THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEmbEr 3, 2023 Page 17 Board of Health attorney takes issue with WIN’s meetings with Cogliano to resolve noise complaint issue By Mark E. Vogler T he attorney who represents the Board of Health has advised WIN Waste Innovations that it needs to be talking to Health Board members – not Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano – in developing solutions to a recent noise complaint at the trash-to-energy plant on Route 107. “Meeting with and purporting to “negotiate” with a single member of the BOS, who has no legal authority in this matter, cannot be considered a constructive development in this process,” Attorney George F. Hailer wrote in a Nov. 1 letter to Peter DiCecco. “We look forward to the complete cooperation from WIN as the BOH continues to respond to this urgent matter of public concern,” Hailer said. A loud noise emanating from the WIN Waste plant on Sept. 25 disrupted the night for hundreds of frightened Saugus and Revere residents. The noise was so loud TOWN ELECTION | FROM PAGE 16 which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV. 19) Peter A. Rossetti, Jr.: is also seeking another two-year term as a Town Meeting member in Precinct 2, where he has served for more than 25 years. His past involvement in Saugus town government also includes a decade on the Planning Board. He’s currently a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. He has been linked to Moving Saugus Forward. He participated in the Oct.18 Charter Commission forum, which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV 20) Michael J. Serino: is running for another term on the Saugus Board of Selectmen; his involvement in local government dates back to 1975, when he was first elected to Town Meeting. Over a span of nearly five decades, he has served for a total of 14 years as a selectman. He opposes creation of a Charter Commission. He participated in the Oct. 18 Charter Commission forum, which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV 21) Vincent A. Serino: Chair of the School Committee and is seeking reelection to anoththat the Saugus Police Department wound up fielding more than 400 calls on its emergency 911 and business lines during a period of about 30 minutes. After holding an emergency hearing, the Board of Health is considering possible enforcement action against WIN Waste. “As you know, the recent noise event at your site caused an immediate overload of the Town’s emergency response system, and left the Town virtually unprotected for approximately forty minutes. Had there been other emergencies in the Town during that period, no one would have been able to get through to the emergency response system, and the emergency situation would have gone unaddressed. This situation, if repeated, would be untenable, and poses a direct and substantial threat to public health and safety of the citizens of the Town, and must be addressed by the BOH,” Hailer said. “The answer is not to appear to ‘negotiate’ with a single member of the BOS who has no legal authority over the matter, but to appear before and cooperate with the BOH as it fairly and thoroughly investigates this matter of intense public concern,” the attorney said. When reached for comment, Cogliano took offense to the letter, saying it was politically motivated and instigated by Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree to make him look bad. “It just proves how petty our town manager is,” Cogliano said. “I never negotiated on behalf of the Board of Selectmen or Board of Health. I simply asked them to do what was requested of them at the BOH meeting. Be proactive! This is Scott’s way of getting a headline smearing me just before the election. It won’t work,” he said. Cogliano said he’s developed a good working relationship with WIN and was trying to assist the Board of Health. Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra Panetta insisted that Cogliano got involved with matters that shouldn’t concern selectmen. “It is important that when a person is elected to the Board of Selectmen, that they understand the duties and responsibilities of this position,” Panetta said. “This is a prime example of an elected official, exceeding their authority, working with big business, as opposed to supporting the process as defined by our Charter. Elected officials should not intentionally inject themselves into matters where they have no authority. Our Charter outlines the separation of duties to prevent this type of behavior,” she said. Mary Urban, Sr. Director of Communications & Community, offered the following statement in response to the letter sent to WIN this week: “WIN Waste Innovations has acted with deference and transparency in all dealings with the town, including the Board of Health. The proposed Host Community Agreement to which he refers underwent no fewer than 15 public meetings over the past three years. This is on top of the strict permitting and regulatory requirements that we meet every day. Our role has been to provide constructive information in response to questions from the Landfill Committee, the Board of Health and other town officials. The noise incident is another example of WIN Waste being responsive to the town. In addition to offering several apologies to town officials and their constituents at the BOH meeting, our team reacted immediately and with full transparency. As a demonstration of good faith, in the spirit of collaboration, and in response to concerns raised by Town residents and officials and the Board of Health, WIN Waste also accelerated several projects in the proposed Host Community Agreement, including the installation of a stand-alone ambient NOx monitoring station and offered support of additional communication tools for the town. We look forward to continuing our constructive and productive relationship with the BOH and other community stakeholders to support our partnership with the town.” Affordable Housing Trust. He is also a member of the Moving Saugus Forward Committee. He participated in the Oct. 18 Charter Commission forum, which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV. 26) Joseph John Vecchione OCTOBER 18 CHARTER COMMISSION FORUM: Left to right: Moderator Mark E. Vogler and Charter Commission candidates Joseph John Vecchione IV, Vincent A. Serino, Judith A. Worthley, Peter A. Rossetti, Jr., Anthony D. Speziale, Michael J. Serino and Thomas E. Traverse. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) er two-year term. He participated in the Oct. 18 Charter Commission forum, which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV. 22) Anthony D. Speziale: a treasurer of the Moving Saugus Forward Committee; he has no past involvement in Saugus local government. He participated in the Oct. 18 Charter Commission forum, which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV. 23) Christopher M. Tarantino: a nonpolitician who has been linked to Moving Saugus Forward. He did not participate in any of the Charter Commission forums. 24) Richard Edward Thompson: a Town Meeting member in Precinct 3 seeking reelection, where he has served for eight years. The parent of a student at Saugus High, he has also served on the Planning Board. He’s been a member of the Saugus Cemetery Commission since 2017 and has served as its chair since 2019. He did not participate in any of the Charter Commission forums. 25) Thomas E. Traverse: a Town Meeting member seeking another term in Precinct 8. He’s had extensive involvement in Saugus government. He currently chairs the Zoning Board of Appeals, serves on the Commission on Disabilities, the Town Manager’s Economic Development Committee and the Saugus IV: a Precinct 2 Town Meeting member who is not running for reelection, so he can devote his time on the Charter Commission – if elected. At 32, he’s the youngest candidate in the 27-candidate race. He has been busy since getting elected to Town Meeting in 2019. He served on the Planning Board and the Economic Development Committee. He also served as chair of the Cliftondale Revitalization Committee and was a member of the Sidewalk Committee. 27) Judith A. Worthley: is also running for reelection to her Town Meeting seat in Precinct 9. She’s also been a member of the Council on Aging’s Board of Directors and served previously on the Saugus Cultural Council. She has been linked to the Moving Saugus Forward Committee. She participated in the Oct. 18 Charter Commission forum, which can be viewed on Vimeo Saugus TV.
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