candidates for the five Board of Selectmen seats. Meanwhile, the name placement is not going to matter a lot for Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Carol Panetta, who will be seventh on the ballot, or Selectman Anthony William Cogliano, whose name will appear sixth on the list. Over the past several elections, Panetta and Cogliano have proven to be TOWN ELECTION 2025 | SEE PAGE 3
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