THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, DECEmbEr 29, 2023 Page 9 Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024. ASKS| FROM PAGE 8 for our schools and I will also be pushing the rezoning of Cliftondale Square again this year. I will always do the best I can to keep Saugus Moving Forward. Happy New Year to all. Selectman Corinne Riley The top story of 2023, in my opinion, was the eff ort to rezone and revitalize Cliftondale Square. While this eff ort failed to achieve the 2/3 supermajority required, it was passed by a 28-13 majority of Town Meeting voters, indicating a clear appetite for revitalization in Cliftondale. Q: What are your top priorities for the new year? Regarding priorities, my priorities on the BOS have been public safety, communication, ensuring all voices are heard, and making Saugus a better place to live. Accordingly, my top priority for the next two years is the long overdue TOP STORIES | FROM PAGE 4 in an environmentally sensitive area. Local environmentalists also expressed public concerns about improving air monitoring around town, particularly in areas near the plant. 6) Cliftondale Revitalization Trying to revive Cliftondale Square as one of Saugus centers of commerce continues as a top town issue. The town received a $2.3-million federal grant to revitalize Cliftondale Square. A proposal to create an Overlay Zoning District for Cliftondale fell fi ve votes short of the two-thirds majority needed during the Annual Town Meeting. 7) Eff orts to get a third fi re station There is some progress in the decades-long quest for a third Saugus fire station, which would be locatWest-Side Fire Station. Another priority is the completion and rollout of a SMS-compatible communication service for residents, so that timely updates on emergency situations and other updates like road closures can get pushed to residents’ smartphones in real-time. Next is Economic Development and Safety Improvements in Cliftondale Square. Traffic and pedestrian issues are well-known, and while some preliminary work has been done, it’s time to see some progress on the ground and in the vacant storefronts. Another important issue facing us is the recent infl ux of hundreds of migrants to hotels along Routes 1 and 99, causing real stress on schools, police, fire, and health departments. We need to cooperate locally and with our state delegation to help the migrants and reduce (or pay for) the burden on town resources. Finally, the Golden Hills Playground is a safety ed on the west end of town. Town Meeting members overwhelmingly approve an article to borrow $400,000 for a feasibility study for the station. Selectmen have already dedicated this project as one of their top priorities in the new year. 8) Continuity in government at Town Hall The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in January to give Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree a two-year contract extension that will keep him in charge of town government through August 2027. In November, Saugus voters decided to keep the current Board of Selectmen together for a third consecutive two-year term despite a contentious political campaign and several controversies that polarized the board during the year. Voters also expressed an interest in keeping Saugus’ form of government the way it was when they rejected a ballot queshazard and needs a complete replacement. Town Meeting authorized $2M funding for playground investment this Spring, and I’d like to see the Golden Hills Playground project fast-tracked. I look forward to working with the Board and the Town Manager over the next year to work toward these and other goals. I’d like to wish all the residents a Healthy, Happy and Peaceful 2024! Selectman Mike Serino I believe the 2023 top story in Saugus was the defeat of the proposed Charter Commission. The proposal to change Saugus’s form of government from a town to a city was fi rst introduced in January 2023. This past November, the residents of Saugus did vote No by some 200 votes. However, seven of the nine candidates elected, actively campaigned not to support changing our town to a city and opposed tion that would have created a nine-member Charter Commission to study and consider possible changes. Had the Charter Commission been approved, seven of the nine members who were elected to serve on it would not have been in favor of making any sweeping changes in Saugus government. They had been looked upon as being “anti-Charter Commission.” 9) A power shift in the Board of Selectmen The town’s two most prolific vote-getters over the past decade squared off in this year’s Board of Selectmen’s election. Anthony Cogliano had won the most votes by large margins in the 2019 and 2021 elections. Debra Panetta was the top vote-getter in the 2015 and 2017 races, enabling her to win the chair’s seat that she later lost to Cogliano four years ago. But in this year’s election, Panetta was the favorite – receiv100 Salem Turnpike, Saugus, MA 01906 winwastesaugus.com forming a Charter Commission. Consequently, the defeat of the proposed Charter Commission was signifi cantly larger than the no/yes vote margin. Q: What are your top priorities for the new year? I believe the top priorities for 2024 will be the mandated funding of a new North East Regional Vocational school. The school is projected to increase its student enrollment capacity from 1,200 to 1,600 students a year. Saugus’s fi nancial portion which includes construction costs and student increased enrollment is estimated at around 4 million dollars a year. A proposed new 3rd fi re station on the west side of route one is another priority. To date a feasibility study is being done for this project. Also a municipal parking lot for our business community in Cliftondale Square is a priority. The town has recently purchased two properties for this project. ing the most votes of any of her opponents in all 10 precincts while finishing 474 voters better than her closest opponent. Cogliano fell to fourth place in this year’s race – 759 votes behind Panetta. Cogliano’s voting popularity dipped in the midst of several controversies, which erupted into several verbal confrontations between him and other selectmen. 10) A renewed citizen interest in Town Meeting The 50-member Town Meeting is the legislative branch and bedrock of Saugus’ local government. In early January, The Saugus Advocate, working with the Saugus Public Library, launched a series of hour-long programs titled “Saugus Over Coff ee,” which were held monthly in the library’s Community Room. One of the town’s 10 precincts were featured each month, with residents of the precinct invited to come down School Committee Member Ryan Fisher School Committee Member Ryan Fisher The top story of 2023 was probably the lead up to and the results from the local elections. Most residents were galvanized, one way or another, and I’m proud that once the election is over, we unify and get back to work. Those who are fi red up by one issue or another fi nd they like being ASKS | SEE PAGE 22 to the library to have coff ee and meet their Town Meeting members. The Town Meeting members also shared their views on issues they considered to be the most signifi - cant in their respective precincts. After hearing the presentations from Town Meeting members, the residents were allowed to ask questions. Residents who weren’t able to attend the program could view it later on Saugus TV. “Saugus Over Coff ee” was designed to heighten citizen interest in the Town Meeting, which has had trouble fi elding candidates in recent years. In the 2021 town election, half of the 10 precincts saw their fi ve members elected without opposition. But in the 2023 town election, there was competition in all 10 precincts. There will be 13 new Town Meeting members this year – some who said they were inspired to run after attending a “Saugus Over Coffee” session.
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