THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, August 18, 2017
THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS
By Mark Vogler
H
ere are a few tidbits that you might want to know about this week in Saugus.
Citizen of the Week Great piece of work and citizen initiative by Tony Sorrentino, of Harrison Ave., who provided Saugus selectmen with some food for thought at Wednesday night’s meeting. Sorrentino did some homework on the Square One Mall, which was the subject of a public hearing for a proposed entertainment center on the second floor of the Sears building at 1325 Broadway. He requested public information from the Saugus Police Department for one year of recorded police service calls by the Saugus Police Department during the period ending July 31, 2017 at shopping centers and entertainment centers in town. Highlights of the report feature the Square One Mall, which has: 100 percent of the assaults with dangerous weapons. 100 percent of armed robberies 100 percent of unarmed robberies 75 percent of the vandalism 60 percent of the assault and batteries The point that Sorrentino was trying to make is that if you add that entertainment center in -- including a dining area and a bar area that serves beer and wine -- “this is a recipe for disaster. Take away the alcohol, Sorrentino said he thinks “it would be a pretty cool business.” “To take this business model … I think it’s more of a liability than asset,” Sorrentino told selectmen. A compelling presentation certainly had to influence selectmen’s urging Round One Entertainment, Inc., to withdraw its requests for a special permit for place of amusement and for a transfer of beer and wine license. Selectman Jeff Cicolini said he didn’t want to see any more strain on existing public safety. So, the board approved Round One’s request to withdraw without prejudice, giving the company to regroup and submit a plan that better considers the impact on public safety resources. Did you hear what they said? In case you missed it, there was a lot of noise at Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Too much noise, if you happened to be straining to hear the voices of selectmen that were for the most part drowned out the air conditioning system. A few of the folks who joined me in the front row of chairs on the left side of the room facing the Board of Selectmen, had moved up, hoping to hear more of the discussion. They would have been better off sitting at home to watch this meeting live instead of hanging out in the second floor auditorium of Saugus Town Hall were the acoustics aren’t that great anyway. Police Patrol Officers Union makes its points Officer William D. Cash of the Saugus Police Patrol Officers Union’s Executive Board got to get the final say during the regular meeting Wednesday night before selectmen voted to go into executive session. Cash went to the lectern to read a letter into the record. Let her rip: “Tonight we wanted to remind the Board of Selectmen and the citizens of Saugus that the Patrol Officers Union is 13 months without a contract. From the start of negotiations, the patrol union stated its desire to reach an agreement that fairly compensates our members for the difficult, often dangerous work we perform every day for this community. The patrol union’s proposals sought to align our compensation and benefits with those of other public safety unions in Saugus as well as ones in surrounding communities. That’s how you place on value on your work. The Patrol Union attempted to find creative solutions through collaborative interest- based bargaining. Throughout our negotiations with the town, we never gave up. We went to all bargaining sessions with an open mind and creative ideas and proposals. After negotiations failed, we filed for arbitration. Now a state arbitrator will ultimately decide the terms of a successor agreement and the men and women of Saugus Town Meeting will vote on whether or not to fund a decision once reached by the Joint Labor Management Committee. The evil that lurks in the world, our Country, our Commonwealth and our Town is greater now than it’s been in many, many years. The world is a more dangerous place to live in. The civil disorder
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that is flaring up throughout our country is making the jobs of law enforcement more dangerous than ever before. More closer to home we see that crime is on the rise, we’re dealing with a major drug epidemic, we’re dealing with more major incidents, and the overall need for law enforcement presence and intervention is greater now than it’s ever been. The citizens of this community need to decide what role the Patrol Officers will have in moving Saugus forward. Patrol Officers are the foundation of every Police Department. A Patrol Officer is the one coming to your home at 3 in the morning when you think someone broke in and is creeping around in your basement. A Patrol Officer is the one coming to your home when you or a loved one is having a heart attack. A Patrol Officer is the one coming to your house when your loved one is overdosing on heroin. Patrol Officers are driving around this community 24 hours a day doing their very best to keep you safe. The current starting salary for a Saugus Police Patrol Officer is $44,900. How can you recruit and retain highly qualified, educated Patrol Officers with a starting salary of $44,900? Not only does the Town have a vested interest in hiring highly qualified and educated Police Officers, but our members do as well. These are the people that we have to work with. We come before you tonight because we hear that you will soon be going into executive session to discuss compensation for the Town Managers position. A good manager, a good leader, they’d put their employees first. If one position in town is paid a fair and appropriate salary, then ALL positions in town should be paid a fair and appropriate salary. You can’t run the town on the backs of its employees. Madam Chair, members of the board. Thank you for your time.” Chill it, please I’m not sure who’s saying what about how in the most recent social media tweets regarding the athletic director’s position, which was filled this week by James Bunnell, but School Committee member Arthur Grabowski did offer some sage advice about this: “There have been some disparaging remarks about this guy on social media and he hasn’t even had a chance to get his feet on the ground yet,” Grabowski complained, without naming names. “Let’s give this gentleman an opportunity to succeed. I certainly want anybody to think that they’re going to run this guy right out of town. There have been nasty comments, calling him names. Well, I did get all give School Committee members on the record, praising the new athletic director and saying he has outstanding credentials. So, I have faith that every one of those committee members I heard from is sincere in their comments. Important dates for candidates If you are contemplating running for public office in the town’s 2017 election, or have already decided to run -- you might want to clip this information out and put it on your refrigerator. Nomination papers have already become available at the Town Clerk’s Office. The Board of Selectmen and the School Committee will each have five seats to be considered. Voters will also elect 50 Town Meeting members -- five in each precinct -- in the Nov. 7 election.
While the names of people candidates papers is of interest to a lot of folks, it really doesn’t mean much until people get the required signatures and return the papers to the town clerk. And they have until Sept. 19 to do that -- and that’s a long way off. Fifty certified signatures of registered voters are required for candidates for the Board of Selectmen, School Committee and the Housing Authority. New candidates for Town Meeting must obtain 10 certified signatures of registered voters -- all from within the candidate’s precincts. Incumbents just have to send in a letter indicating they are running again. Here are the important dates: Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. Last day for incumbent Town Meeting members wishing to become a candidate for re-election to submit written notice to the Town Clerk. Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. Last day to obtain nomination papers from the Town Clerk’s Office. Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. Last day for candidates to submit nomination papers to the Board of Registrars (Town Clerk’s Office) for certification of signature. Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. Last day to file objections or withdrawals. Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m. Drawing of ballot positions (second floor auditorium at Town Hall) Oct. 18 at 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. Last day to register to vote. Oct. 24 Office of Campaign Finance Reports are due. Dec. 7 Office of Campaign Finance Reports are due. A political sign primer All candidates for public office are expected to comply with the Town of Saugus Zoning Bylaws (Article 7, Section 7.3, Sub-Section 8) regarding political signs.
SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 16
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